Youmay have had dreams of looking like your favourite flame, blonde or raven haired heroine on your wedding day but unless your hair is naturally similar to hers, it really is not a good idea to drastically change your hair colour before your wedding ...
Why? You may ask.
The answer is that there are simply too many considerations to deal with when making a drastic hair colour change. You may not have the time to successfully deal with them all, in addition to the fact that you don’t need the extra stress.
You may not like the colour, it could damage your hair, it might not suit you etc. Unless you have a lot of time to rectify mistakes, think rather of enhancing what is natural; brown tones can be made richer, red more vibrant and glossy etc.
FACTORS FOR REFLECTION
You really need to take into account many issues and give it all some thought and consideration before you take such a major step with your appearance just before your wedding. Study the guidelines to determine which is the right approach for your own personal requiremenrts.
1. Make Up
Changing your hair colour requires a change in your make up palette as well.
BLACK
Strong deep tones of Burgundy, Sheer Plum for medium skin, Opaque Plums for dark skin, Reds and Grape are very complimentary in addition to pale greys and whites for the eyes which will contrast and make them stand out. Team with grey eyeliner.
BRUNETTE
Rich brown hair is flattered by earth tones of mahogany, charcoal grey, cinnamon brown, sandy tones, pale purples and rich greens, with rosy hues and corals for the lips. Avoid pale foundations, opting instead to keep it glowing to enhance your hair colour. Bronze works well in addition to blues and plums for the eyes.
RED
Enjoy rich jewel colours, lovely greens, copper or taupe and light browns for the eyes. Team with terracotta reds, apricots, peaches and gentle pinks with brown mascara. Coral, copper and bronze are also a very warm, complimentary colour palette for a redhead.
BLONDE
You would need to keep this look soft with pinks, peaches and salmon tones complimented by caramels and beige for the eyes. Avoid the matte nude look for eyes which may make you look washed-out, also steer aware from very rich deep colours which will provide too hard a contrast for your hair colour.
GREY
A gentle approach is necessary; do not try to use the same colours you used for your original colour. Apricots and peaches work well in addition to greys and navy for the eyes.
2. Colour Correcting
One of the strongest reasons for advising to not colour your hair just before your wedding is the possibility of disaster and /or damage, without the time to make things right. Sometimes you may find that the new colour is not the right shade for your hair or you and colour correcting techniques will have to be applied.
Be advised that it may not be rectified with one service so having plenty of time is the essence. This service is best carried out by a professional who is experienced in the use of colour removers and toning to minimise the risk of damage, which would be devastating just before the event.
The hair will be deep conditioned first then toned up or down depending on your needs. If your hair came out too harsh and light, the stylist will start by using a shade one tone down to soften the effect. Alternatively if you came out too dark, a shade one tone up will be used to lighten your look.
3. Natural Skin Tone & Hair Colour
You also have to consider your skin tone when choosing to drastically change your hair colour. There is no point doing it if it is not going to be flattering. The aim is to brighten up your outlook, refresh your complexion play up your features. The wrong colour can do exactly the opposite, making you appear older, dull and washed out.
It is important to assess your natural skin tone and hair colour to determine which colour would best suit you when deciding on a change.
COOL TONES Fair: Mushroom shades, rose pink
EYES: Light blue, grey-blue, blue green, grey blue.
NATURAL HAIR COLOUR: Golden blonde or medium brown
COMPLIMENTARY HAIR TONES: Light brown, pale platinum and white blonde,
Medium: Light olive, medium brown
EYES: Deep green, dark blue, green blue, medium brown
NATURAL HAIR COLOUR: Medium to dark brown
COMPLIMENTARY HAIR TONES: Chocolate brown, coffee shades, burgundies
Dark: Dark olive, deep brown to ebony
EYES: Deep brown, black
NATURAL HAIR COLOUR: Deep brown to black
COMPLIMENTARY HAIR TONES: Black, plums and burgundy highlights
Medium: Golden brown, bronze, copper with yellow undertones
EYES: Tawny, green, chocolate
NATURAL HAIR COLOUR: Medium to dark brown or black
COMPLIMENTARY HAIR TONES: You need to neutralise the yellow in your skin. Chocolate brown, auburn, chestnut, reds and copper shades.
Dark: Warm very dark brown
EYES: Deep green, dark brown
NATURAL HAIR COLOUR: Dark brown, black
COMPLIMENTARY HAIR TONES: Dark golden brown, burgundies, coffee shades
Remember that the darker your hair, the lighter it goes, the more damage you risk sustaining.
4.Your Personality
When you change your hair colour you convey a totally different message to what you are used to, people react very differently to various colours, just as yellow makes you feel warm and summery and blue makes you feel cool, hair colour too has an image. The question is do you have the personality to carry off your chosen colour? Consider this also, before selecting your shade.
BLACK
The Image: Strong, exotic and intense with an air of mystery. Works best with: A sultry glamorous personality, youthful features with a clear complexion. Black hair can look very unflattering on visibly mature skin, or skin with blemishes. It can be softened by adding subtle brown undertones.
BROWN The Image: Sensible and proficient. Works best with:Conventional brides who prefer the natural look. Highlights work well with brown tones and can significantly brighten this look to add light and movement.
RED The Image: Fiery, seductive and hot tempered. Works best with: Confident brides who really want to stand out, smooth skin without red undertones which will clash and make you look consistently flushed. Caramel highlights can help to make your skin seem less red
BLONDE The Image: The ultimate sex symbol, flirty and the centre of attention. Works best with: Very confident brides who are comfortable with their looks and body and are not shy to make a statement.Be aware that if your natural colour is dark it will be a real job to maintain the regrowth.
5. TROUBLESHOOTING
ROOT REGROWTH: It looks very unkempt, if your roots are growing out be sure to maintain them or colour your hair nearer back to your own shade so that it can grow out easier. SOLID HAIRCOLOUR: If it is too solid with no tones it can look flat and dense. BEWARE OF TRENDS: They can look dated really quickly, aim rather to enhance your personal look. OVER HIGHLIGHTING: Beware of adding so many highlights that your hair then becomes the highlight colour. Highlights are meant to accent and compliment, not take over. SKIPPING CONDITIONER: Do not make the mistake of leaving out treatments; it is even more essential than before to condition your hair, now that it is coloured. Conditioning keeps it healthy and smooth
