Coloring dark hair with a nice natural brown is a very popular choice for women who want a change of tone and reflect. Take my client yesterday as an example. Her first words to me were “I am bored with my very dark hair I want something lighter yet natural looking”.
Now I can understand this as sometimes a pick me up such as a change of hair color is all you need. To give your personality a sparkle.
Her next words were and you may be thinking the same” I don’t want to much hassle with re growth problems”
Coloring dark hair brown is a great way to go as your hair will only be lightened between one to three shades.
Meaning that you do not have to suffer from a very noticeable demarcation line as your hair grows out. Even less if you decide to on a none global color technique.
Thus allowing you to go a little longer in between touch ups.
But coloring your dark hair brown is not as straight forward as you may think.
Brown hair colors come in several shades and a multiple selection of tones. In other words brown should not be thought of along the lines of one color. Just plain brown.
Making sure you pick the best shade and tone for your skin is an important factor. Especially so if you want your new hair color to be flattering and look natural by adding just a tone and a nice sheen.
In which case you may want to consider coloring your hair with herbal colors such as a mix of natural henna and indigo.
The 4 Shades Of Brown Hair Color.
Darkest Brown.
Dark Brown.
Brown.
Light Brown.
When coloring dark hair and in Asia there is certainly a lot of dark hair. It is very important to think about how much you would like your new hair color to be noticed. Both by yourself and also your friends.
If you pick a shade just one shade lighter than your natural dark hair color. As an example lets say your natural hair color is dark brown and you choose a medium brown shade.
You will find that you will only probably notice the difference in your hair color under a direct light. Whilst on the other hand your friends will hardly compliment you on your new hair color as they will likely not notice at all.
Great if you just want to cover a few grey hairs with no one knowing.
But if you want a change of color and you want to notice the difference for the time spent in the salon.
I would suggest a move of two or three shades lighter than your current natural color.
Although this may mean a very mild pre bleaching of your hair is needed so as to achieve a true color.
Once you have settled on the shade that you are coloring your dark hair. The next step is to decide with your hair stylist on the best color tone.
This is the reflect that people will see when the sunlight or any other form of light rays bounce off your hair.
If you happen to prefer a cooler tone for your brown hair color.
Check out my post on coloring dark hair to see how much pre bleaching you will need to achieve your look.
Coloring Dark Hair Brown Which Tone Should You Choose?
Cool Tones – Ash brown, Matt brown.
These colors will cool down your complexion. The under colors of green or blue will absorb light therefore giving off very little reflection.
Warm Tones – Golden brown, Copper brown, Red brown and Mahogany brown.
Hair colors with warm tones will reflect light giving a feeling of warmth. Adding more color to your face.
Know Your Skin Tone.
Your skin tone has been passed down to you from many generations of your family.
Knowing what your skin tone is can be a big help when deciding the best new color tone to choose when you are coloring dark hair.
Matching the best hair color for you skin tone is very important if you want to create a complimentary and natural look to your hair.
A mistake in choosing the wrong tone could end up with you looking ashen and rather washed out.
It is said that a simple way to check your own skin tone is to look at the veins on the inside of your wrist. But do this only in a natural light.
If they appear to be blue or purple you will generally have a cool skin tone. Whilst you will be considered to have a warm skin tone if they appear to be green.
A good pointer is also to consider how your skin reacts to the sun. If you are someone who tans easily and doesn’t burn you will normally have a warm skin tone.
Mind you if you want your hairstyle to really stand out or shock then it really doesn’t matter about your skin tone or how you color your dark hair.
The Best Brown Hair Colors For Your Skin Tone.
Light Cool Skin Tone.
Think rosy pink, pearly or a light olive skin that may have beige tones. Generally you will tend to have greenish blue or bluish green eyes. If this is your skin color choose a light brown color shade as this will brighten up your skin tone.
Medium To Deep Cool Skin Tone.
Your skin tone would be a light to dark olive with eyes of deep green or deep blue. Going with deep warm browns or any red based tones would look great on you.
Light Warm Skin Tone.
With eyes of yellow brown or green hazel and a skin of ivory white. A hair color of an ash or khaki brown would look fantastic.
Medium To Dark Warm Skin Tone.
Your skin has yellow undertones giving you a golden brown complexion. Deep rich hair colors of dark golden browns and chocolate will compliment your coloring.
Very Fair Skin Tone.
Living in Asia I have added this to the list. Due to the aspect that a lot of women in the region do use lightening skin products. So as to achieve a very fair skin tone. Complimentary hair colors would be of a reddish brown or wine brown tone.
Whisper Shout Or Scream Your New Brown Hair Color.
Whisper – A full head of fine hi lights will definitely change your hair color. But with roughly two thirds of your hair staying your original color. The time before a re touch is needed can be lengthened.
Shout – Coloring dark hair all over with one solid brown color of a fantastic tone can be very stunning.
But before you do.
Think about the up keep nothing looks worse than five months of roots. As your roots will start to show after two to three months a regular trip to the hairdressers is a must.
Scream – If you want to scream out when coloring dark hair.
Think in terms of choosing a brown shade one or two shades lighter for two thirds of your hair near the root area. Then towards the end of your hair use the same tone but four or five shades lighter.
Or even go for a different complimentary tone altogether.
This way you can achieve a hair color with impact yet not worry to much about your root re growth.
A Tip For You If Coloring Your Dark Hair Brown.
For a natural and complimentary look when you are coloring dark hair to your chosen brown color. Always look to work with opposite tones.
So if your skin is warm look at going with cool brown hair colors and change this to warm brown hair colors if you have a cool skin tone.
Thank you for reading my post. I hope you found it helpful.
