How To Determine Your Natural Hair Color (2024)

Are you wonderinghow to determineyour natural hair color? Maybe you’re just divingintothe world of at-home hair colorand you’re trying to find the closest match. Or maybe you’vebeen dyeing your hair for so long you can’t even remember your natural color! Either way, it’s good to know what your actual color is, since most hair care products are based on your natural level.

We’re here to help you figure out your natural color so you can feel confident in making the right hair color choices to fit your individual style.

Related:What’s the best hair color for my skin tone?

Natural Hair Colors

All hair colors are formed from melanin pigments within the cortex of the hair. There are two main melanin pigments found in human hair.

• Eumelanin:this isthe most commonmelanin pigment and containstwo types – brown eumelanin and black eumelanin. Eumelanin determines how dark hair isandconsistsof all three primary colors – red, yellow, and blue.
  
• Pheomelanin: provides red and yellow pigments.People with red hairtend tohavelarge quantities of pheomelanin.

These pigments blend together in varying amounts and proportions to form all the hair colors we see. Depending on the amount of eumelanin and pheomelanin, there are 8 natural hair colors.

• Black
• Brown
• Blonde
• Auburn
• Red
• Chestnut
• Gray
• White

Black hair is the darkest and most common hair color in the world. Light blonde hair actually contains very little melanin. The pale yellow we see is due to keratin in the hair, rather than pigments. Similarly, white and albino hair contain little to no pigment.

So,what is your naturalhair color? We’ll walk you through how to figure it out!Butfirst,you may want to grab a friend to help you!

Figuring Out Your Natural Hair Color

Figuring out your natural color is easier than you might think.

To do this, you will want to use the darkest part of your hair. Start by partingthe back ofyour hair down thecenter.Then, cover up any dyed sections of hair so that you’re able to focus on evaluating yourscalp.

Have a friendmatch the color against our color chartto figure out the color closest to your own.For best results, make sure you’re in bright, natural lighting.

Once you’ve figured out your natural hair color,be sure to write it down somewhereso you’ll have it onhand if needed!Now you’re ready to explorewhat hair colors will best complement your naturalhair color.

Choosing a Color to Highlight Your NaturalHair Color

Sinceyou’ve figured out your natural hair color, you canchoosea color tocomplementor matchit.When you’reconsidering whatcolorstouse, there are a few important things to keep in mind.

You can go as dark as you like, butyou’ll generally get better results if you darken gradually.For this reason, we recommendonly darkening by two levels at a time.It’s alsoimportant tonotethatNaturtintpermanent hair colorcan only lightenbyone or two levels.Most people find that staying within two shades of their natural hair color suits their skin tone well.

Mixing twoNaturtintpermanent hair colors together is also an option. To measure and mix colors, we suggest you use a plastic or glass container that measures inmilliliters. Mostimportantly, always measure and use equal portions of colorant and developer to maintain the manufacturer’s recommended 1:1 ratio.

As you can see, you have many options when it comes to finding a hair colorthat will allow you to feel confident and showcase your individual style. Now that you know how to determine your natural hair color, you’ll be able to narrow downthecolorsthat willwork best for you!

Or,you cancheck out our color chartif you’re still undecided.

Still unsure what your natural color is and the best color to select?Ourteam ofColorSpecialistsis here tohelp,let’s connect and figure it out together!

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