Are you feeling lost when it comes to picking your new spring style? Three of the most important things to consider when thinking about changing to a new hair color are 1.) the color genre you want to be in, 2.) multi-dimensional or 2-dimensional, and 3.) how those decisions will influence your haircut. The problem with that is, most people don’t know how to make those decisions — and most stylists don’t want to sway you away from what hair color you think you want.  Chances are, even if they did, by the time you are sitting in their chair your mind has already been made up. Luckily, that’s where we come in. We’re going to give a super simple, easy to understand how-to guide to help makeover your makeover decisions!

1.) One of the biggest complaints a stylist will hear from a new customer about their old stylist color work: “It’s a little too red,” or “It’s a little too gold,” etc. Our solution to this? Aside from actually knowing exactly what color you want, education and prevention is key! Because red is a dominant pigment in most hair color, it’s so important to know in advance what color you want as your end result. Find tons of pictures of the color you’re looking to achieve then analyze them. Determine if you want it to be cool (with not a lot of red in natural light) or if you would like red or strawberry hue to peak through. Once you’ve made that decision, print your pictures and head on over to the salon to CONSULT with your stylist. This is your opportunity to ask questions — make sure you will be leaving with exactly what you want. This is the stylist’s time that you are paying for. So, for example, let’s say you want to be a medium brown hair color but you do not like any peekaboo red color, or you know that your hair naturally pulls a little red, you need to educate yourself on the underlying pigment of hair color. Sounds complicated — but rest assured, it can be broken down very easily by our good friend, Roy G. Biv. The color wheel! Learn this, or carry one around with you to every hair color appointment, because it is about to become your best friend. If you don’t want red — look across the color wheel to your opposing primary color and the secondary color correlating. So, across from when you find blue, blue-green, blue-violet, etc. Any of those cool colors will cancel our the red, gold, or yellow tones you are trying to avoid. Ask you stylist what the underlying pigment in the color swatch that you picked is, if it’s any of those cool undertones, go for it. If not, you may need to pick a new color — or a new stylist if they’re unable to answer that question.

2.) Picking the right color effect for your style and budget is important. It’s important to consider the maintenance and budget when thinking bout overall changing your look. If you’re looking for something simple just to cover gray, a single process color would be perfect for you and it’s super affordable. If you’re looking for a dimensional or sun kissed look, highlights, lowlights or ombre are the way to go. Ombre, although it is growing relatively expensive, is perfect for someone who wants to add dimension to their hair color but is on a budget because ombre has a gradual, more natural look as it grows out — like you’ve been sitting in the sun. Highlights and lowlights are great for anyone who wants a dimensional look with one or more different colors added to your base color, but they require just a bit more upkeep. Although, you can stretch this service by getting a full foil followed by one or two partial foils before you have to pay for full foil pricing again.

3.) How the color your picked may influence your haircut.If you’re someone who loves lots of different lengths of layers and texture, Ombre may not be the best hair color for you. It would end up making the hair look two-toned instead of a soft, gradual look. Love tapering the back of your hair? A full highlight will end up looking like a checker board where the hair is tapered. This doesn’t mean you can’t get highlights, it only limits you to a partial (which in my opinion, gives the hair more dimension and makes it look MUCH fuller.) Like long layers? Your in luck! Any of these dimensional looks would work for you!

We hope we helped narrow down your decisions for your spring hair fling!