Hairdressers are trained to identify natural hair colors and tones, but for the average person it can be difficult to decide which shade of hair color they have. Hair color levels are important to know before adding hair color or deciding to highlight one’s hair.
Natural Hair Colors
Natural hair color comes in ten different levels ranging from 1 to 10. There is nothing scientific about it, but keep in mind that some manufacturers may have their own cute names for each type of hair color or hair tone. Below is a hair color chart that sets the starting point for any hairdresser or manufacturer.
Hair Color Chart for Levels of Hair:
Level One: Black Level Two: Very Dark Brown Level Three: Dark Brown Level Four: Medium Brown Level Five: Light Brown Level Six: Dark Blonde Level Seven: Medium Blonde Level Eight: Light Blonde Level Nine: Very Light Blonde Level Ten: Lightest Blonde
Types of Hair Color
Natural hair levels one through three are hair colors of people with dark pigmented skin and eyes, or at least for the most part. At times, you may see a fair skinned person with darker hair. Dark hair gives a more exotic look to the individual, especially if their eyes, eye lashes, and eye brows all contain the dark pigment. Hair color should be selected carefully in this group as most naturally dark pigmented hair goes better with the person than if they were to try to lighten their hair to a level nine or ten. The result would not look natural.
The natural hair colors from levels four through six are considered more in the medium pigmented group. Brown pigment can often be highlighted or even red tones can be added and the result achieved can be a natural and pleasing look.
Although people with light natural color hair are less populated on the planet than those of darker pigmented hair color, this group of individuals have the best option for coloring their hair. Many of these individuals look great when their hair is darker or even highlighted lighter than it is naturally. This group includes levels seven and level eight.
The last type of hair color is hard to find when speaking of natural hair color as it is the lightest levels. This group consists of levels nine and ten. Children are often born with this hair color level and then it begins to darken a bit. Adults with this natural level of hair color should consider themselves lucky as most people pay a lot of money to try to get this color.
What are Tones of Hair?
There are two different tones of hair: warm and cool. Hair tones are what hairdressers use to describe the warmth of a color or the coolness of a color. When referring to natural warm tones of the hair, hairdressers often refer to it as yellow, red, or orange. Sometimes, if you are looking at a color box, you may find it listed as gold, copper, bronze or auburn.
When hairdressers refer to hair as having cool tones, they are talking about the blues, greens, and purple tones. When looking at a color box, cool tones could be labeled as ash or platinum. Sometimes, you may even see the word smokey.
Source:
Milady’s Standard Textbook of Cosmetology Revised Edition. Milady Publishing Company, A Division of Delmar Publishers Inc., Albany, New York.