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spidermom
October 6th, 2009, 11:24 AM
I've noted quite a few times that people will say that they color their hair because the natural color clashes with their skin tones. This puzzles me because I thought that the genes for hair and skin tones came in a package. In other words, if skin is cool toned, hair will be cool toned as well. Am I wrong? Is it possible to have naturally cool-toned hair with warm-toned skin or vice versa?

marikamt
October 6th, 2009, 11:27 AM
I don't think it is possible... just my :twocents:
I think it becomes "in the eye of the beholder" and the beholder being ourselves, we always see our own body as slightly distorted... how many times have you seen someone who colors their hair (usually to an extreme blond or extreme black) where it DOES totally clash w/ their coloring and they (obviously) think it looks marvelous???

Rentlle
October 6th, 2009, 11:28 AM
I have no idea, but i will follow up this thread!
that's a realy interesting question..!!
I can't imagine that hair and skin-tone would be different, but maybe it's possible..

amoulixes
October 6th, 2009, 11:28 AM
I think it's possible to have a mix of cool and warm tones, but this sounds slightly more like an excuse/influence from the fashion industry. We don't grow up and assume our hair and skin don't "match" without hearing it from society.

Runzel
October 6th, 2009, 11:31 AM
Personally, I have yet to see an example of this, and I would lean towards it not being possible. :shrug:

Now, it does make sense to me that changing hair color might emphasize different features than the original color would, for example I think if I were to make my hair red (as opposed to the very faint hint it has naturally) the color contrast would really bring out my green eyes. But that's not to say the original color clashes with my features.

florenonite
October 6th, 2009, 11:42 AM
I don't think it is possible... just my :twocents:
I think it becomes "in the eye of the beholder" and the beholder being ourselves, we always see our own body as slightly distorted... how many times have you seen someone who colors their hair (usually to an extreme blond or extreme black) where it DOES totally clash w/ their coloring and they (obviously) think it looks marvelous???

I think to an extent it's a matter of personal preference, but I think it's plausible that someone's hair and skin tones could clash, because it's possible to have a mix of warm and cool tones. When I tan, I'm warm-toned, and when my hair bleaches in the sun, it's warm, but otherwise I'm fairly cool-toned, save my arms, which seem to be perma-tanned. As a consequence, my hair colour can clash with my arms in certain lights. Fluorescent and natural light are usually ok, but incandescent lights just emphasise the yellowness of my arms and make it clash with my hair.

Hence, it's conceivable that there are people whose natural hair colour is cool yet their skin is warm, or vice versa.

That said, the fashion industry seems convinced that everyone should have warm-toned hair. I've currently got hair that's a warm brown, the result of a faded henna gloss, and while it's a beautiful colour it can make me look a bit on the pale side. I like this, but those same people who think warm-toned hair suits everyone would probably insist I looked like a corpse :p

Roseate
October 6th, 2009, 11:42 AM
I think it becomes "in the eye of the beholder" and the beholder being ourselves, we always see our own body as slightly distorted...

I think this is it. Several members here have similar coloring to me: olive or bronze undertones to the skin, black eyebrows and lashes and lighter hair. I've heard more than one person express discomfort with it, and dye their hair darker to "match".

Personally, I think my warm dark blonde hair goes just fine with my tan skin and dark brows, but what do I know? Maybe it's me who has the distorted body image here!

I have seen some people who have a bit of an issue when they go grey. Sometimes the greys are more cool or warm than their original haircolor, and that can change things.

Tangles
October 6th, 2009, 11:45 AM
My best girlfriend has strawberry blonde hair, porcelain skin and dark brown, almost black eyes. It doesn't clash, but it IS a contrast. :shrugs:

jel
October 6th, 2009, 11:53 AM
I don't think that the genes for eye, hair and skin colour come in a package. They're all individual genes, and you could have been given any (or all) of them by either your mother or your father. So, it is perfectly possible to have cool-toned skin and warm-toned hair.

Actually, I believe that coolness and warmth are just our way of categorising what is in reality a multitude of tones, and some are so close to each other that it becomes a personal interpretation.

Finally, I also do not believe that 'clashing' colours and/or tones is a bad thing! :p But that's just my personal taste. To each their own! :D

jivete
October 6th, 2009, 12:00 PM
I do think sun exposure can make what nature gave you look wonky. I'm not a particularly attractive blond, but my hair was perpetually sun bleached when I was younger. I don't think it was the best look for me even if it was natural.

I think it also depends on your cultural heritage or mix of. I've seen some people of "mixed" race that have skin/hair/eye combinations that aren't generally seen. I wouldn't say they clash, but it can definitely look different than what we're used to.

Honey39
October 6th, 2009, 12:31 PM
Ooh interesting. I have green eyes, and brown/red hair. For a while, I got talked by hairdressers into having blond/brown/red highlights, and my hair got lighter and lighter, and people always seemed to like it. But eventually (since coming here) I've dug my heels in and am KIND of going back to my natural (but enhanced!) colour, which is chocolate/copper lowlights. I have greys, so am not sure if this is my natural hair colour, but it's the one that I am the happiest with.

I dunno, I don't think there is anything 'sacred' about one's natural hair colour, but it does tend to look good, rather than clash. I think one member here (Euphony??) said once that her natural colouring *did* clash, which was why she became a totally gorgeous henna-head.

Arctic
October 6th, 2009, 12:37 PM
On other hand I don't think nature divides colours or anything else into two opposite groups, that's more how human mind works.

But then I, too, have learned to think that a person is either cool or warm coloured...

But but (:)) when thinking the huge numebr of people we have, and how different and rich variety of combinations there can be, I think it is, after all possible to have cool and warm tones in one person. I myself have mostly cool colours but also some golden hairs among my ashy brown. And a good example would be many natural red heads, their hair is warm and skin often pink (cool).

Interesting stuff!

ETA: I don't think cool and warm tones necessarily argue with eachother. (depends of the combination in question)

Tangles
October 6th, 2009, 12:44 PM
Asian people, for example, frequently have yellowish-brown or pinkish-brown skin with blue black hair. This is natural and looks fine. I think people really overdo the warm/cool thinking. Just don't wear colors that make you look sick!

DragonLady
October 6th, 2009, 12:52 PM
I've only seen one example I thought looked bad. I used to know a woman who's hair color and skin tone matched. I mean, perfectly. The exact same hue/shade. So that it was difficult to see the difference between them.

So, when you saw her from a distance her whole head was a monochrome blob. And you couldn't tell where her foreghead ended and her hair began. Even her eyebrows just disappeared.

She really would've looked better (IMHO) if she would've dyed her hair darker or something.

RancheroTheBee
October 6th, 2009, 01:11 PM
Finally, I also do not believe that 'clashing' colours and/or tones is a bad thing! :p But that's just my personal taste. To each their own! :D

[nods] I agree. I don't dye my hair because I imagine it goes better with my skin tone, I just do it it because it's fun to be able to manipulate my appearance at will. :p

KatKeRo
October 6th, 2009, 01:15 PM
My natural ashbrown hair doesn't go with my pale skin and grey eyes. I look totally washed out.
My henna red hair goes much better with my skin and eyes.

Shastrix
October 6th, 2009, 01:25 PM
I used to know a woman who's hair color and skin tone matched. I mean, perfectly. The exact same hue/shade. So that it was difficult to see the difference between them.

When I was younger, and my blond hair lighter, my hair and skin were exactly the same colour. I referred to it as "the Simpson look". :D

I think that any combination of hair colour, eye colour, and skin colour are genetically possible in nature, although obviously the clustering and inheritance patterns for alleles make certain combinations more likely...

Luzee
October 6th, 2009, 01:30 PM
Interesting topic. I tend to think that whatever nature gave us is pretty compatible as far as skin tone, hair, eyes, etc., but that we each have our own personal preferences and tastes, as well as being influenced by trends and the people around us. Seeing our skin tones and hair as "blah" or unappealing is different than it "clashing." But then I think of the blue people of Kentucky...and I just don't know.

In my case, my entire family has green eyes, but some of us have different skin tones and hair colors. My mom, dad, and brother have cooler, pink undertones to their skin and dark brown hair, whereas I have yellow undertones and light brown/dark blond hair. I don't think our colors are especially striking (I think my hair is mousy), but none of us look "unnatural."

getoffmyskittle
October 6th, 2009, 01:35 PM
I don't think there's any law that states nature has to give us coloring that's pleasing to every eye. :P

luluj
October 6th, 2009, 01:43 PM
I have seen some people who have a bit of an issue when they go grey. Sometimes the greys are more cool or warm than their original haircolor, and that can change things.

As we age it is important to stay away from too dark, flat dyed hair, it only gives one a harsh, tough appearance. Going silver, pewter, charcoal or some other lovely shade of gray is just natures way of softening the frame around our faces naturally. I have olive skin (which tans easily) and brown eyes and my hair has plenty of silvers streaks mixed in with my natural dark golden blonde. I have tried so many different shades over the years and have come to realize that what Mother Nature so graciously gave me is what compliments me the best. Once you do have plenty of silver it is important to investigate new shades of makeup to compliment your new look. You may also want to experiment with different colours in your wardrobe.

Tinose
October 6th, 2009, 01:55 PM
I do! Admittedly my complexion is weird, and I don't think I've ever met anyone who gets as pink as I am. But I have dark blonde/light brown hair that has a fair amount of yellow it, and I look best in very cool colors. It's not downright horrible, but it's a reason I prefer my hair up. I'd probably dye it a very cool ash blonde (to the point where there's almost no yellow left and it looks more gray than anything) if I didn't hate the maintenance involved in dye.

Lemur_Catta
October 6th, 2009, 02:04 PM
Well, I was born with very light skin with freckles, the one usually seen on redheads, that NEVER get tanned but only sun burned, but I have very dark hair naturally, deep brown, almost black.
When I look into magazines for advice about sun cream or something like that, and there are the phototypes descriptions, I don't really fit in any of them.
I don't think it clashes, when I was little people said I looked like Snow White, but I like my henna-red hair more. Many people don't even know it is not natural until I say so.

heidihug
October 6th, 2009, 02:21 PM
My actual hair color when I was younger was an attractive medium brown tending towards auburn. I liked it very much. But, as I've gotten older, my hair has "flattened" in color - it's maybe a half-shade darker than it was when I was 20, at most, but it has no auburn in it anymore, and I'm graying a lot around my face.

I have very light skin and green eyes, and the gray hair, when I stretch too long between touch-ups, makes me look washed out and pasty. About ten years ago I started to chemical dye, and I am so happy I did. My hair never looks one-toned, as I just color the roots and streak the rest occasionally; and I tend to switch back and forth between dark auburn brown and medium auburn brown with the seasons. My sister has the exact same skin coloring that I do, but she lets her hair grow in gray for months before she colors, so I know what that combination looks like objectively. She and I both think our faces tends to look corpse-like when they are surrounded by gray.

The changing shades of makeup idea won't work for me, as I wear minimal makeup, and what I use I buy to compliment my skin-tone, not to accommodate my hair.

DH says I look 10 years older when I let my grays grow in, and I am 45, not 55, so I prefer to look my age. I'm pretty sure I will continue to dye my "clashing" hair for quite a while yet.

nienna42
October 6th, 2009, 02:31 PM
I think it's possible. My natural hair color (dark blond) is the same as my father's, but all of my other coloring and my hair type are the same as my mother's. If I had her dark brown hair, we'd look almost identical. Having very strong brunette coloring with blond hair always looked off to me, which is why I like how I look with my hair dyed darker.

shwankie
October 6th, 2009, 02:35 PM
I know it's possible. There are two women at my gym who are mulatto (they're sisters), and their hair color is a rather unique color red naturally. It doesn't particularly "go" with their skin tone--it's enough to be strange to the eye, but not quite dramatic enough to be striking. They both have dyed their hair in the past, but apparently it's a lot of upkeep and so they stopped.

I am not saying they are unattractive, etc, just that genetics doesn't always deal a "matching" hand, so to speak.

spidermom
October 6th, 2009, 02:36 PM
I don't think there's any law that states nature has to give us coloring that's pleasing to every eye. :P


I totally get this. The question is whether or not one can have naturally cool-toned hair but warm-toned skin (or warm-toned hair with cool-toned skin). When you look at a book like Color Me Beautiful, it always sounds like a package deal; certain hair colors occur naturally with certain skin tones. It's a package deal with me - I have golden-toned skin and golden-toned hair (but getting more white/silver all the time) and even golden flecks in my blue-gray eyes.

Toadstool
October 6th, 2009, 02:42 PM
my original hair colour is dark brown to the point that many used to describe it as black. My skin is very pale and warm-toned with freckles. I have often thought this combination looked wrong

Amara
October 6th, 2009, 02:46 PM
I think maybe some hair tones compliment some skin tones more... (the darker the brunette and the paler the skin maybe...) but to say that someone's skin and natural hair would clash is only society talking. Nature makes us well. :)

Yvonne
October 6th, 2009, 03:02 PM
I agree with the folks who commented about there being a high constract between skin and hair. I know several folks with dark or black hair and procelein skin. It's a high contrast, yes. Lucky for those who don't like the high contast there is hair dye (or bleaching)! I think it's rather beautiful personally.

vamq
October 6th, 2009, 04:15 PM
I don't know about this.
I think my hair and skin look a bit weird together, because my hair is reddish blonde/brown (I don't know what to call it..) and my skin is quite tanned.
In summer, it looks really weird!

I can live with it, but if I see that, I understand it when people dye their hair because they don´t think it matches their skin...

Sarahmoon
October 6th, 2009, 04:42 PM
I think it's with everything, just a matter of taste.
Sometimes in summer I see young kids with white-blonde hair and a very (naturally) tanned skin. Shouldn't clash because it's natural, but in my opinion it does :shrug:

getoffmyskittle
October 6th, 2009, 04:48 PM
I totally get this. The question is whether or not one can have naturally cool-toned hair but warm-toned skin (or warm-toned hair with cool-toned skin). When you look at a book like Color Me Beautiful, it always sounds like a package deal; certain hair colors occur naturally with certain skin tones. It's a package deal with me - I have golden-toned skin and golden-toned hair (but getting more white/silver all the time) and even golden flecks in my blue-gray eyes.

I don't think it's true, though. I think a lot of the time people have neutral skin and hair that pushes their overall complexion one way or the other, and there are many people in the world with jet black hair, which is neutral. I've also seen people with warm brown hair and cool, pale skin (there's one in my drama class, actually).

CaraLynn
October 6th, 2009, 04:50 PM
how many times have you seen someone who colors their hair (usually to an extreme blond or extreme black) where it DOES totally clash w/ their coloring and they (obviously) think it looks marvelous???

When did you meet my sister?? ;)


Anyway...I don't think it's possible, but I guess I could be wrong.

GlassEyes
October 6th, 2009, 04:57 PM
I didn't think that the same genes that create skintone also create haircolor, but if they do (and, logically, it could be a possibility) it might not be possible without some form of mutation or defect...however, I don't think they're the same ones, so I think that this could totally be possible. :shrug: I don't think they necessarily come in a package, and if they do, I'm not entirely certian it's on the basis of matching. However, I'm pretty much as far from a genetics specialist as you can find, so I'm not really a credible source. :D

Yozhik
October 6th, 2009, 05:37 PM
IMO since clashing is just a societal construct, nothing "naturally" clashes.

That being said, being part Asian, I get my friends telling me all the time when we go shopping together that I can't wear a certain color (most of the time a shade of yellow) because it clashes with my skin undertones . . .

I really like it when people have contrasty hair and skin, though -- like really light-skinned people with black hair. And for the person who wrote the comment about dark eyebrows/lashes and blond hair, my friend told me that in Russia people used to think that those people are the cutest :)

clairenewcastle
October 6th, 2009, 05:43 PM
Both my skin tone and natural hair colour have changed dramatically over the years.
As a child I'd white-blonde hair with extremely pale skin. Hormonal changes and hair damage have left my hair a dark blonde mixed with grey, as for my skin...way too much sun damage has occured for my own good.
Does it look balancedl? Apart from the bleached part of my hair I believe it does, for nature always strives towards balance in all things.

PseudoScot
October 6th, 2009, 05:44 PM
I think the fuss over colors/tones/etc is rather over-hyped, and people always tend to look their 'best' au natural. I don't mean dying and such is evil, that's not what I mean. I think that on the whole though genes do work out to the best combos. But I don't know, if you asked me about my tones I'd probably look at you blank, I don't really put much thought into it. I do think, though, we are over analyzed/categorized/colorized etc like mad. The cynical part of me wants to say it's advertising that makes us second guess our natural beauty. :P

shortgoinglong
October 6th, 2009, 06:42 PM
I have extremely light skin that never tans and always has pink undertones and light blue eyes. My hair is naturally a warm golden blonde. I used to think it clashed and dye my hair a light ash blonde. When I got tired of the damage, I let my hair go back to its natural color and everyone loved it! They said the contrast looked great on me. That shows that we are our own worst critic. (and God made us all beautiful!):D

pepperminttea
October 6th, 2009, 06:58 PM
I have a friend with this problem. She was a blonde child, but it naturally changed to a dark brunette in her adolescence. Her eyebrows, however, never caught up and remain blonde. She's white, but with extensive excema, which often makes her look quite pinky red. She often mentions to me when we're clothes shopping that she wouldn't mind what colour her hair was, she'd just like everything to "tone in".

Aer
October 6th, 2009, 07:00 PM
I wonder about this too. It should come in the same package, but I've been told my coloring and tones are a little "off". Not bad, just "off". I very very pale (with extreme light sensitivity), I have dark hair, that seems to get darker as I get older (dark auburn) and very dark eyes. I guess my hair has warm gold tones, while my skin is cool toned. Maybe I'm just a new breed of fox or something. Even if someones coloring contrasts, maybe it's supposed to go together like that? I don't know, I don't really have an opinion on it, but would like to know others.

Gypsy
October 6th, 2009, 07:05 PM
My skin has a lot of pink in it and it can look slightly plastic-y if I don't try an keep some color in my face- either sun or self tanner; my hair, although it looks very dark brown/off black, had red tones and contribute to the plastic look so I dye primarily to cover gray but do it with ash tones to neutralize the pink in my skin.

Xandergrammy
October 6th, 2009, 07:17 PM
My opinion is the same as yours, spidermom. I think everything works together when left alone.

fleurdelis
October 6th, 2009, 08:24 PM
I think there are more genes controling the hair, eye and skin coulour, but I used to think that there is a one gene that controles the amount of melanin (which by great part determines how much colour, ie how dark or light eyes, skin and hair are) in the body. I think it is the reason why more people with light skin have light hair and eyes (like in Skandinavia) and people with dark skin have also dark eyes and hair. On the other hand this totally does not work for Asians, so I think it might have an effect in some cases, but there completely different genes controling it in others.

Which does not make much sense, *sight*

I wonder if there could be any such gene or melanin connection between cool and warm skin tone. I could never even decide which am I, which makes me not even want to attempt it at others...

spidermom
October 6th, 2009, 08:44 PM
Don't we have a genetics major in the house?

Rini
October 6th, 2009, 09:03 PM
I have often thought about this. I have really pale but very yellow skin, yet my hair is naturally cool toned. Now as far as this not "matching"........well my smile is crooked and one of my legs is longer than the other and I was born this way. So I guess what I'm saying is, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Having a skin tone that clashes with your hair tone is a concept that would not exist for everybody I think. If you take it to the extreme, can't you have a blue couch and yellow walls? Some people think that looks good :)

ravenreed
October 6th, 2009, 09:07 PM
We get two sets of genes, one from each parent. Many features, such as eye or hair color, are actually controlled by more than one gene. With that figure in recessives, dominants and co-dominants.

This explains how I, with brown/auburn hair, hazel (brown/green) eyes, and medium toned skin and my sons' father, also medium toned skin with sandy blond hair and green eyes ended up with a pale, freckled, blue eyed, red head. And wasn't it the talk of the family when he popped out... my ex-husband didn't believe he was his until his mom explained that there were red heads in his family.

spidermom
October 6th, 2009, 09:25 PM
I have often thought about this. I have really pale but very yellow skin, yet my hair is naturally cool toned. Now as far as this not "matching"........well my smile is crooked and one of my legs is longer than the other and I was born this way. So I guess what I'm saying is, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Having a skin tone that clashes with your hair tone is a concept that would not exist for everybody I think. If you take it to the extreme, can't you have a blue couch and yellow walls? Some people think that looks good :)

Pictures are so misleading! In your sig photo, I would classify your skin as pink and thus your skin color and hair color would both be cool.

shadowclaw
October 6th, 2009, 09:27 PM
I'm no genetics major, but I did learn a bit about it back in high school biology, and the topic of genetics has popped up a few times in my archaeology class.

While I don't know if hair and skin come in one package, I do know that eyes are not included in said package. Blue is recessive and brown is dominant, so it's possible for two brown-eyed parents to produce a blue-eyed child if they both have recessive blue eye genes. So eye color is independent of skin and hair color.

Hair and skin seem to come out with less predictable results than eye color, but I do think it's plausable that an odd mix could be produced if the parents are very different in appearance. For example, I had a friend in high school who was very, very pale with blue eyes and had very, very dark hair, almost black. Including her body hair. Light hair would have been much more appropriate for her skin tone. However, she was by no means ugly or weird-looking, she just looked quite pale.

Another example of something weird happening is one of my best friends. She comes from a family that has straight, dark hair, but she has curly hair.

On a final note, just about everybody has some sort of genetic mutation... in fact, they have multiple mutations. Some aren't noticeable, others are. It's quite possible that someone could have a hair color mutation that doesn't go with their skin tone.

pineapple pea
October 6th, 2009, 09:34 PM
I don't know if it's necessarily a warm/cool thing. My hair is naturally a light brown that make me just look *blah*. This has been confirmed by others. I use henna, and it really makes me prettier. This has also been confirmed by others. So, I'll tell people I dye because my natural hair makes me look washed out. Maybe someone else would say because it doesn't go with their skin tone.

angelthadiva
October 6th, 2009, 09:36 PM
I don't think that the genes for eye, hair and skin colour come in a package. They're all individual genes, and you could have been given any (or all) of them by either your mother or your father. So, it is perfectly possible to have cool-toned skin and warm-toned hair.<snip>


We get two sets of genes, one from each parent. Many features, such as eye or hair color, are actually controlled by more than one gene. With that figure in recessives, dominants and co-dominants. <snip>


Yes, both of these!! To expound a little, the variations come naturally during the random alignment during Meiosis I. As Ravenreed said you get two sets of genes one from each parent; depending how these parings occurred will affect the final outcome.

A kinda fun way to figure out the possible outcomes is to make a punnett square. One thing I did not realize is that just because a gene is dominate, doesn't necessarily mean that it shows up frequently in the population. IE polydactyly (>5 digits) is a dominant phenotype, having dimples is a dominant phenotype as well, but is not highly common.

Think of Mel Gibson--Genetically he'd be considered a mess. Dark hair (dominate), widow's peak (also dominate), light colored eyes (recessive) and those dang dimples (also dominate). However, the outcome of the aforementioned is one hawt guy :shrug:

I think beauty is in the eye of the beholder as well.

Flynn
October 6th, 2009, 09:39 PM
I've noted quite a few times that people will say that they color their hair because the natural color clashes with their skin tones. This puzzles me because I thought that the genes for hair and skin tones came in a package. In other words, if skin is cool toned, hair will be cool toned as well. Am I wrong? Is it possible to have naturally cool-toned hair with warm-toned skin or vice versa?

Yes, of course! It's all just a question of what we think should go together. I mean, my Nan grew up with the rule "blue and green should never be seen", and my Mum believed that you should never, ever put brown and black together. I find both pleasing, but find blue and red together to be exceptionally tacky, something Nan definitely disagrees with! Same goes with perception of your own natural colouring.

ZenBird07
October 6th, 2009, 09:42 PM
My son (who was born with black eyes), now has icy blue eyes, tan/brown skin, with hair that ranges in color from browns, blondes, and reds... Am I anywhere near following the subject on this guys??

The mixing of hair and skin tones as it pertains to genetics and how they may or may not clash? ( my son is beautiful, by the way -and just as mixed race as his mommy if not more )...

alligatorbaby23
October 6th, 2009, 09:47 PM
I have almost black hair, hazel eyes and brown eyebrow/lashes. My hair darkens every year- so much that I can almost feel it! People describe me as black haired.

When I was a child I was blonde and blue eyed until I was 9. Thanks alot puberty!

Now I am olive toned and black haired. Not many people believe I am of the Irish and Finnish heritage that I proclaim.

I am happy with the contrast everyone projects, especially natural like I am!

IDK if we have any genetic specialists in the house, Spidey!

Themyst
October 6th, 2009, 10:11 PM
I have golden brown hair that easily lightens up to dark blond in the sun, medium green eyes, and a pale pinkish skin tone. DH often comments that I look washed out, and looking at pictures, I'd agree. I dyed my hair jet black once and got such a hot reaction everywhere I went - people told me I was downright striking. I don't know if I am cool or hot as far as the color typing goes. I look horrible in red clothes, but great in olive green if that means anything.

ETA: Strangely, my sister has green eyes and her hair is almost black.

Rini
October 6th, 2009, 11:32 PM
Pictures are so misleading! In your sig photo, I would classify your skin as pink and thus your skin color and hair color would both be cool.

Ah, well perhaps it is not so obvious in that sig pic as there is noone else in it to compare. If you look in my album on my profile, there is a pic of me, my hubby and my kids and I look VERY yellow in that pic by comparison. It is quite an obvious skin colour difference, and especially obvious when I'm naked (!!!??)....but that's TMI :blushing:

Back to the topic, I do get your point in saying that the natural colour of one's hair is never out of place with the skin tone, even with the warm vs cool thing. It's my personal opinion that the natural colour does look better than any colour you could dye, but then variety is the spice of life and I have seen some really awesome dye jobs :D On myself, I liked red hair and many ppl thought it was natural.

ericthegreat
October 6th, 2009, 11:42 PM
Genes are constantly being swapped. Many lie dormant and recessive and skip several generations before a certain mother and a certain father who both carry the same recessive gene get together and have a child who then develop a trait that neither parent has. That's how two brown eyed parents can have a blue eyed child.

I was in a Bible study for young teens some years ago. It was the run by the Chinese speaking part of the congregation. The young woman who led the Bible study was of course Chinese. But she had the most stunning BSL light brown reddish hair I have ever seen. In the summer, she would become almost a redhead. I asked her about it of course and everyone always thinks she colors her hair but she really doesn't, that is her natural color.

I've also met a few Asians who have grey, green, and even blue eyes. And no, they weren't wearing colored eye contacts that was their natural eye color.

Yes, as a general rule certain people of a certain ethnicity tend to share many of the same features including hair/skin/eye color. However, people have also always been traveling and immigrating and intermarrying since time began, so all different kinds of genes have always been mixing and marinating together.

ncurls
October 7th, 2009, 12:33 AM
From what I know about genetics hair color and skin color are all on a spectrum; meaning there are gene interactions that result in myriad variations on a theme! There are tons of tiny changes (polymorphisms) that make us all different.

I don't think that melanin variants are coded for in a strict sense (ie. if you have this amount of melanin in the skin you should have this color hair or eyes)--just ask my mom, she has very dark, dark skin, naturally auburn/reddish hair, and grey eyes. An interesting combo, yes?

Plus, in general, in recent times, human populations which were once divided geographically are now able to travel relatively freely amongst one another and select mates that don't carry the same phenotypic traits that they have. So basically, even though someone may "look" this way or that from a superficial point of view, you never know what genes they are carrying. In the end, this can lead to children with coloring (hair, skin, eyes) that doesn't seem to "match" in tone.

Hiriel
October 7th, 2009, 02:41 AM
My hair is brown with a touch of red and gold, but my skin is white as snow and my eyes blue-grey. So I guess I'm both warm-toned and cold-toned, but I don't really think it clashes. But of course it looks natural to me, since I've always looked like that ;)

Amoretti
October 7th, 2009, 02:52 AM
I don't think nature makes mistakes. :)

I happen to like contrast. My skin is very pale and I have black eyebrows and lashes. According to fashion this would clash but I like the contrast.

Rosetta
October 7th, 2009, 02:53 AM
Well, it's certainly possible, I'm an example of that! :p

I am a mixture of warm and cool tones - my skin is warm toned, my natural hair colour is cool toned. And I really feel it looks so drab on me... That's why I love to henna :) And it really suits my green-grey eyes, too.


I don't think nature makes mistakes.
Well, it doesn't mean it's a "mistake" if one e.g. is a mixture of both warm and cool tones... It's just a different combination, some may like it, some may not.


I think Jel is so right (also as to the multitude of tones):

I don't think that the genes for eye, hair and skin colour come in a package. They're all individual genes, and you could have been given any (or all) of them by either your mother or your father. So, it is perfectly possible to have cool-toned skin and warm-toned hair.

Actually, I believe that coolness and warmth are just our way of categorising what is in reality a multitude of tones, and some are so close to each other that it becomes a personal interpretation.

Elenna
October 7th, 2009, 03:15 AM
I have neutral skin color, cool gray eye color and had reddish brown hair (warm tone). I looked completely washed out.

However, with my hair going a light silver (cool tone), it complements my eye color. I look best with a coppery lipstick, it seems to tie the blue colors together.

eadwine
October 7th, 2009, 04:13 AM
Yes it can be. You should see me in winter. SUPER pale face, and then that warm brown hair on it. Everybody tells me I am sick during the winter.

Dammit I am NOT sick! (Ok I AM now, which is why I am wasting time here :lol:)

But I am used to it, so.. *shrug* But others sure comment.

RedJen
October 7th, 2009, 04:31 AM
Yes, of course! It's all just a question of what we think should go together. I mean, my Nan grew up with the rule "blue and green should never be seen", and my Mum believed that you should never, ever put brown and black together. I find both pleasing, but find blue and red together to be exceptionally tacky, something Nan definitely disagrees with! Same goes with perception of your own natural colouring.

I have definitely warm hair (a golden red) and neutral-to-cool skin, with blue-green hazel eyes. I look best in cool colors and hate the color yellow on me. I really dislike the color combination of red and blue, but I like brown and black together and I like blue and green together. Very interesting!

Flynn
October 7th, 2009, 04:43 AM
I have definitely warm hair (a golden red) and neutral-to-cool skin, with blue-green hazel eyes. I look best in cool colors and hate the color yellow on me. I really dislike the color combination of red and blue, but I like brown and black together and I like blue and green together. Very interesting!

I'm similar; my hair is definitely a warmish brown (gold-toned with more of a suggestion of red than of green), but my skin is pink/blue undertoned (so, cool) and my eyes are downright cold in colour. I don't think there's any clash, though. Maybe someone else would percieve there as being a clash in my colours.

Mum's the opposite, actually... she's got yellow-toned skin, and cooler brown hair than me. Her eyes are still cool, though... I'm not sure where I get my colours from, genetically speaking.

kwaniesiam
October 7th, 2009, 04:45 AM
It's possible. My best friend has a very warm skin tone that clashes with her natural blonde, so she colors her hair a dark, cool brown. Her eyes are blue.

Little_Bird
October 7th, 2009, 06:17 AM
Hmm.. I think it can happen, maybe derived from the mix of genes. I have a classmate who has the whitest skin and the darkest hair! So yeah, maybe it can happen :)

spidermom
October 7th, 2009, 06:18 AM
This has been very interesting and informative. I found myself researching chromosomes and traits yesterday afternoon and reading information that was WAY over my head.

Tabitha
October 7th, 2009, 06:50 AM
I don't think that the genes for eye, hair and skin colour come in a package. They're all individual genes, and you could have been given any (or all) of them by either your mother or your father. So, it is perfectly possible to have cool-toned skin and warm-toned hair.


This is a really interesting take on it.

I've always wondered about the theory that nature endows us with complementary/flattering hair skin tones when looking at those carrotty redheads who have really pink skin. Am example is UK politician Charles Kennedy (http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00639/news-graphics-2007-_639717a.jpg) (who reminds me of a Fruit Salad chew (http://www.childofthe1980s.com/2009/01/07/black-jack-and-fruit-salad-chews/) ... sorry Charles :p).

Although skin tone also depends on thinness of skin and capillary fragility. I am ivory-pale most of the time (although with golden freckles) but if I have a glass or two of wine or go into a warm room from the cold outside, I will go very pink.

Tap Dancer
October 7th, 2009, 07:14 AM
I think it becomes "in the eye of the beholder" and the beholder being ourselves, we always see our own body as slightly distorted... how many times have you seen someone who colors their hair (usually to an extreme blond or extreme black) where it DOES totally clash w/ their coloring and they (obviously) think it looks marvelous???

I agree. Nature gives us what we're supposed to have. People are people, though, and always looking to make things "better." ;)

Maddy25
October 7th, 2009, 07:29 AM
My skin is very pink and rosey and my hair is naturally a cool ash blonde. So I guess it doesnt come in a package like "warm and warm" but I dont think it clashes, but I do think that darker hair brings out my blue eyes a lot better because I am also very pale.

spidermom
October 7th, 2009, 07:45 AM
My skin is very pink and rosey and my hair is naturally a cool ash blonde. So I guess it doesnt come in a package like "warm and warm" but I dont think it clashes, but I do think that darker hair brings out my blue eyes a lot better because I am also very pale.

Pink and rosey is considered a cool skin color, so you have a package of cool/cool.

Buddaphlyy
October 7th, 2009, 07:56 AM
Yes it can be. You should see me in winter. SUPER pale face, and then that warm brown hair on it. Everybody tells me I am sick during the winter.




This is me also, exact my combo is the opposite. My skin is a nice warm medium brown but my hair is a cool ashy black. The contrast is slight (to me) but a lot of people ask if something is wrong unless I have on some make up to "brighten" me up.

levelek
October 7th, 2009, 08:01 AM
I also have cool toned (pale pink) skin and warm toned hair. However, I think of these categories as rules of the thumb - surely what "matches" is much more complex than that. I am convinced I would look much worse as a warm blonde than a cool blonde, but I am very happy with my warm brunette hair :shrug:

Aesthetics is complex, and the answers you'll get will probably be influenced by personal philosophies and even religious orientation.

Maddy25
October 7th, 2009, 08:02 AM
Pink and rosey is considered a cool skin color, so you have a package of cool/cool.

Really?!! I would think redish tones would be warm, oh well, learn something new everyday hehe :D

spidermom
October 7th, 2009, 08:07 AM
I'm no expert in this; you may be at least partly right Maddy25. There can definitely be warm pinks, which you may have (it's hard to tell from a picture). I believe that rosey would always be described as "cool", however.

Katze
October 7th, 2009, 08:17 AM
This is really an interesting question.

I used to think my hair totally clashed after going dark, because my eyebrows are SO much lighter than my hair (see profile pic for an extreme version - "dirty" hair at its darkest, eyebrows in natural light). This made me bleach my hair, but I was always aiming for a platinum/ash that I could never sustain since the toner would always wash out. So I was left with yellowy bleached hair, dark ashy roots, and platinum/gold eyebrows.

My eyes are light, and with blonde hair I tend to look pinker and my eyes more green. Now that my hair is dark, my eyes look blue or grey in comparison. Most of the time I think it "goes" OK, but since I am never quite sure about the "warm" or "cool" colors thing (I am mostly cool coloration with some definite gold flecks in my eyes and highlights in my hair) then it is hard to take those classifications totally seriously.

In terms of the original question, I don't think peoples' natural coloration can really ever clash. Look unusual, yes. Not be as striking as they would like, yes. Even boring, sure. But never really "bad."

Nera
October 7th, 2009, 08:20 AM
My skin tone changes drastically in the summer. People think I'm Indian or something like that, because of my tan. In the winter I am white as snow.

That is why black hair suits me better in the summer, and I always dye it black then.
Having blonde sunlight highlights looks really strange on that tan, and everybody asks me why I took highlights, when I didn't:P

squiggyflop
October 7th, 2009, 08:45 AM
um well my genetics are strange.. i have an unusual gene for eye color than made me born with black eyes that lightened directly to brown with no blue ever.. my hair under a microscope has a brown coating and a copper core.. which means that if i let my hair grow out its natural color i end up with cool chestunt brown roots and warm coppery ends (the sun eventually bleaches the brown coating so the copper becomes visible).. my skin is very light.. and freckly.. henna has made my hair finally match well with my eyes.. hair with coppery ends doesnt mix well with dark brown eyes.. oh and the hair on my body is all different colors.. i found 3 hairs on my arm recently all next to each other.. one was white blonde one was orangy copper and one was almost black.. but having all different colored hairs run in my family.. my brother has copper hair on his head and a blonde mustache and a red beard.. dad has lighter brown hair and a red mustache and dark brown beard (well now its turning gray)..

i know a guy with my palest pale color skin with freckles and black black hair.. it looks bizzare on him.. ive never seen such dark hair without dyeing it

Babyfine
October 7th, 2009, 08:50 AM
I have very pale,ivory skin. My natural hair color is a lt-med chestnut brown and I have very dark brown eyes. My skin is more pale than most natural blondes I know. I think I look best with a medium brown shade of hair- close to my natural color. Highlights can look alright, but when I colored my hair all over blonde once it made me fade into the woodwork(looked too pale/washed out). I guess I need the contrast of darker hair. Be interesting to see what greying would look like on me.

I don't think anyone's natural coloring can clash, just my opinion. Everyone IMO looks good to me with their natural hair color, some look great with hair dyed a different color. Some look great as blondes, for example, even though their natural hair color is dark. I can think of a lot of people of all skin tones/colors who look great with blond hair.

Topaz
October 7th, 2009, 10:02 AM
I don't think Mother Nature makes mistakes. I think it's a product of our modern civilization and the beauty industry that we see coloring oddities and unusual combinations as somehow inferior.

I'm a natural medium blonde with pale skin and blue eyes. I have no idea if I'm warm or cool or hot or cold or anything else. I don't dye my hair and I don't wear make-up, I love wearing whatever color catches my eye that day, and I've never bought into any of the hype that the beauty industry puts out there. In my opinion, all the cools and warms, etc. are just the industry's way of making us feel bad about ourselves so we will be compelled to buy make-up or hair coloring to correct our "faults" and thereby put money in the industry's collective pocket.

Whatever happened to the concept of Unique being beautiful? :confused:

Rosetta
October 7th, 2009, 10:15 AM
I don't think Mother Nature makes mistakes.
Well, I already answered to almost exactly the same comment two pages ago, but let's say it again... It doesn't mean it's a "mistake" if one e.g. is a mixture of both warm and cool tones...! (Which is definitely possible, I'm an example of that.) It's just a different combination, some may like it, some may not.

Leena7
October 7th, 2009, 10:45 AM
Hair and skin genetics are sort of strange as are the genetics behind eye color. People don't always inherit one color from their parents, like their dad's blue eyes for example. These traits are determined by more than one gene and so it is possible to get a wide array of colors. Some coloring can be a mutation, as well. I say this only to express that there are countless coloring combinations in nature, therefore I assume that it is possible to have cool toned hair and warm skin or some other seemingly contradictory traits.

I have always had issues trying to label my coloring. My eyes are hazel/green and "warm" and my natural hair color is a straight-forward neutral brown, not light or dark. My skin is cool by definition, but I get freckles sometimes. I honestly cannot tell if I am cool or warm, however, I don't think I clash and it doesn't bother me.

However, I have seen some people with hair that is a lighter brown that is similar to their skin color, especially if they are tan. My friend is really tan and she feels like her hair is too light for her skin and it bothers her. Also, some blondes have hair that is on the darker side of blonde and blends in with their skin tone and many choose to lighten their hair. I suppose it all comes down to personal preference.

GoddesJourney
October 7th, 2009, 10:53 AM
Not matching is normal. Clashing is often just a matter of opinion.

Be honest ladies, if you think your hair clashes with your skin, is it because you warmed up your skin tone with makeup or a tan?

burns_erin
October 7th, 2009, 11:21 AM
Answering specifically, the "Genetically, is it possible...." question. The answer is "Of course (assuming you have any definition of "Clash"in mind)." Enen though the genes for hair skin and eyes are associated often, it is not like it is just one gene, it is many, and how they are expressed not just what genes are there are the reasons for so many variations. If you were looking at it strictly on off, many would assume that you could only have red hair with pale skin, supposedly genetically the two things are linked, but you just have to look around to see it IS possible to have red hair and dark skin. I actually spoke with a geneticist about it since I fall into the red and dark category and as he explained you can have other genes that work in tandem and cause other things to happen.

Curlsgirl
October 7th, 2009, 11:45 AM
My skin tone (naturally without much sun because I wear a sunscreen and avoid it) is fair and pink undertones, cool-toned. But my natural hair (I know from when I was a teenager before I started dying) is a warm color. When I was tanned it brought out the reddish tones in my hair and when I was not (say in the winter) it didn't look especially good to me anyway. Part of it may also have had to do with the natural sun highlights back then too though.

I think it more has to do with the "eye of the beholder". One person may think it looks good, the next thinks it looks hideous. I dye mine because I like it better that way. That's the simple truth. I don't think it looks awful natural but I don't like it nearly as well.

rhubarbarin
October 7th, 2009, 12:09 PM
I am one of those that is kind of 'all-one-color'. My skin is a warm yellow, my hair is a warm reddish/tawny/blonde color. When I'm out in the sun my hair lightens and my skin darkens a lot. I don't get tan anymore, but when I did, people often asked me if I was mixed-race because of my coloring.

My sister has similar coloring (her hair is ashy instead of reddish, though) and she usually dyes her hair darker, which looks fantastic on her. I would probably look great as a true brunette too, my skin tone is usually seen in people with dark brown hair.

eadwine
October 7th, 2009, 12:49 PM
This is me also, exact my combo is the opposite. My skin is a nice warm medium brown but my hair is a cool ashy black. The contrast is slight (to me) but a lot of people ask if something is wrong unless I have on some make up to "brighten" me up.
Isn't it irritating when they do that? I keep having to tell them that "hey this is me, I am NOT sick!!" Urgh.

florenonite
October 7th, 2009, 01:22 PM
I don't think Mother Nature makes mistakes. I think it's a product of our modern civilization and the beauty industry that we see coloring oddities and unusual combinations as somehow inferior.

I'm a natural medium blonde with pale skin and blue eyes. I have no idea if I'm warm or cool or hot or cold or anything else. I don't dye my hair and I don't wear make-up, I love wearing whatever color catches my eye that day, and I've never bought into any of the hype that the beauty industry puts out there. In my opinion, all the cools and warms, etc. are just the industry's way of making us feel bad about ourselves so we will be compelled to buy make-up or hair coloring to correct our "faults" and thereby put money in the industry's collective pocket.

Whatever happened to the concept of Unique being beautiful? :confused:

I have to respectfully disagree here. While I don't think nature makes "mistakes", and any combination of hair, skin and eye colour can be beautiful, I still don't think the warm/cool think is just beauty-industry hype. If I could really look good in any colour, I wouldn't have been disappointed in my henna experiments, because I wanted red hair and wanted it to look nice, but it looked dreadful. Why? Because my skin is cool-toned and the henna gave me a warm tone. My boyfriend warned me (though not in warm/cool terminology) that he didn't think red hair would suit me, and that my natural, ashy brown, did. I just didn't listen because I wanted to be a redhead so badly. Perhaps if I'd repeated applications to reach a cooler red it would have suited me, but I was afraid to try it and wary of the upkeep involved in full applications rather than glosses. The warm reddish-orange, though, looked atrocious with my skin.

I also don't think that the concept of warm/cool and wearing flattering colours and uniqueness being beautiful are mutually exclusive. For instance, my sister has unusual colouring: very fair skin and very blonde hair. She can pull off a lot of colours, but some really bring out her unique beauty. I don't know if she's warm or cool-toned (heaven knows it took me ages to work that out for myself!), but some colours look better on her than others, and it's likely that this has to do with the warm/cool thing.

spidermom
October 7th, 2009, 01:29 PM
Isn't it irritating when they do that? I keep having to tell them that "hey this is me, I am NOT sick!!" Urgh.

Every time I used to wear a burgancy shirt that I loved to work, everybody would ask me if I felt well. Every time! It made me question myself; maybe I didn't feel as well as I thought. I finally figured out that the burgandy somehow managed to combine with my golden skin tone to produce a greenish tinge. No wonder everybody thought I was sick.

eadwine
October 7th, 2009, 01:51 PM
People have told me that in pretty much any color I wear, so it's not that. *shrug*

Ah well. -I- don't care, I just hate it when every single year they say the same. Lack of memory much? :lol:

Buddaphlyy
October 7th, 2009, 02:15 PM
Isn't it irritating when they do that? I keep having to tell them that "hey this is me, I am NOT sick!!" Urgh.


Every time I used to wear a burgancy shirt that I loved to work, everybody would ask me if I felt well. Every time! It made me question myself; maybe I didn't feel as well as I thought. I finally figured out that the burgandy somehow managed to combine with my golden skin tone to produce a greenish tinge. No wonder everybody thought I was sick.

OMG, yes. Purple is one of my favorite colors and though I like burgundy ( a variant of purple), I can't really wear it in winter because it seems to totally mute the warm tones in my skin. I once had my RA bring me soup because she though I was sick.


I have to respectfully disagree here. While I don't think nature makes "mistakes", and any combination of hair, skin and eye colour can be beautiful, I still don't think the warm/cool think is just beauty-industry hype. If I could really look good in any colour, I wouldn't have been disappointed in my henna experiments, because I wanted red hair and wanted it to look nice, but it looked dreadful. Why? Because my skin is cool-toned and the henna gave me a warm tone. My boyfriend warned me (though not in warm/cool terminology) that he didn't think red hair would suit me, and that my natural, ashy brown, did. I just didn't listen because I wanted to be a redhead so badly. Perhaps if I'd repeated applications to reach a cooler red it would have suited me, but I was afraid to try it and wary of the upkeep involved in full applications rather than glosses. The warm reddish-orange, though, looked atrocious with my skin.

I also don't think that the concept of warm/cool and wearing flattering colours and uniqueness being beautiful are mutually exclusive. For instance, my sister has unusual colouring: very fair skin and very blonde hair. She can pull off a lot of colours, but some really bring out her unique beauty. I don't know if she's warm or cool-toned (heaven knows it took me ages to work that out for myself!), but some colours look better on her than others, and it's likely that this has to do with the warm/cool thing.

I agree with the bolded. I went back an reread the OP and the actual question was is it genetically possible for a person to have warm and cool tones between hair and skin color. And the answer is unequivocally (that's probably spelled wrong) is yes. However, even though it wasn't specifically asked (and I'm not saying the OP would or should ask), I think some people are taking it as if it is possible, does this mean that people who have the contrast "naturally" unattractive or something.

As I said, I'm a person who has the contrast and I definitely don't think I'm unattractive, but I also am not going to deny that my natural coloring versus "unnatural" coloring doesn't get different responses.

marzipanfuntime
October 7th, 2009, 11:39 PM
I'm not sure how the genetics work, but my naturally blond blond hair looks allot more unnatural than my hennaed red hair, to me anyway. But that may have to do with my personal stigmas about being a 'dumb blond' more than the actual look.

MirandaWelch
October 7th, 2009, 11:41 PM
I like my natural color, it's a dark brown, but the sun does horrible things and the length ends up lighter with a reddish blond hue. I don't like the unevenness, so I try to dye it darker.

Euphony
October 9th, 2009, 01:01 PM
I dunno, I don't think there is anything 'sacred' about one's natural hair colour, but it does tend to look good, rather than clash. I think one member here (Euphony??) said once that her natural colouring *did* clash, which was why she became a totally gorgeous henna-head.
Oh thank you so much! :flowers:

Well mine doesn't 'clash' per say - it looks unnatural. The sun bleaches my hair horribly to a golden blond color - I'm 3/8's Native American with extremely dark eyes (dark brown, almost black), I have a reddish skin tone and dark brown almost black eyebrows. So my golden blond color that my hair takes on is warm along with the rest of my coloring. Unfortunately my golden blond hair color looks bleached (poorly). At the roots it's a very pretty, milk chocolate brown color, right around shoulder length it starts to show the sun bleaching - the longer my hair is the lighter the tips are. But that's only how it bleaches while living where I live now - sunlight is pretty scarce here, when I lived in a desert region the brown color only hung on for about an inch, it looked really bad like a bad bleach job then!

This picture was many, many years ago when I lived in a desert area:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=580&pictureid=18422

This one is a really bad picture (I'm not sure how this picture got so bad LOL. It even looks like hubby has a pot belly and he's stick thin in this picture)
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=580&pictureid=52234

I don't think my colors 'clash' but they certainly don't look natural.

Oddly this looks far more natural
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=580&pictureid=21933

Of course that last picture is not my natural color, but I so very much prefer it over the package the Fates were laughing hysterically about when they gave me my coloring. I can see the conversation:
"Let's give her really dark brown eyes like her father"

"Oh yes and we'll give her really dark brown eyebrows"

"<snork> Yeah - we'll give her the Native American red undertone to her skin, but make it light colored like a white person"

"oh oh oh, I know - let's make her hair color brown but make it very susceptible to bleaching by the sun so when she gets any sort of length on it, it turns blond hahahaha"

"yeah, yeah - this is so much fun!! Let's also make sure she has a really large chest"

"okay, she can have a really large chest as long as her hips are the same size <snicker - snork>"

"mwahahahahaha let's give her a really large chest and hips the same size - but make sure her waist is two sizes too small"

"OMG this is a riot!! What else can we do!?!"

"oh I know, give her really thick ankles so it looks like she has no ankles"

all the fates together:

"mwahahahahhaahhaha"

getoffmyskittle
October 9th, 2009, 01:23 PM
Of course that last picture is not my natural color, but I so very much prefer it over the package the Fates were laughing hysterically about when they gave me my coloring. I can see the conversation:
"Let's give her really dark brown eyes like her father"

"Oh yes and we'll give her really dark brown eyebrows"

"<snork> Yeah - we'll give her the Native American red undertone to her skin, but make it light colored like a white person"

"oh oh oh, I know - let's make her hair color brown but make it very susceptible to bleaching by the sun so when she gets any sort of length on it, it turns blond hahahaha"

"yeah, yeah - this is so much fun!! Let's also make sure she has a really large chest"

"okay, she can have a really large chest as long as her hips are the same size <snicker - snork>"

"mwahahahahaha let's give her a really large chest and hips the same size - but make sure her waist is two sizes too small"

"OMG this is a riot!! What else can we do!?!"

"oh I know, give her really thick ankles so it looks like she has no ankles"

all the fates together:

"mwahahahahhaahhaha"

Bwahahahawww, Euphony, I laughed when I read this but I don't think it's as bad as you think. You look fabulous with darker hennaed hair, but you're pretty with the brown/blonde too.

Cherry_Sprinkle
October 9th, 2009, 02:01 PM
I can't speak for everyone but I will share my experience.

I am a genetic abnormality, I lack certian pigments in my skin that make up both coloring and how your skin reacts to things like the sun. I can't suntan, I only sun burn and then my skin blisters and sets off the itch nerves all over my body and causes an uncontrollable itching reaction where you literally tear your skin off but even that doesn't help the itching.. its a rare form of photosensativity that is passed through genetics but no one in my family has had it since my great, great, great grand parents.

My family is mostly from Norway, Ireland.. and a lot of the family are red heads and most very fair complexions. I was born with a reddish-brown hair color, as a child it grew into a dark auburn and as I got older a very soft black. I have medium dark eyes, they are a very translucent hazel (my optomologist called them blonde eyes). My skin is very, very pale and the dark hair brings out blue-ish cast on my skin. my skin is neither warm nor cool toned but somewhere in between. Does this make sense so far? lol I have found that using a cool toned hair color makes me look ill, pale, and down right awful, while adding golden tones does not.

My grow-out color is much darker than I remember it being in my teens, but I haven't had virgin hair since I was 13 and in 2005 I asked my stylist to add my natural color back and we would highlight to give me blonde mixed with my natural color so that it didn't look so unnatural between dye jobs.. it was much darker than I expected but the root color did match but all the time I looked tired and ill.

So genetically I would say it is possible but I wouldn't say its normal. Like my story for example :)

Rosetta
October 10th, 2009, 04:40 AM
Be honest ladies, if you think your hair clashes with your skin, is it because you warmed up your skin tone with makeup or a tan?
No.

When I say that my skin is warm-toned, I mean the underlaying, deepest tone of the skin. (Not the surface tone, which can often be affected by the elements etc, at least in my case as I have very sensitive skin.)

So it indeed clashes with my naturally cool-toned hair - well, I'm sure I could tolerate it, but why just tolerate when warm-toned hair suits my skin & eyes so much better (and is even very easy to get in a natural way, i.e. henna)...?

It took me long to finally admit that I truly need warmth in my hair colour, unlike many (all the fashion colour specialists, like the school of thought that divides people into 4 seasons, and also many people here, it seems) were trying to tell me... Now I finally stick to what I know to be true :)

Evie
October 11th, 2009, 02:24 PM
Personally, I have yet to see an example of this, and I would lean towards it not being possible. :shrug:

Now, it does make sense to me that changing hair color might emphasize different features than the original color would, for example I think if I were to make my hair red (as opposed to the very faint hint it has naturally) the color contrast would really bring out my green eyes. But that's not to say the original color clashes with my features.

I'd agree with this - I moved from cool toned ash dark blonde to as cool a toned henndigo as I can, to play up my blue eyes. But that is not to say that my natural colour did not suit me ;)

Freija
October 11th, 2009, 06:54 PM
Mmm... well, I wouldn't say my natural brown hair clashes, but it's not done so much for me since it darkened as I hit my teens. Somehow the combination of fairish skin, pink cheeks (which tend to lose their colour very easily!), amber eyes and ashy hair just doesn't look as good as it does with a little red to it.

That said, I learnt my lesson about having too much henna - I'm still trying to neutralise it away from the bright chestnut I get in the sun! ;)

UP Lisa
February 9th, 2010, 09:37 AM
Don't know how I missed this thread before! I have been trying to analize my coloring forever. I have always thought of my skin coloring as Cool. However, my hair is a dark golden blonde, and my eyes are hazel (mostly green in daylight.

I have a lot of red in my face, which I have often seen classified as Warm. Pink as cool, Red as warm. So I am really confused now.

walterSCAN
February 9th, 2010, 10:01 AM
My natural ashbrown hair doesn't go with my pale skin and grey eyes. I look totally washed out.
My henna red hair goes much better with my skin and eyes.

This^, but with grey-green eyes and light ash brown/blonde/iron-in-the-water-lightcopper-red hair. I've got olive-ish skin to go with that-- it's really more yellowy than that because I don't like to tan (at all)-- and my current natural hair color washes me out, IMHO, and makes me look/feel tired and older than I am.
ETA--> I say current because I was born with a really, really dark brown that suited my coloring perfectly... but then that lightened to what I have to deal with now. :/

I don't know if it's anything to do with warm v.s. cool coloring that makes me feel like my natural color isn't flattering... it's more how the colors coordinate altogether. It doesn't seem like a logical necessity for nature to have chosen colors for my hair/skin/eyes that compliment each other... genetics is a little more random than that.

Heh, my current color seems to go better with my personality too, somehow... :shrug:

Leena7
February 9th, 2010, 10:45 AM
I think most people look fine with their natural hair color, but that they can look even better with other hair colors! I should know, considering I have had almost every hair color ever by now. Each one brings out something different. With red hair my eyes pop, with blonde hair, my face looks more dramatic and defined, with dark hair my skin looks great, and with my natural medium brown hair, I feel in balance.

maskedrose
February 9th, 2010, 11:34 AM
I think this is it. Several members here have similar coloring to me: olive or bronze undertones to the skin, black eyebrows and lashes and lighter hair. I've heard more than one person express discomfort with it, and dye their hair darker to "match".

Personally, I think my warm dark blonde hair goes just fine with my tan skin and dark brows, but what do I know? Maybe it's me who has the distorted body image here!


Honestly, I think that is a gorgeous combination. I've seen it a few times and I think its very striking.



I think it also depends on your cultural heritage or mix of. I've seen some people of "mixed" race that have skin/hair/eye combinations that aren't generally seen. I wouldn't say they clash, but it can definitely look different than what we're used to.

I've only seen this once and it was on a girl that was half Native American and half Caucasian. She had coppery skin but sage green eyes and very cool ash brown hair. I didn't think it was natural at all at first, but it was. Very strange.

redtea
February 9th, 2010, 11:57 AM
I had strawberry blond hair as a baby which turned into golden blond up until my teens, which then turned into a darker reddish golden blond. Then.. my 20's came along and my hair turned into a dark very ashy blond! It completely washes me out. I have fair skin, a few freckles around my nose, and greenish blue eyes. Now I color my hair a darker golden blond, which is close to what my hair was as a teenager and I'm happy with it. When I tried either growing my hair out or coloring it to match my actual haircolor, the comments I got were along the lines of "It makes you look yellow" or "You need some red in your hair". So, considering my hair switched from a warm shade to a very cool one, I think it's possible to have clashing coloring.

BelleBot
February 9th, 2010, 12:19 PM
I have olive tones in my skin, dark eyebrows and naturally blonde hair. It looks fine when I have a tan, but I prefer to keep my skin pale almost porcelain which really doesn't look too great with my natural hair colour. Plus my dark brows stand out even more against pale skin. My brothers and mum have the same colour hair as me naturally, except they have more rose coloured tones in their skin and they never seem to have the same problem as me. I guess I have my Dad's skin and my mum's hair. I also have fairly bright blue eyes, which look a bit odd with olive skin, hence why I keep it pale.

I've tried going more blonde, which just looked even odder (my family look even better the blonder they get) so I dye darker which suits me much better and looks far more natural as it complements my skin tone and eyebrows.

By far the best colour for my hair and skintone has been bright pink, but that's obviously not natural :p it seemed to balance out the olive colours and make everything a bit more fuschia!

MandyBeth
February 9th, 2010, 12:32 PM
Very pale skin and heterochromic eyes with mid-range ashy light brown or dark blonde - It's not that my natural hair clashes, it just doesn't do anything for my coloring. I do red or darker much better - my hair has been getting lighter as I've gotten older and it looks worse and worse. Blonde is NOT a good color for me.

florenonite
February 9th, 2010, 12:34 PM
I've only seen this once and it was on a girl that was half Native American and half Caucasian. She had coppery skin but sage green eyes and very cool ash brown hair. I didn't think it was natural at all at first, but it was. Very strange.

This got me thinking. I can't speak for everyone, but a general trend I've noticed with myself and others is that the first reaction one has when seeing something like that is surprise and there's often a bit of dislike because it's different and doesn't fit into conventional beauty standards. However, after that initial exposure the difference is precisely what then makes the person quite attractive.

This is interesting in light of what I see as conflicting views of beauty in our culture. Difference is celebrated, yet we embrace conformity, both in ourselves and others. And I think this is part of being human. We'd get bored if everyone was the same, but at the same time we fear things that are different because they threaten our way of life or of viewing the world.

/hijack

bumblebums
February 9th, 2010, 12:50 PM
I've certainly known people who have cool blue eyes and warm-toned olive skin. My dad has ash blond hair, with not a single hint of red in it, but relatively warm-toned skin and yellowish-green eyes.

According to the imdb (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000213/bio), Winona Ryder is naturally a blonde and dyes her hair black. I remember finding this really hard to believe--her face just looks like a brunette's face to me!

I sometimes wonder if this isn't like sexual identity in transsexuals. Some people are born male but just "feel like" females... and some people are born blonde but "feel like" brunettes.

Drynwhyl
February 9th, 2010, 12:53 PM
I dye because my skin is very pale with pink when I blush, and my natural haircolor is a light mousy brown which has ugly greenish yellow tints.
I always hated it, I looked so gray and washed out. Dark red brings out my paleness and I love it much more.
So I guess it can be possible.
Maybe if I ever went out in the sun my hair would get prettier highlights and my skin would darken...but I don't want to :P

Kirry-Folk
February 9th, 2010, 02:18 PM
This is totally possible! My hair is very warm but my skin and eyes are cool. The hair clashes pretty badly if I develop and sort of tan/freckling.

MandyBeth
February 9th, 2010, 02:26 PM
I think the pale skin that doesn't tan easily/well and the mid-brown/blonde ashy color is a pretty common blend. I do like my natural color better when I was trying out wearing dark contacts, but my eyes do NOT like the contacts, so I gave those up - plus I was still having different coloring in my eyes - they were both brown, but still noticably different shades.

As for if I tan or wear makeup to tan more - nope. Not at all. I do not tan, I burn. I get hideous nasty blistering sunburns. I wear fake tanning things or a bronzer - they turn orange on me.

Tangles
February 9th, 2010, 03:42 PM
Thought I'd add my dad (who's East Indian) has brown skin with some red overtones, blue-grey eyes and black (well, now salt-and-pepper) hair. It looks really harmonious on him though, for some reason. Since my mom's blonde with neutral skin and hazel eyes, I ended up with less striking colouring than his--dark brown hair, green eyes and sort of honey-toned skin.

Fractalsofhair
February 9th, 2010, 03:48 PM
I think it can. I have a friend who's 1/2 Japanese, and the other 1/2 Scottish. He has a pinkish red skin tone with yellowish undertones(on his inner wrist and such), and his hair is blue black. It looks BAD. One of my cousins has a similar issue, where his hair is just too dark for him naturally. (Though the blond he tries to dye it is worse...) He's my skin tone, was blond as a very young child, and his hair went jet black when he was very little. Since then, he's looked sick. However, that's more of an issue with contrast and skin tone as opposed to warm vs cool skin.

My silvery blonde doesn't hide my dark circles on me as well as my red does, and looks slightly worse. However, my natural color without highlights or tints look pretty good as well. With highlights(which a lot of people don't consider to be dying hair) my hair looks way worse with my skin tone.

LadyJennifer
February 9th, 2010, 04:47 PM
I have cool skin tone, and warm hair color. Just a little bit of sun gives me highlights too. Though I tan fairly easily, it's hard for me to get very dark, and I look washed out when my hair is very light. I think I look much better (healthier, more alive, etc) when my hair is darker.

-simply Venus-
February 9th, 2010, 05:16 PM
I don't know. I do know, though, that my skin is warm, and my hair is neutral though! But they go well together.

UP Lisa
April 22nd, 2010, 07:12 AM
My eyes don't fit with the rest of my coloring. I have a cool, pink complexion. My hair is a cool dark blonde. My eyes are a warm golden/green hazel.

aef231
April 22nd, 2010, 07:22 AM
There are people who have coloring that seems unusual, or "doesn't match". That said, I think people are born looking just how they're supposed to. If they want to change it, fine, but just because their coloring doesn't match the norm doesn't mean it's bad. I knew one kid in middle school with Hershey's milk chocolate colored skin (he was black, as in of African descent) and had orangey, ginger red hair. It definitely looked unusual, and kind of clashed, but it was certainly interesting and made him stand out. He was probably the strongest example I can think of, although there are many others.

UP Lisa
April 22nd, 2010, 07:53 AM
Well, I guess there are red-haired black people. I actually like the color of my eyes, and certainly nobody else has ever even noticed.

dropinthebucket
April 22nd, 2010, 07:59 AM
It might also be because some "types" are much harder to identify. For instance, a soft spring can shade into the summer tones, making it hard to tell if the person is a spring (cool) or summer (warm), because they can both carry off a set of neutral pastels that would just wash out an autumn and look totally bland on a winter. There are colors only a spring can do, and only a summer can do, that they don't share, however, and that's the test. Am not sure that color-typing is the be-all-end-all, honestly, but it is definitely true that celebrity stylists understand coloring, what works and what doesn't, and help their clients look *fabulous*. Anyone who saw Lindsay Lohan in her "red phase" could see it didn't work with her coloring! Gossip is, her image consultant talked her into the cooler tones again. :)

Oh, and yeah, I think our hair can "naturally" seem to change so that it doesn't seem to match as well, as some of the posters were saying - my hair is naturally ash-ish, light brown, which works really well with my coloring. But give me one summer in the sun, and it's all gone red/golden, which is ok, but not quite as great as the cooler tones for me. All-out red, or black, are just no good - had my Lindsay Lohan moment, tried those - unh unh. So, yeah, different factors affecting natural coloring, and then intensity too: if you have a lighter intensity cool or warm, on a softer coloring, either will still look better than a high-intensity color; and vice versa - striking coloring needs the intensity to balance.

Igraine
April 22nd, 2010, 08:05 AM
I'm not sure they come as a package. My skin is as pale as mum's, but has dad's warm undertones, as opposed to her rosacea. Hair is a neutral medium brown, looking quite cool compared to my skin.

joiekimochi
April 22nd, 2010, 08:06 AM
I'm a yellow-toned but look best when I have really dark, almost blue-black hair (my original color). I'm thinking of returning to my black hair permanently...milk-tea brown might look oh-so trendy and cute, but now it has faded and I have 2 inches of black roots (making me look slatternly).

UP Lisa
April 22nd, 2010, 08:16 AM
Supposedly, red is Lindsay Lohan's natural color.

florenonite
April 22nd, 2010, 08:23 AM
Anyone who saw Lindsay Lohan in her "red phase" could see it didn't work with her coloring! Gossip is, her image consultant talked her into the cooler tones again. :)


Remember The Parent Trap (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120783/mediaindex)? Red's definitely her natural colour, and it looks good on her when she's not got a fake tan. She's even got ginger freckles!

JCFantasy23
April 22nd, 2010, 09:52 PM
It can happen, certainly. I think contrast is interesting. I'm definitely warm and golden, but I have to take care not to overwhelm myself or it looks either drab or less attractive. I have medium brown hair with golden undertones/auburn sometimes, warm-toned skin that's pale (not tan like normal), and hazel eyes where the golden shade can come out, or else the more light green, which I prefer. It all works, but if I wear the wrong color shirt or my foundation is too dark, making me look tanner, the yellow comes out too much in my skin, turning my eyes more drab and making me sort of disappear, or else how I see it. I look much plainer if I'm not careful to have some contrast in there. I work with dyed blonde hair as well, since it is golden hued because of my natural coloring, and have worn my hair that way for years, with me being brunette again the past few years. Until age 10 I was naturally blonde this way so it was sort of working with nature for awhile. I look better with my hair slightly darker than it is now, IMO, as the hair coloring can make my skin look too yellow if I'm not careful. Hate look like I have jaundice lol

spidermom
April 22nd, 2010, 10:03 PM
It might also be because some "types" are much harder to identify. For instance, a soft spring can shade into the summer tones, making it hard to tell if the person is a spring (cool) or summer (warm

I learned it the opposite way from the book Color Me Beautiful - that Spring (which I am supposed to be) is warm. I know I look much better in pine green (warm) than - say - deep forest green (cool), unless I have magenta hair - haha!

invisiblebabe
April 22nd, 2010, 10:15 PM
Not matching is normal. Clashing is often just a matter of opinion.

Be honest ladies, if you think your hair clashes with your skin, is it because you warmed up your skin tone with makeup or a tan?

I don't tan. :) I fry without sunscreen.

I generally don't wear a whole ton of makeup either, and what I do wear doesn't change the fact that I am pale!

RavennaNight
April 23rd, 2010, 02:03 AM
I'm naturally pale, and have ashy blonde hair and light blue eyes. The ashy dark blonde was doing nothing for me and I looked very washed out. I dye my hair black now and really like the dramatic effect. It goes well with my skin tones and probably will never go back to blonde. So I think genetics doesn't make perfect combinations for everyone. It sure didn't for me!

UP Lisa
April 23rd, 2010, 06:08 AM
I learned it the opposite way from the book Color Me Beautiful - that Spring (which I am supposed to be) is warm. I know I look much better in pine green (warm) than - say - deep forest green (cool), unless I have magenta hair - haha!

It is the opposite. Summer is Cool. Spring is Warm.

Katze
April 23rd, 2010, 06:27 AM
Part of it, I also think, is that we are trained to think dramatic colors look better than 'drab' ones. I know countless women with my hair color who bleach or dye it a different color because it is supposedly boring. Well, admittedly it is not as nice as the platinum blonde most of us 'hair colored' people had as kids, but in my case, it DOES go with my complexion and eye color With darker hair, my eyes look lighter, and as a bleached blonde I was always fighting brassiness, which made me look much too red in the face and my eyes green by comparison.

The one weird genetic anomaly I have is eyebrows that are much, much lighter than my hair. So I felt I 'deserved' to be blonde.

The warm/cool toned thing is hard, I think, if you are naturally a mix - I have hazel eyes, grey/green with gold flecks, so both cool and warm, and cool toned skin, with some very faint gold highlights to my otherwise ashy haircolor. With such a combination, my natural haircolor really does look better.

Purdy Bear
April 23rd, 2010, 07:16 AM
My skin tone has changed since loosing my hair, and while trying on various wigs Iv brought, I can see where some suit and some dont. An auburn looks best on me at present, but my natural colour is very dark brown almost black.

I do think your natural hair suits our skin tone, but that is someone who is healthy, it might change if you have an illness that affects the skin.

JenniferNoel
April 23rd, 2010, 07:47 AM
I'm naturally pale, and have ashy blonde hair and light blue eyes. The ashy dark blonde was doing nothing for me and I looked very washed out. I dye my hair black now and really like the dramatic effect. It goes well with my skin tones and probably will never go back to blonde. So I think genetics doesn't make perfect combinations for everyone. It sure didn't for me!

I am in the exact same boat. The ashy blonde for me always made me look incredibly bland. I had black hair for a loooong time, and it looked wonderful. For me, my hair either has to be a strawberry blonde-ish color, jet black, or some funky unnatural color. Anything else makes me look... well... kinda sickly.

UP Lisa
April 23rd, 2010, 08:07 AM
My eyebrows have always been a lot darker than my hair.

spidermom
April 23rd, 2010, 08:10 AM
Maybe it's because I have warm skin tones. I have a black-hair wig, and without a lot of makeup, it makes me look ghastly. It surprises me that black works on other natural blondes, but it seems the people who mentioned this are ash-blonde rather than golden-blonde, like me. I tried on hair colors at the Taaz website, and very few of them worked for me. Platinum did, and my hair seems to be going in that color direction, so yay.

UP Lisa
April 23rd, 2010, 08:22 AM
I think for Black you need cool skin tones.

dropinthebucket
April 23rd, 2010, 09:24 AM
Ah, so the new look is to go with the spray tan! :D (will do some checking, because now i'm curious about this - i think she started in hollywood with red hair, so all thought it was natural - but is listed in her high school yearbook as having cooler, ash-brown hair - i could be wrong, though!)

Lianna
August 28th, 2011, 04:43 AM
Sorry about reviving such an old thread. But even my skin doesn't have only one tone. My legs are cool, my arms and belly are warm, for example. Arms and legs see the same amount of sun, since I mostly wear sundresses.

I think a notorious mismatch is cool toned redheads, which are pretty common. Example. (http://www.raising-redheads.com/images/red-haired-sisters-21368831.jpg)

discoisntdead
August 28th, 2011, 05:17 AM
I've noticed that as well. People with red hair often have naturally blue/green eyes and pale skin. People with blond hair usually have blue eyes and pale skin, well at least I've noticed that it is a common combination. People with dark hair usually have dark eyes and warm skin.

Nymph
August 28th, 2011, 05:21 AM
A few weeks ago I saw a little girl, she was with her parents who were olive toned, and was olive skinned herself (though lighter than her parents), and she had red (ginger) hair. So personally I think it's possible. It could have been a dye but on a six or seven year old I don't think it's very plausible.

Lilli
August 28th, 2011, 07:40 AM
A few weeks ago I saw a little girl, she was with her parents who were olive toned, and was olive skinned herself (though lighter than her parents), and she had red (ginger) hair. So personally I think it's possible. It could have been a dye but on a six or seven year old I don't think it's very plausible.

I saw a family like this at the zoo: darkest red hair, olive skin... it did look a bit odd, but it was natural. I have given up on the whole warm/cool categorizing thing. I don't think you can say that everyone is one or the other, and based on that, a certain hair or clothes or makeup color will work. For example, I have blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin... every makeup artist ever tries to put me in purple eye makeup. It does not look good on me, period, yet it is "supposed to."

pink.sara
August 28th, 2011, 08:00 AM
A few weeks ago I saw a little girl, she was with her parents who were olive toned, and was olive skinned herself (though lighter than her parents), and she had red (ginger) hair. So personally I think it's possible. It could have been a dye but on a six or seven year old I don't think it's very plausible.

This ^. I am naturally a pale olive with yellow tones in the winter (which I counteract with very pink blush) and a deep gold/red tan if I see the sun for a few days. Yet my hair is dark auburn and will sun lighten very easily to ginger. And my eyes are green. Heres a pic of my colouring, although the hair is dyed!: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=3662&pictureid=47039

My ginger hair as a kid and ginger streaks as a teen are the reason I cannot go natural. It just doesn't look like a natural combo! I recently tried again to give up the dye and after a month went running back to black!!

I blame my Romany/Dominican/Navajo/French Canadian ancestry... Let's face it I'm such a mongrel I could have had ANY combination of colouring and hair texture! ;)

squiggyflop
August 28th, 2011, 08:05 AM
it technically is possible. hair color doesnt always come with skin tone.. i have moms skin and dads hair color.. mom has the same skin as me but with cool toned hair.. you seldom see much in nature though.. also you seldom see skin like mine with such dark eyes.. i heard eyes and hair are much more closely related than hair and skin..

oh and my eyebrows are much darker than my hair.. my brother has the opposite problem.. his hair is much darker than his blond eyebrows..

alyanna
August 28th, 2011, 08:35 AM
I don't think that the genes for eye, hair and skin colour come in a package. They're all individual genes, and you could have been given any (or all) of them by either your mother or your father. So, it is perfectly possible to have cool-toned skin and warm-toned hair.

Actually, I believe that coolness and warmth are just our way of categorising what is in reality a multitude of tones, and some are so close to each other that it becomes a personal interpretation.

Finally, I also do not believe that 'clashing' colours and/or tones is a bad thing! :p But that's just my personal taste. To each their own! :D

I do believe you've hit the nail on the head :)

May
August 28th, 2011, 08:46 AM
I do think sun exposure can make what nature gave you look wonky.

I completely agree jivete. My hair is naturally medium auburn and with lots of sun it can turn brassy which clashes with my ultra cool skin tone. For this reason I use a demi to counter any excessive orange/brassy tones :)

elbow chic
August 28th, 2011, 10:38 AM
I don't even know what people really mean by "warm" vs. "cool" tones, and tbh I think a lot of times it's pretty subjective. I've spent more time than I'd like to admit on those color-typing sites but I don't really get it.

I've seen a couple people on LHC who say their natural hair color is unflattering to their skin so they have to dye it... but then the dyed color looks a lot harsher on them, to me.

Lilli
August 29th, 2011, 06:49 AM
I think the prevalence of hair dye (isn't it like 40% of people dye their hair or something?) makes people think that hair is brighter than what it naturally is, so they think their own hair color is dull or unflattering, when really, it is normal and just not unnaturally vibrant.

headtrip_honey
August 29th, 2011, 06:55 AM
While I don't think that many people have skin/hair colors that actually clash, I do think there are many people who look better with hair color other than what nature gave them.

My best friend growing up, for example, has porcelain skin - the whitest you'll ever see, hazel eyes, and mousy brown hair. She looks *much* better when she dyes her hair a dark reddish brown. It plays up her eyes and makes her skin glow instead of just looking pale. (Of course, she loves being blonde, which I think washes her out...ah well. She agrees she looks best with dark aurburn hair, but it's a hard look to maintain)

I find that it's people like her - with super pale skin and pale brown hair, who benefit the most from changing their hair color. It can make their other features "pop".

BeckyAH
August 29th, 2011, 08:15 AM
As we age it is important to stay away from too dark, flat dyed hair, it only gives one a harsh, tough appearance. Going silver, pewter, charcoal or some other lovely shade of gray is just natures way of softening the frame around our faces naturally. I have olive skin (which tans easily) and brown eyes and my hair has plenty of silvers streaks mixed in with my natural dark golden blonde. I have tried so many different shades over the years and have come to realize that what Mother Nature so graciously gave me is what compliments me the best. Once you do have plenty of silver it is important to investigate new shades of makeup to compliment your new look. You may also want to experiment with different colours in your wardrobe.

I want to age gracefully, but the bottom line for me is - My hair, naturally, is not graying. It is going <i>white</i>. That, combined with my freckles, pale -extremely pink- skin, leads to a really, really unpleasantly ruddy looking complexion that I hate. Color isn't going to change that, because the color of my hair is what's around my face. And so, even after I'm much more heavily gray than I am now, I will dye - possibly even to silver or gray, because those work all right, but white? No.

Xandergrammy
August 29th, 2011, 08:18 AM
I don't think it is possible... just my :twocents:
I think it becomes "in the eye of the beholder" and the beholder being ourselves, we always see our own body as slightly distorted... how many times have you seen someone who colors their hair (usually to an extreme blond or extreme black) where it DOES totally clash w/ their coloring and they (obviously) think it looks marvelous???


My sentiments exactly, marikamt!

ktani
August 29th, 2011, 08:21 AM
Hair colour can now be predicted from DNA samples with a variance of about 20&#37;, so nature still wins by there being more than one possibility. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/dna-hair-color/

Hair colour changes over time as well and the predominant hue or shade at one age can change at another. Natural hair colour is a mix of colours not monochrome.

spidermom
August 29th, 2011, 08:47 AM
Interesting! Thanks Ktani.

ktani
August 29th, 2011, 08:54 AM
Interesting! Thanks Ktani.

You are most welcome! Fascinating topic for a thread.

Chetanlaiho
August 29th, 2011, 08:59 AM
I was thinking about this a while ago because to me it just doesn't really make sense that your natural haircolour would look 'bad' with your skincolour. My natural colour doesn't look great on me (but I've yet to find a colour that does) but it doesn't look 'bad' :shrug:



I've noticed that as well. People with red hair often have naturally blue/green eyes and pale skin. People with blond hair usually have blue eyes and pale skin, well at least I've noticed that it is a common combination. People with dark hair usually have dark eyes and warm skin.
My hair used to be a really light blonde when I was younger (though not platinum) and it has darkened to brown over the years. My skin is really pale and I think it's cool-toned but I'm not sure. My eyes are a pretty damn light gray-blue xD also my eyebrows are full-on black, have been for a while.

RainbowHawk
August 29th, 2011, 09:28 AM
I've noted quite a few times that people will say that they color their hair because the natural color clashes with their skin tones. This puzzles me because I thought that the genes for hair and skin tones came in a package. In other words, if skin is cool toned, hair will be cool toned as well. Am I wrong? Is it possible to have naturally cool-toned hair with warm-toned skin or vice versa?

My daughter has electric blue eyes (very cool tone), medium brown hair which used to be red and still has red highlights (neutral) and golden skin (very warm). She's never been artificially dyed or tanned, even in the winter her skin is decidedly yellow and her hair is still an ashy neutral color. I don't think it looks awful, but it's certainly not a combination you expect.

Yes, the genes for hair, skin and eye color do come in a "package", but genes with proximal locations can also switch places with others which code for the same things (e.g. eye color). It's like a cross-over deal, say you have two strings which are a series of colors strung together, the two strings cross one another and when they go back, two of the colors have switched places. It's kind of like that. That's why while "most" commonly you'll see blue eyes with blond hair, you can also find people with brown eyes and blond hair-- one of the color genes just switches places with a different one. It's a really neat thing, evolution-wise-- it allows for more genetic diversity. So yes, they come in a package, but those packages are FAR from hermetically sealed. ;) Sometimes, they leak, and the more diverse your background and/or that of your partner, the more potential there is for interesting, unique combinations.

(If I'm not explaining this very well please forgive me; I'm just trying to do it without getting ubergeeky. :o)

UP Lisa
August 29th, 2011, 09:42 AM
I have a Cool complexion with Warm eyes and hair.

Katurday
August 29th, 2011, 10:19 AM
I think that assuming things slip perfectly into "warm or cool" is a mistake. Many, if not most of us are in the neutral package, such as olive tones and many Asians. I am yellow-y olive with cool hair and warm eyes. I've dyed my hair cool and warm colors before with only one truly bad color - rusty red. As for the claim that contrast = clashing; I'd love to argue that one. I think we're programmed to see patterns. Asians with dark hair and pale pale skin do not clash because it is expected. An Irish girl with pale pale skin and ebony hair would. These two people may have an identical skintone, and identical hair, but society has different expectations.

I've seen people rock pink, purple and blue hair... Very rarely does anyone talk about clashing when colors involved are unnatural, yet shouldn't the same rules apply? People spend all day arguing the differences between two nearly identical browns though... As with life, everything should be taken with a grain of salt.

Lianna
August 29th, 2011, 01:02 PM
I live in Brazil, with a lot of "mixed genes", so this about having light skin/light hair/light eyes or always dark skin/dark hair/dark eyes don't happen at all (it does in some cases of course).

ladylovecraft
August 29th, 2011, 01:24 PM
I think this would also depend on how much or little you choose to expose yourself to the sun... someone born with blonde hair and light skin for example who tans excessively would just look ridiculous (to me anyway).

And I do think it's genetically possible to clash.. it's not like your genes particularly care if you're all cool toned or all warm toned. : P

WinterButterfly
August 29th, 2011, 01:32 PM
I naturally have a dark blond hair color and green eyes. My skin is very light and doesn't tan. I have pink undertones. I dye my hair a jet black and most people think it looks good on me. With my natural hair color I can't wear brown without looking like I blend into the wall. I also don't look as good with dramatic makeup with my natural color. Society also has some rather rude perceptions of blonds, and it irritates me to no end. I may be a natural blond, but that doesn't mean I do things with any man that crosses my path. Yuck. With black hair, I feel that I stand out more but in a better way. I feel more free to express myself. It isn't that I look bad with my natural color. I just prefer something else.
My sister has pale pink undertoned skin, dark brown hair and green eyes. My brother has pale pink toned skin medium blond hair and blue eyes. My grandma has black hair, green eyes and pale pink toned skin. My familly has a good portion native american and a good portion irish. We have other stuff too, just not in as big of portions. I think people of mixed decent can have the most interesting combinations sometimes. I like the stark contrast of pale skin and black hair. I also like the contrast of very dark skin ans stark orange hair. I think what looks good on a person depends on what look they are going for. Genetics may or may not agree with what each of us individuals find beautiful.

torrilin
August 29th, 2011, 07:51 PM
I've noticed that as well. People with red hair often have naturally blue/green eyes and pale skin. People with blond hair usually have blue eyes and pale skin, well at least I've noticed that it is a common combination. People with dark hair usually have dark eyes and warm skin.

Oh wow, I don't exist!

(ash brown hair, decidedly pinkish skin with blue veins, light grey eyes that are low enough in melanin that they'll also look blue or green depending on what I wear. I'm a bog standard high contrast brunette.)

Don't worry, I get that a lot. I was strawberry blonde as a kid, and even now my ash brown hair happily bleaches itself to both red and gold in the sun. So pretty much whatever "rules" someone uses for what clashes, I break. Naturally. And it looks good on me and suits me.