In the lasting pursuit of meeting your client’s hair color wants and needs, it is important to consider what will best compliment their skin tone. Thoughtfully making suggestions to their initial coloring desires, or assuring your understanding of their ideal color will not only put the clients at ease, but give you a better idea of what combinations of products will give you the greatest results.
Step 1: Assessing the Client’s Skin Tone
The skin’s complexion will either fall under a warm, or cool skin tone.
Generally those who exhibit a warm skin tone will have a natural hair color that shows reddish or golden undertones, deep browns, and golden blondes. They also may have eyes that are hazel, green-blue, golden brown, or amber with brown specks. The skin color will have golden undertones, or have a peachy glow.
Clients that posses a cool tone to their skin may have hair that is naturally a bluish-black, an ashy blonde, or a dark brown that does not exhibit warm undertones. Their eye color may be steel grey, gray-blue, hazel with lighter specks, or deep brown eyes. The skin color of these clients may have a bluish tone under the eye, or reddish-pinks. At times these clients will have little to no color in their cheeks.
If you are still having problems assessing your client’s skin tone, there are a few quick ways to help you make a more informed decision. One is the vein color test. Have your client turn the pale, inside part of their arm toward the light. The veins will appear green, or blue. If they veins are blue, chances are they are a cool tone. If the veins are green, then they will more than likely be a warm tone candidate. If you are unsure of your client’s natural hair color, take a look at their eyebrow color. There are exceptions, but as a rule of thumb, try to choose a base color that is no more than two shades lighter, or darker than the client’s eye brow color.
Step 2: Choosing the Appropriate Color(s)
Those with warmer skin tones should try to avoid too much ash to deter that washed out look. Highlights that compliment the warm skin can be multidimensional golden blondes, reddish colors, or copper tones. For base colors try a golden brown, auburn, or chestnut.
Clients with cooler skin tones should try to avoid hair color that has excessive yellow, because the colors of the skin and hair will begin to blend, resulting in another washed out look. Base colors that could work best are in the ash blondes, flat browns, and burgundy colors. An all over color choice could be bluish blacks, or cooler browns.
The appropriate amount of highlights and color could accentuate any skin tone and give the hair dimension. The above suggestions are not set in stone; skin tones will vary and could show a combination of both warm and cool skin tones. With these guidelines and your professional courtesy, your client will display a complimentary glow instead of a monochromatic dullness.
Organic Color Systems has a wide range of colors to choose from and are highly inter mixable helping you to achieve such amazing results. The line also maintains the hair’s integrity keeping your locks healthy and shiny. By choosing the right hair color for your client, your client will recognize that what you are offering is visually different from other stylists.
