Jewel & Jewel

Getting your hair color right isn’t a science. It’s really quite simple: Stick to colors that complement your skin tone, figure out if you’re best off with all-over color or highlights and then decide if you’re going to pay someone else to do it or do it yourself. Here are some tips how to choose right shade for you.

1. Pick the right shade of blonde Some women look good in any color but most women don’t. Some rules of thumb for going blonde, according to Allure’s Confessions of a Beauty Editor, which is my favorite beauty book of the moment:
   Sallow skin with yellow undertones? Deep golds aren’t for you. Pink skin? Avoid strawberry shades.
   Doing it yourself? It’s best to go no more than a couple shades lighter than your current shade.
2. The right way to go (or stay) brown Here are more Allure tips for going dark: If you’re pale, careful with the super dark tones, you might look ghostly and older. (Eeek).
   Just as with blonde, it’s best to start out just a couple shades from your natural color. In this case, avoid going more than a couple shades darker initially.
3. To color or to highlight, that’s the question. We find women with short hair look better with full color rather than highlights. If you have medium-length to long hair, highlights — especially around the face — can be very flattering. For the most natural-looking highlights, you can ask your stylist for up to five different shades of color, according to ‘Confessions.’Keep in mind that due to root growth, all-over coloring will need to be touched up every four to eight weeks, while highlights can last up to two or three months.
4. Different types of highlights. There are basically four types of highlights: basic foil highlights, baliage or ‘hair painting’, chunking or ‘piecing’ and lowlighting.
5. Doing it yourself? Home-color kits have come a long way in the past few years and are perfect for busy people and those who want cut the cost of professional colorings. (We know of a couple top fashion editors who color their hair themselves!). Some great hair coloring kits include:
6. Coloring newbie? Start with a semipermanent color. Semipermanent colors wash out after a few washes, whereas permanent colors have to grow out. If you are new to coloring your hair, you might start with a semipermanent hue UNLESS you want to cover gray hair or go two or more shades lighter or darker.

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