Hair Color

6 Factors to Determine the Best Hair Color Shade for You

Find out which color shades suit you for inspiring hair color ideas to revamp your look – based on your skin undertones, hair type, length and more.

Ready to revamp your hair color, but not sure where to start? With so many shades and hair dyeing techniques available, the choice can feel a little overwhelming. Tools like Virtual Try On make it easier to visualize yourself wearing almost every color shade under the rainbow. But it’s not always easy to decide which one brings out that special glow, contrast or edginess – some hair color trends look amazing on celebrities or your friends but lose their wow factor when you try them out.

Factor
1

Your Objective & Personality

First things first, set out your aim. Do you want to go lighter or darker? Are you looking to cover grey, enhance natural color or experiment with new color shades? There are no right or wrong answers. Bear in mind that if you want to take very light hair very dark (or vice versa), this may require more effort or specific products. And, above all, remember to have fun and choose a hair color that expresses your personality and says a lot about you.

To set the ball rolling, use Virtual Hair Color Finder Tool to get personalized recommendations and hair color ideas.

Factor
2

Your Skin Tone

Skin tone has a major impact on which shades suit you. There are 3 types of skin undertone: warm, cool, and neutral. For a flattering match, choose a color shade with similar undertones.

To set the ball rolling, use Virtual Hair Color Finder Tool to get personalized recommendations and hair color ideas.

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A shade for every skin tone

Whatever your skin tone, with Excellence Range, you’ll find a color that flatters your complexion.

COOL SKIN TONES
Red or pink tinge with bluish hints

Overall, cooler complexions suit lighter, more natural colors. Give warmer ones like copper and gold a miss as they’ll make you look pinker. Instead opt for natural ash tones, sandy browns, chestnut or burgundy. If you’re feeling bold, go for on-trend platinum blond or jet back.

Try out

Excellence Fashion 5.54 Intense Warm Auburn
Excellence Fashion 6.13 Golden Nude Brown
Excellence Fashion 6.6 Intense Spicy Red

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WARM SKIN TONES
Yellow, peachy and golden hues

Warm skin tones look great with warm colors like caramel, mahogany, golden blond, copper and warm reds. While cooler colors tend to make you look washed out, giving your skin a greenish or even grey hue.

Try out

Excellence Ash Supreme 7.12 Honey Ash
Excellence Fashion 6.13 Golden Nude Brown

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Hair Color Best Color Shades Visuel3

NEUTRAL SKIN TONES
A mix of both warm and cool

You can wear pretty much any color and you don’t have to worry about any shades drowning you out. Although, you’ll still be somewhere on the spectrum with more warm or cool tones. Highly recommended: strawberry blonde, auburn, expresso and blonde. Or why not cinnamon?

Try out

Excellence Fashion 5.13 Expresso Ash Brown
Excellence Fashion 6.6 Intense Spicy Red 

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Hair Color Best Color Shades Visuel4

Match My Shade

Not sure about your skin tone? Use our virtual foundation shade finder and its library of 45,000+ skin tones to analyze yours and guide your choice of hair color.

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Hair Color Best Color Shades Visuel7
Factor
3

Your Eye Color

A hair shade that complements your eyes can really bring their color. For green eyes, think auburn, butterscotch or (if you’re feeling bold) black. Blue eyes look great with strawberry blond, platinum or expresso. As for brown, why not try ash blond for contrast or highlight the warmth of your eyes with mahogany?

Try out

Excellence Ash Supreme 6.11 Smoky Ash

Factor
4

Your Hair Type

Different types of hair suit different styles and colors, especially if you’re adding highlights. With the Preference balayage kit, you can get luminous, professional results for any hair at home.

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Hair Color Best Color Shades Visuel5

CURLY / WAVY HAIR

Wider, chunkier highlights create dimension. If they are too fine, they get lost. Add more highlights around the face and at the ends.

STRAIGHT / FINE HAIR

Opt for finer highlights. A shadow root can help blend the highlights, get rid of stripes and make your hair look thicker.

THICK / FRIZZY HAIR

Highlights tend to give the hair more dimension and texture. If you have thicker, frizzier hair, stick to a more natural look with minimal highlights, keeping close to your natural color.

Factor
5

Your Hair Length

Length can also have an impact on your choice of hair color and the type of highlights you add.

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Hair Color Best Color Shades Visuel6

SHORT HAIR

Color is the easiest way to shake up a short style. Short styles really suit a blended beachy look (without too many stripes), almost as if the sun has lightened the hair. Or why not add volume to a bob with dark roots and platinum tips?

LONG HAIR

With long hair you have more room to play. When it comes to ombre, balayage and highlights, choose fine and subtle or chunky and bold. Pretty much any color goes.

Factor
6

The Season

Each season bring fresh hair color ideas and trends. However, in general, winter colors tend to be darker to match the cold temperatures and create contrast with paler skin. In summer, you may well want to go lighter and more natural – especially as the sun can easily lighten your hair (and tan your skin) for a great beach look.

Spring and fall are ideal moments to transition between the two. In spring, freshen your look with a hint of sunshine by choosing subtle Ombré or buttery blond. And when fall arrives and the leaves change color, start adding bolder tones such as warm red and copper.

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Find your hair color shade

Not sure where to start? Use Virtual Hair Color Try-On to experiment with the latest hair colors and makeup trends. Wear multiple products at once to see the effect on your face and hair.

Try On Now

Get your hair color diagnosis

Get personalized color shade recommendations with Virtual Hair Color Finder from L’Oréal Paris.

Start Analyzing
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