Guide to Hair Tones (Red, Gold, Neutral and Ash)

[molljo]

I was looking for a guide to figure out whether my hair is neutral or ash, and these posts really helped (I'm ashy)! They were written by a professional colorist, so you can skip most of the text if you don't dye. Her descriptions and especially the photos are really illustrative of the four tones across a spectrum of shades, especially if (like me) you aren't really sure where your hair color fits in. I hope this helps someone!

http://thebeautydepartment.com/tag/hair-color-guide/

[AZDesertRose]

That's a cool guide. Thanks!

Sorry for the multiple edits. I thought I had double posted. I think my computer is just acting weird.

[Aurum]

That was an interesting read. I can never figure out if I'm ashy, neutral, or gold, but I guess that comes with the blonette territory. My hair can be any of the three depending on the lighting. If I had to pick just one though, I'd say I lean more towards gold than ashy.

[Begemot]

Cool find! Nice pictures :) I think I might fall into gold and/or neutral categories but it's really hard to say (for yourself).

[Rosetta]

Hmm, I think that guide is only really applicable to dyes, not natural hair... And some of the things she says are just... odd, or not true. Like what she says about gold tones:


Gold tones are just plain flattering to almost anyone with any skin tone.
Hmm, nothing is never flattering for every skin tone... Though that's a line way too often used.
And this about ashy tones:

Who can wear it? The girl who’s skin is completely clean and clear! Any hints of redness from acne or rosacea will clash with ashy tones.
So what about those who have naturally ashy/cool-toned hair and redness/rosacea in the face, as many do...?

Although, many of those she has classified into "neutral" look already quite ashy to me, and the "golden" ones look neutral ;) I guess that's what society's preference of golden tones has done... That's actually a good reminder that naturally, most people are cool-toned, as I remember reading somewhere.

[TwilightShadow]

Hmm, I think that guide is only really applicable to dyes, not natural hair... And some of the things she says are just... odd, or not true. Like what she says about gold tones:


Hmm, nothing is never flattering for every skin tone... Though that's a line way too often used.
And this about ashy tones:

So what about those who have naturally ashy/cool-toned hair and redness/rosacea in the face, as many do...?

Although, many of those she has classified into "neutral" look already quite ashy to me, and the "golden" ones look neutral ;) I guess that's what society's preference of golden tones has done... That's actually a good reminder that naturally, most people are cool-toned, as I remember reading somewhere.

I agree, Rosetta. My hair is dyed right now, but my natural color was a dark ashy blonde, especially at the roots, and it definitely had golden highlights. And my cheeks have redness in them.

[MINAKO]

No question i fall into the ash category. Reds and golds would look straight up terrible on me, i would appear extraterrestrial-grey against them with my medium/dark neutral skin and pink undertones.
Im really happy that i know i will never feel like expirimenting much in that department, black is THE colour for me and will always be. Warming up anything about skin or hair to look "better" is really just a cliché imho.

[hannabiss]

im still confussed i think im golden ashy red brown?? maby just light brown with a gold undertone. honestly the pics would be more helpful if they werent glamour shots with editing to make them look cool. id like to see one when all the lighting is the same and all the backround is the same (and no one messes with Contrast) then i think itd be easier to tell the difference its still a good idead and i got the over all gist. it just got a little hard to tell the difference when it came to the darker colors. *Sigh* :p

[neko_kawaii]

I agree with you Hanna that the variety of fashion shots don't help much to tell the difference. I've seen all those in my hair at various times depending on the lighting and background.

[Upside Down]

Yup. I am Golden Redbrown, no doubt about it.



;)

[Stray_mind]

I agree with you Hanna that the variety of fashion shots don't help much to tell the difference. I've seen all those in my hair at various times depending on the lighting and background.

Mine looks different in different lightings too. But i think it is only what your natural hair color can do. If you dye your hair it is easier to pick the color of a certain tone, because it will barely change.

[Meteorite]

Great guide, thank you for sharing! I think my hair might be gold-brown, at least that's what it looks
like in sunshine and such. I'm not 100% sure though. Might be a mix, if that's even possible...
My colour varies a bit depending on the light.

[lapushka]

That's odd. It says on ashy tones, that gray is the color to wear, and that's always been my favorite color (next is pale blue). And why does it say "ashe". Major typo, if you ask me. :confused:

Thanks for sharing, molljo!

[HintOfMint]

She's a bit harsh on ashy toned hair, but frankly, so are a lot of people on this forum. Many (most?) of the struggles I see on LHC are of people trying to give up dyes that cover up naturally ashy dark blond or brown hair. There's a real push to get people to embrace their natural color here but most of the pushback comes from this tone/color family.

This may have to do with not liking the color, but other underlying causes could be a clash between redness in one's complexion or texture issues--things that don't really occur to a layperson who has not made a career out of aesthetics.

This may actually be helpful for people growing out their natural ashy color if they find they don't like it right away. They can experiment with makeup, clothing styles, or curls before giving up and either going back to dyes or just spending months/years not liking how they look.

[DarkSunny]

Hmm, I think my hair is mostly an ashy dark brown, but can get both gold, reddish, and sometimes even violet tones depending on the light. So I'm still not quite sure what tone it has exactly. :shrug:

What I do know is that crimson and purple clothing always compliments my hair color very well.

[molljo]

For the record, I agree with all criticisms!
Yeah, it's far, far from perfect, and, as I said, it's written by a colorist, someone who dyes hair for a living. I just was never really sure what tones my hair has, and I see people question their natural color all the time, and this was the closest I could find to illustrate the differences. It's really unfortunate that if you want any kind of scale, it's all done using models and celebrities whose pictures are suspect because of dye, lighting trickery, and photoshop.

[DarkSunny]

I actually found it pretty helpful in giving me names for the tones that I've seen in my hair, especially with how they are shown for a range of lighter and darker hair colors.

[Lady Mary]

I'm one of the extra ones linked at the bottom called "Hints of Red" cute guide :)

[meteor]

Interesting! Thanks so much for sharing! :D
Well, looking at those pictures, the only category I'd rule out for myself is "red".
My hair can look "golden", "neutral" or "ashy" depending on the light... :Hmm: Chameleon hair in blonette range can be maddeningly undefinable, sometimes... :lol:

Am I the only one who thought that "neutral" pictures looked like they could realistically belong in the "ash" category, too? :confused:

[Robot Ninja]

She's a bit harsh on ashy toned hair, but frankly, so are a lot of people on this forum. Many (most?) of the struggles I see on LHC are of people trying to give up dyes that cover up naturally ashy dark blond or brown hair. There's a real push to get people to embrace their natural color here but most of the pushback comes from this tone/color family.

This may have to do with not liking the color, but other underlying causes could be a clash between redness in one's complexion or texture issues--things that don't really occur to a layperson who has not made a career out of aesthetics.

This may actually be helpful for people growing out their natural ashy color if they find they don't like it right away. They can experiment with makeup, clothing styles, or curls before giving up and either going back to dyes or just spending months/years not liking how they look.

That's a lot more effort than just dyeing your hair. Plus, some people can't or don't want to wear makeup and some people can't cover the redness in their skin without slathering on more makeup than they're comfortable with. There is only so much one can do with styling while still minimizing mechanical damage, and a lot of members here want to stretch washes and avoid cones, which cuts down on shine-enhancing options.

I'm not saying people shouldn't embrace their natural ashy color, but there is a reason for the pushback. And yes, I am biased.

[leilani]

Plus she advised to be best friends with your curling iron to make ash hair look good! Yikes! I'd rather use color and avoid overlap than regularly fry my hair with a curling iron.

[DarkSunny]

As a bit of an aside, I wonder how much the colors currently in fashion for clothing affect the prevalence of certain hair colors. I've (in my opinion) noticed that ashy hair seems to go well with either muted colors or rich darker colors (crimson, royal purple, dark blue etc.), but not so well with really bright saturated colors.

[HintOfMint]

That's a lot more effort than just dyeing your hair. Plus, some people can't or don't want to wear makeup and some people can't cover the redness in their skin without slathering on more makeup than they're comfortable with. There is only so much one can do with styling while still minimizing mechanical damage, and a lot of members here want to stretch washes and avoid cones, which cuts down on shine-enhancing options.

I'm not saying people shouldn't embrace their natural ashy color, but there is a reason for the pushback. And yes, I am biased.

I'm not in a position to say whether people should or shouldn't embrace their natural ashy color. I'm saying that ashy hair color is unpopular but not everyone can put a finger on why.
Makeup and styling (there are heat-free styling techniques, LHC is replete with them) is just an option and lots of women wear makeup on a daily basis, so just because some women find it prohibitive or uncomfortable, doesn't mean it's not an option for others. It's not unkind to suggest ways to make an ashier color work to the satisfaction of the wearer before giving up on the color entirely. And for what it's worth, dying hair may be prohibitive in ways that makeup is not. Everyone has individual issues. I would sooner wear makeup every day than deal with stinky dyes (natural or otherwise) and roots.

A minimalist beauty routine where a woman has her natural color hair, washes, conditions, lets air-dry her hair, wears no makeup, and doesn't think about particular clothing styles is going to produce very different results based on the person, and the person may very well not like what she sees. There are ways to make the result more pleasing, but if every solution is too much effort then your only option is, "get used to it." And that seems to be a lot harder and more miserable than making changes.

[Shibe]

I was light blond -> dark blonde -> my final blonette

[hannabiss]

i think im a golden neutral. it was helpful. i guess i ment it could be better. It was in its own way helpful. 🌷

[Arctic]

I'm intrigued to try violet shampoo on my ashy hair now :D

[gwenalyn]

I'm surprised that people consider ashy hair unpopular. At the moment, at least, I think it's considered very fashion forward and trendy. In the cities, ash blonde and silver colors have been very popular. (Not so when I visited the rural areas of America this winter, though.) I was very pleased to find out that according to the guide I'm a very dark ash brown.

[FallingDarkness]

I looked at this and IDK where to classify my hair. . . Oh well. :shrug:

[Rosetta]

Am I the only one who thought that "neutral" pictures looked like they could realistically belong in the "ash" category, too? :confused:
No, you're not, I actually said so on the 1st page: ;)

Although, many of those she has classified into "neutral" look already quite ashy to me, and the "golden" ones look neutral ;) I guess that's what society's preference of golden tones has done...



Plus she advised to be best friends with your curling iron to make ash hair look good! Yikes! I'd rather use color and avoid overlap than regularly fry my hair with a curling iron.
Me too, definitely.

[leilani]

I looked at this and IDK where to classify my hair. . . Oh well. :shrug:

Me neither! I only have 4" though, maybe it will become clear when my virgin roots grow out longer. http://i.imgur.com/bHTkFod.jpg

[Robot Ninja]

Me neither! I only have 4" though, maybe it will become clear when my virgin roots grow out longer.

It looks ashy to me although that could be partly due to the contrast with the red.

[leilani]

I think my palette is deep /dark winter, but my skin is warm and fair and my hair isn't *that * dark, (and I've always been blonde before a year ago but still wore those colors) so it's odd! The photos of celebrities with my color palette usually has much darker features. But for sure those are the colors that look best on me, no other color palette was even a "maybe."

This is even further off topic, but my color palette is fairly easy to find by going to my closet. I have around 15 shades of jewel toned cool colors I love on me in there, in the exact hues that suit me. Here's the interesting part : recently I went to my closet and got two garbage bags full of clothes I don't think I'll ever wear again and started cutting them up to make little girl clothes for my one year old daughter. It was so easy to mix and match the prints and solid fabrics to create really coordinated dresses/pants /tops that look like the fabrics were meant to be sewn together! And such a fun hobby to use my serger and sewing machine to whip up really one of a kind little outfits in toddler and preschool sizes from my cast offs!
But it definitely confirmed which palette of colors I've always purchased clothes-wise!

[lapushka]

Me neither! I only have 4" though, maybe it will become clear when my virgin roots grow out longer. http://i.imgur.com/bHTkFod.jpg

That looks more neutral dark dark blonde bordering on brown, IMO.

[leilani]

Well, whatever it is, I'm committed to seeing what it does as it grows out loooong! Surely the length will be somewhat more lively than these first inches of roots that have never seen the sun , I hope.... Regardless, I want to really know my natural color for the first time in my adult life (I'm 35 & sick of getting highlights every 4 months).

[ExpectoPatronum]

Thank you for posting this! I've learned my natural hair color is of the golden family. I didn't know it was so desired.

I'm ruining it my trying to go purple. It's not going very well.