skin tone/color and hair color question

[BrianaFineHair]

This question came to me as I read another thread. How do you know if your skin tone/color is right for the reddish hues and colors of straight henna?

My natural hair is very dark brown and I have near black eyebrows.

My skin tone is fair/light. (I have a photo on my profile page but the color is way off so it's not true to my actual skin tone)

Any thoughts please? If you know of any links with photos that would be helpful as well.

I'm going to sit back and really take in the responses. I'm very curious. :shrug:

ETA: I just realized this should have gone in then henna/hair color forum.

[squiggyflop]

before i hennaed my hair i photoshopped my hair red... i do it whenever i change my hair color ever since i dyed it an awful shade of green... if you dont have photoshop i would be glad to do it for you...

[BrianaFineHair]

squiggyflop, I have paint shop pro. I need my dh to show me how to get started. That's a good idea, thank you! :) I need to fix the color on that photo first before I start on the hair color.

[spidermom]

You could drape fabric in different shades of red over your head while you sit in natural daylight and get a friend or two to comment. There's nothing like an objective opinion. I'm not sure that photoshop is going to be terribly helpful because the colors aren't true on a monitor.

[BrianaFineHair]

squiggyflop, what is your natural hair color?

As I understand it, there are differing shades of red henna too and then the fact that each natural hair color gives a different results. Many factors, you know?

Mods - would you move this to the henna forum for me? Purdy please?

[BrianaFineHair]

You could drape fabric in different shades of red over your head while you sit in natural daylight and get a friend or two to comment. There's nothing like an objective opinion. I'm not sure that photoshop is going to be terribly helpful because the colors aren't true on a monitor.

I'm finding that out, spidermom, although I just gave myself some reddish/maroon dreads :D

[Anje]

What are your favorite colors to wear? The ones that you feel most "you" in, that seem to set off your skin and eye color most favorably?

The reason I ask is that your gut feelings on clothing colors (even more when you're a child than when you're an adult) usually indicate the best colors for you to wear and therefore your skin tone (warm vs cool, etc). If you do well with warm "spring" and "autumn" colors, you're more likely to do well with henna.

[BrianaFineHair]

What are your favorite colors to wear? The ones that you feel most "you" in, that seem to set off your skin and eye color most favorably?

The reason I ask is that your gut feelings on clothing colors (even more when you're a child than when you're an adult) usually indicate the best colors for you to wear and therefore your skin tone (warm vs cool, etc). If you do well with warm "spring" and "autumn" colors, you're more likely to do well with henna.

Anje, I'm most certainly a cool. I look best in cool colors and silver jewelry. I can not wear oranges or rusts. I suppose that answers my question. Thank you :)

[squiggyflop]

squiggyflop, what is your natural hair color?

As I understand it, there are differing shades of red henna too and then the fact that each natural hair color gives a different results. Many factors, you know?

Mods - would you move this to the henna forum for me? Purdy please?
my natural color is auburn... i intensify it with henna... in the winter my hair was more brown but in the summer i would hear people describe me to people as that red haired girl...

[birdiefu]

I also have naturally dark brown hair and black eyebrows. I have light skin with yellow-ish undertones but can tan easily (I avoid it as much as possible, though). Personally, I think I look great with henna, but I love red and would go bright red if possible! But having very dark hair, the henna just takes on a reddish glint in the sun and pretty much still looks dark brown indoors (aside from my chemically lighted hair lower down that is redder indoors). So it's subtle with darker hair, if that helps you decide.

[BrianaFineHair]

Ok, so "that red haired girl" has natural auburn hair - that would mean the henna looks very nice on you. ;)

I found this info just googling around:
http://www.essortment.com/lifestyle/howchooseselec_sjyc.htm
(hope it's ok to post the link, since this is not my own info)

Men and women who fall in the cool shade category are often found with blue, gray-blue, hazel, or dark brown eyes followed by deep chocolate browns, blue-blacks, medium ash and golden browns, dark blondes, salt and pepper grays or white in hair coloring. Their skin tones are most often pale to pale with pink undertones, Medium with pink to medium with golden undertones, olive, bronze brown and dark brown in color.

Usually when you have more than one of the above colors then you will be a part of the cool category. When you are in this category you should not consider colors of red, bronze, yellow or gold since they are warm colors and tend to looked washed out on cool people. Shades of ash browns, cool blondes such as platinum, blue-blacks and unnatural colors like mahogany, burgundy and fire engine red can also be worn by this shade as well.

There's really no way of knowing if henna would cause my dark brown to be "mahongony, burgandy, or fire engine red", right? I would have never thought fire engine red would be in this group though.

[iris]

There's really no way of knowing if henna would cause my dark brown to be "mahongony, burgandy, or fire engine red", right? I would have never thought fire engine red would be in this group though.
You could collect shed hairs for awhile until you have a sizeable wad of hair, henna that, and hold it next to your skin.

Henna turns to a cooler shade as it builds up - the more henna you get in, the more purply it will get. Since your natural color is dark, it could look rather purply already with just one henna.

If you do the test wad thing, make sure to look at it in all kinds of lighting before you go for it. Henna changes a LOT with the light.

I'm cool-toned, and I used to henna over dark blond, and while I could get the color to a purply tone which sort of suited me with repeated hennas, it would always still flare up orange in bright light, especially in sunshine, and make me look ill, no matter how purply and OK it looked indoors. I tried for five years to make it so that it would look cool-toned in all lightings and had to give up in the end. I don't think it's possible, at least not on my light natural color.

ETA: To illustrate the lighting effect, here's a pic of my hennaed hair in all kinds of light. All pics were taken within two days; the only variable was the light. As you see, the colors vary from orange to medium brown to dark purply red; it's the same head of hair though. I had huge issues with the orange.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb198/irisalsusername/hennakleuren_2.jpg

Iris

[Druid of Alba]

Red would go well with it, as long as you do your eyebrows too.

[Nevermore]

Is it safe to use henna on your eyebrows?

[BrianaFineHair]

You could collect shed hairs for awhile until you have a sizeable wad of hair, henna that, and hold it next to your skin.

Henna turns to a cooler shade as it builds up - the more henna you get in, the more purply it will get. Since your natural color is dark, it could look rather purply already with just one henna.

If you do the test wad thing, make sure to look at it in all kinds of lighting before you go for it. Henna changes a LOT with the light.

I'm cool-toned, and I used to henna over dark blond, and while I could get the color to a purply tone which sort of suited me with repeated hennas, it would always still flare up orange in bright light, especially in sunshine, and make me look ill, no matter how purply and OK it looked indoors. I tried for five years to make it so that it would look cool-toned in all lightings and had to give up in the end. I don't think it's possible, at least not on my light natural color.

ETA: To illustrate the lighting effect, here's a pic of my hennaed hair in all kinds of light. All pics were taken within two days; the only variable was the light. As you see, the colors vary from orange to medium brown to dark purply red; it's the same head of hair though. I had huge issues with the orange.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb198/irisalsusername/hennakleuren_2.jpg

Iris

Iris, WOW, I had no idea all of those photos were of the same hair until I read it! Beautiful! I was going to say that the color that I believe would look appropriate for me would be the darker purpley of the lot. I believe I would have the same reaction in light that showed more auburn reds - not too favorably for my skin tone.

Thank you for posting these pictures :)

I would rather my entire head turn silver quickly rather than have a sliver strand pop out here and there.

I just really wanted opinions of skin tones and henna reds to confirm what I already thought regarding my own skin tone.

Druid of Alba, that crossed my mind but ever so briefly.

[prosperina]

I think some people do henna their eyebrows.... you couldn't pay me to do it. Mine are light blond with darker blond bits in them (before henna my hair darkened up, my eyebrows never did) , I'd have orange eyebrows. :puke: Although on darker eyebrows I think it works okay and even makes the hair color look more believable since dark brown eyebrows and warm red hair can look odd.

[Juliet's Silk]

Okay so if your color type is anything like mine, red won't suit you.
I spent a fair amount of time learning about color types, but to this day I cannot say how my skin looks. If one forced me to color type myself I'd say I'm a "clear" type, not quite a true Winter.

What I know, though, is that red doesn't suit me. Funny enough, my "natural" hair had quite a lot of red in it. I always wondered why because it didn't match the rest of my coloring, until I stumbled over a statement that said that dark hair loses its blue pigments rather fast in light which leaves the red. So, your natural hair doesn't look red, but the sun bleaches the blue pigment and makes it look red.
It was true for me - 1 1/2 years ago I bit the bullet and indigoed my hair, as my roots grew in dark brown whereas the length of my hair was light brown to auburn depending on the light. It made me look washed out as my eyebrows are jet black and my skin fairly light.
Now my hair has the same color all over (see signature) and it fits much better.

So my advice would be: Look if the ROOTS of your hair have a reddish tone in them. If they do, I'm sure red would suit you. If they don't, if they appear more greyish, then I don't think it would.

Hennaing eyebrows is possible, btw - but I doubt that really dark, black eyebrows would take the color.

[squiggyflop]

Ok, so "that red haired girl" has natural auburn hair - that would mean the henna looks very nice on you. ;).
lol yeah i guess that having auburn hair was a good indicator for me that henna would look good on me... but ive had my hair pink and purple and blue and ick green and fire engine red and blond and i can tell you that i was able to get most of them to look ok on me (green was awful and blue was only good for a week until it turned green)

i was confused by the article that you posted... those people seem to think that people who have a red tint to their hair naturally have light eyes... i have dark brown eyes... and i am pink as pink can be... i really think photoshop is your best bet... but do not change the rest of the picture just the hue of the hair..

[Dark Rosaleen]

This thread is interesting. How funny that certain shades, or certain colors can either make us look amazing, or not...so...amazing.

I fall into the cool category personally, and even though I think henna is pretty, and loved how it made my hair feel, the coppery/orange color did nothing for my complexion.

Sorry, I rambled, but thanks for posting this thread.

[BrianaFineHair]

Okay so if your color type is anything like mine, red won't suit you.
I spent a fair amount of time learning about color types, but to this day I cannot say how my skin looks. If one forced me to color type myself I'd say I'm a "clear" type, not quite a true Winter.

What I know, though, is that red doesn't suit me. Funny enough, my "natural" hair had quite a lot of red in it. I always wondered why because it didn't match the rest of my coloring, until I stumbled over a statement that said that dark hair loses its blue pigments rather fast in light which leaves the red. So, your natural hair doesn't look red, but the sun bleaches the blue pigment and makes it look red.
It was true for me - 1 1/2 years ago I bit the bullet and indigoed my hair, as my roots grew in dark brown whereas the length of my hair was light brown to auburn depending on the light. It made me look washed out as my eyebrows are jet black and my skin fairly light.
Now my hair has the same color all over (see signature) and it fits much better.

So my advice would be: Look if the ROOTS of your hair have a reddish tone in them. If they do, I'm sure red would suit you. If they don't, if they appear more greyish, then I don't think it would.

Hennaing eyebrows is possible, btw - but I doubt that really dark, black eyebrows would take the color.


I've seen the red undertones in my hair but I never paid attention to the root area.

Your hair is very pretty! :)

[BrianaFineHair]

lol yeah i guess that having auburn hair was a good indicator for me that henna would look good on me... but ive had my hair pink and purple and blue and ick green and fire engine red and blond and i can tell you that i was able to get most of them to look ok on me (green was awful and blue was only good for a week until it turned green)

i was confused by the article that you posted... those people seem to think that people who have a red tint to their hair naturally have light eyes... i have dark brown eyes... and i am pink as pink can be... i really think photoshop is your best bet... but do not change the rest of the picture just the hue of the hair..

I've always loved red hair!

I did not understand their reasoning either since I have known several natural red heads with brown eyes.