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To choose what hair colour works well for your curls is an art in itself. We, at the Curly Hair Institute, tend to stay away from cooler tones, as they are flatter and much more transparent than the warm tones. When the stylist takes into consideration the main three factors of colouring curls- light reflection, brightness and depth of colours- they have a starting point to determine what colour is best suited for each curly head. To learn more about these factors, read Illusions Behind Colouring Curls.

Gold Tones: If someone has such fine natural curly hair that the scalp peeks through, then richer tones with golds are better to reflect light than cooler ashy tones. Note that golden tones are not the same thing as brassy tones. Golden blonde colours will need to be added to ashy blondes if one wants to have their hair as light as possible. Gold pigment is the critical pigment that is required to cover grey hair. Gold pigment adds a certain special richness to almost all hair colours. When people are afraid of golden colour and strongly refuse to use it in their formulations, they often get shocked when their hair colour goes extremely dark – especially when applied over damaged hair. The fear of brassy tones, which most often gives the illusion of dirty hair. Nobody wants that, but gold tones are not brassy tones and the gold tones will give your hair richness.

Auburn Tones: The auburn collection is one of the largest collections of colours the Curly Hair Institute has, as auburn is a combination of golds and reds. There is a lot more stylists can do with the auburn tones, as there are two sets of base colours to work with. The combination of choices is massive and one can have a lot of fun playing with several different shades of tones at the same time. Brightness, richness and depth can be achieved with using auburn colours.

Red Tones: The red family of colours are deeper and darker. Careful consideration must be taken into account when using these tones, as darker tones are more difficult to correct. Most people get confused by the red tones. People might say they want a red, but prefer a more orange tone. Most natural redheads are really copper gold, and their hair colours come from the auburn family. True red is darker, and consists of deep and darker tones than the typical redhead normally has. The reds are the home of the cooler tones, and if applied correctly can be used for dimension and depth.

It is important to discuss your colour options with your stylist before you jump into going for those bright red or gold tones without knowing the potential consequences. A good idea is to start at the end look and consider – do you want more depth or brightness and use the guide above to determine what tones will help you achieve your ultimate curly hairstyle. If you have any questions about colouring, and need helping trying to decide, message us or comment below.