Choosing the Right Hair Colour for your Hair

Being in the hair industry as long as I have, I've had all sorts of people come to me seeking damage control for their hair colour. Most of the time people go wrong with colour because they have chosen the wrong colour for them, or because they have unrealistic colour goals. The following are a few important tips to help avoid those "colour disasters" that far too many people are familiar with.

Tip #1 Don't go more than 3 shades lighter or 3 shades darker than your natural colour. Going too light or too dark will not only look unnatural, but it will also cause a lot more damage (especially when going lighter), and keeping up with the regrowth can get very expensive.

If you are planning to go darker using a semi-permanent colour will be less damaging, and will fade out gradually, which will help you avoid getting root lines. Semi-permanent colours are also easier to reverse if you decide you want to be lighter again.

If you are planning to go lighter I am always an advocate for highlights rather than solid colours. Highlights, when done properly are more natural looking , and don't have to be done as often as solid colours.

Tip #2 Take a closer look at the colour of your eyes. We all have more than one colour in the iris of our eyes. There is a background colour mixed with flecks of another colour or two. The combination makes up the overall eye colour. The colour of the flecks in your eyes can tell you if you will look better in cool tones or warm tones. For example, someone with blue eyes with white, grey, or black flecks will look best with a cool hair colour, where as someone with blue eyes with yellow, gold or amber flecks will look better with a warm hair colour.

Tip #3 Go lighter and warmer as you get older. Over time not only your hair, but also your skin looses it's pigmentation, and dark, dull hair colours will only wash you out even more. Blue-black hair may look great on a 19 year old with clear skin, and rosy cheeks, but on almost anyone else it looks harsh. Lighter colours will also blend better with greying hair. This doesn't mean that once you hit a certain age you suddenly have to go blonde even if you've had dark hair all your life. For best results I suggest a slow transition, such as one shade lighter every 10 years or so.

Tip #4 Once you have a colour you like stick with it, or at least with something similar to it. The biggest mistake people make when it comes to colour is trying to change their colour too often, and too quickly. Major changes to your colour should be made over several visits to your hairstylist, and not all in one shot. Once your hair has been coloured dark that dark colour can only be removed with bleach (or some equally damaging highlift colours, or colour removers), when your hair has been coloured red there will be a redish tone to any colour you add after, and if your hair has been bleached out blonde it won't hold new colours properly and it's likely to fade to an unflattering shade. So when you're planning a major colour change be realistic about what your hair can and can't handle.

For more tips on hair colour, and cool vs warm tones, feel free to email me at emily@emilyroop.com

How to Get the Right Hairstyle to Suit your Face Shape

There are seven different face shapes, as depicted in the photo of various celebrities to the left, and they include:



Oval Face Shape - The oval face shape, as shown in the celebrity photo of Charlize Theron to the left, is the "ideal" face shape. This face shape is balanced from top to bottom and it is one and a half times long as it is wide. Another example of a celebrity with an oval face shape is Heidi Klum.

With this face shape, you can generally get away with any hairstyle and it will still suit the shape of your face.



Square Face Shape - The square face shape, as shown in the celebrity photo of Angelina Jolie to the left, is wide across the forehead and generally has a more horizontal hairline with an angular and defined jaw line. Another example of a celebrity with a square face shape is Gwyneth Paltrow.

With this face shape the hairstyles that looks best are those with soft layering around the face and stay away from hard angles such as with blunt cut bangs. Waves generally work well with this face shape while more flat ironed sleek looks generally just make the face shape look harder.



Diamond Face Shape - The diamond face shape, as shown in the celebrity photo of Jennifer Lopez above, features a narrower forehead and jaw line, along with wide and high cheekbones. Antoher example of a celebrity with a diamond face shape is Cher.

With this face shape most hairstyles will work just as with the oval face shape, but in general it looks better with the hair pulled off the face to open up the forehead. I would stay away from long side-swept bangs.

Oblong Face Shape - The oblong face shape, as shown in the celebrity photo of Sarah Jessica Parker above, features a long face and squared off chin. Another example of a celebrity with an oblong face shape is Jennifer Aniston.

With this face shape the hairstyles that looks best are those with bangs which tend to visually shorten the face. Bobs that are cut to the chin line will not only shorten the face but generally look better with this face shape. Longer cuts will also work, but it's important again to have bangs covering the forehead to give the visual effect of shortening the face.

Heart Face Shape - The heart face shape, as shown in the celebrity photo of Reese Witherspoon above, features a forehead which is the widest part of the face, and gradually narrows in to a pointed chin. Another example of a celebrity with a heart face shape is Rihanna.

With this face shape the hairstyle that looks best is a longer fringe parted in the middle since it will narrow the forehead. I would stay away from layers that come into the face around the chin area because this will accentuate the pointed chin.

Round Face Shape - The round face shape, as shown in the celebrity photo of Kirsten Dunst above, features a large curved forehead with a rounded chin and full cheeks, along with a face that has very few angles. Another celebrity with a round face shape is Mandy Moore.

With this face shape the hairstyles that look best are those with layers that start at the cheeks and graduate into a longer haircut. If you are going to cut your hair into a bob make sure that it is shorter in the back and longer in the front and that the front come down to just below the chin. Stay away from short bangs with this face shape because it will make the face look shorter, but long side swept bangs that connect to the layering around your face can look good with this face shape.



Triangle Face Shape - The triangular face shape, as shown in the celebrity photo of Kate Hudson above, features a forehead which is the narrowest part of the face and a chin that gradually widens to an angular wide jawline. Another example of a celebrity with a triangular face shape is Queen Latifah.

With this face shape the hairstyles that look best are those with longer hair and longer layers starting at the jaw line. Stay away with bangs for this face shape because it's only going to make the forehead look more narrow.

While these are general tips based on face shapes, every situation is different. Also, people can sometimes be a combination of different face shapes. If you need advice on your specific situation, feel free to email me a photo with your situation to emily@emilyroop.com.