Matching skin tone to hair colour can be trickier than many people would imagine. You may look in the mirror and see a standard pale skin tone, but when asked if you have pink or yellow undertones, would you know what to say? Your skin tone dictates everything from which hair colour works for you, to which clothing colours flatter you best – so it’s important to get as close to a perfect match as possible.

Let’s go through the spectrum and see what your skin tone means for your hair colour options.

• Pale – As a general rule, those with very fair skin should steer away from very dark locks. It can make you look even more pale (although this may be the effect you’re after!), and it can be ageing to pale skin. If you’re pale and considering a change, go a few shades lighter than your existing hair colour. For more information, we can split ‘pale’ into two categories…
• Pink – Having ‘pink’ skin doesn’t necessarily mean that skin is bright pink – it means you have a pink undertone to your skin. If you’re someone that goes a little pink in the sun, or goes bright red after a little exercise, avoid warm red and golden blonde – they will clash with your hair shade.
• Yellow – Likewise, having yellow undertones to your skin doesn’t mean you show up looking like Marge Simpson. If you have a yellow tone to your skin, opt for a golden red – think Emma Stone for your ultimate inspiration.
• Medium – The lucky ones with a medium skin tone can pull off almost anything depending on their mood! If you have warm undertones, go for a chocolate brown (Zooey Deschanel is a perfect example), but if you’re a little cooler in tone, go for a lighter shade along the lines of caramel or honey.
• Olive – Kim Kardashian is your hair hero here – here olive skin tone has provided the perfect base for her famous dark locks, but she’s also dabbled in some lighter tones too. Keep it warm – no platinum blonde for you!
• Dark – If you have dark skin, it’s highly likely that you have naturally dark hair too. If you’re a little bored of it and fancy a change, you won’t be able to just switch it up and go for any hair colour you like – making hair significantly lighter is hard work and can damage locks. Add an auburn twist to create a little contrast from your skin tone.