How To Pick Hair Colors For Pale Skin

What are the best hair colors for pale skin? Keep in mind that hair coloring can be both exhilarating and frightening. While you are excited about the transformation, you must also consider whether you should throw caution to the wind and leave your hair alone. What if the color does not look nice is a concern for many people.

What about if I promise a technique to choose a color that will always look fabulous on you?

Choosing a hair color can be very easy if you consider a few important aspects, such as your skin tone and eye color. Therefore, we have created this guide to simplify choosing the best hair colors for the pale complexion.

How To Pick The Right Hair Color For Pale Skin?

Step 1- Determine Your Skin Tone

This is the most important factor when it comes to picking a hair color. Even the most gorgeous of colors can look awful when it is not paired with a complementing skin tone. There are three ways in which you can determine your skin tone:

1. Go out in the sun and hold your arm out with your palms facing up. Observe the color of your veins. If they look blue/purple, you have a cool skin tone whereas if they look green, you are warm-skinned. If you cannot tell whether your veins look blue or green, it is likely that you have a neutral or olive skin tone.
2. In a well-lit area, stand facing a mirror. Now, hold up a piece of white paper against your skin. If your skin looks yellow in comparison to the paper, you have warm-toned skin. If it looks rosy and pink, you have cool-toned skin. If you cannot tell, it is likely that you have a neutral or olive skin tone. Refer to the neutral hair color guide to find out which color suits you best.
3. Another way to determine your skin tone is to get a piece of gold and silver foil each. Hold the foil in a way that it reflects light onto your face. Observe to see if it makes your face glow, or makes it look washed out. If the gold foil makes your skin glow, you are warm-toned, and if the silver foil makes your skin glow, you are cool toned. If both are flattering, you have an olive/neutral skin tone.
4. Determine what jewelry flatters your skin – gold or silver? If gold looks better, you are warm-toned whereas if silver looks better, you have cool-toned skin. If both look good, you have an olive/neutral skin tone.

Quick Tip

It is recommended to follow the rule of thumb where the right hair shade needs to be opposite to your skin tone. It makes the hair color look vibrant and complements the skin tone.

Step 2- Consider Your Eye Color

While your eye color does not affect your hair color choice as much as your skin tone, taking your eye color into consideration when making a decision can give you a major hand in stepping up your hair color game. This can help you pick the best hair color for pale skin.

Brown Eyes

While most hair colors look gorgeous on people with brown eyes, colors with cool undertones create a beautiful contrast with the rich, warm brown tones in your eyes. Here are some of the best hair colors for brown eyes to enhance your eye color.

Hazel Eyes

Hazel is one of the most versatile eye colors. It has both warm and cool undertones, allowing it to pair well with a myriad of different hair colors. But the colors that suit it best are dark brunettes, ashy blondes, and black.

Quick Tip

Hair shades such as berry tones, auburn, caramel blonde, platinum blonde, and dark golden also enhance the gold flakes in hazel eyes.

Blue/Gray Eyes

Both blue and gray eyes are cool-toned and so pair amazingly well with warm-toned hair colors. Warm blondes, golden browns, and reds are some colors that look great on people with blue or gray eyes. You can explore blonde hair color ideas to refresh your look.

Step 3- Pick A Color For Your Skin Tone

When picking a hair color, decide whether you want a contrasting, dramatic look or a balanced appearance. For example, a cool-toned dye will stick out unpleasantly on a warm skin tone but it will blend seamlessly on a cool skin tone. Keep reading to see what colors suit the different skin tones.

Hair Colors For Warm-Toned Pale Skin

Golden Blonde

The yellow undertones in golden blonde complement warm-toned skin, making it appear as though it is glowing. This color is the closest you can get to yellow without going brassy. It is the perfect blonde for those with pale warm-toned skin. Lighter shades of this color pair well with blue eyes.

Strawberry Blonde

This brassy blonde has subtle orange tones and no one can carry it off better than people with warm-toned skin. It pairs well with light eye colors like hazel, blue, and gray.

Golden Brown

It can’t get better than this sun-kissed brown for those with pale warm-toned skin. The golden tones in the brown pair beautifully with the yellow undertones in warm skin. This color further complements brown and hazel eyes.

Expresso

This color has rich red and yellow undertones, just like freshly brewed coffee. It looks gorgeous on warm-toned skin and pairs extremely well with brown eyes.

Auburn

Like all orange-toned shades, auburn suits people with warm-toned skin best. It looks especially good on people with blue and hazel eyes.

Plum

This rich purple-based color looks amazing on people with warm skin. The rich red hues in this shade create a gorgeous balance with the yellow undertones in warm skin. This versatile hair color complements all eye colors.

Hair Colors For Cool-Toned Pale Skin

Platinum Blonde

If you have pale skin and light hair, platinum blonde might be the shade for you. This stunning hair color looks gorgeous on women with cool-toned pale skin. While platinum blonde pairs well with all eye colors, this hair color and blue eyes make a killer combination.

Ash Blonde

This darker shade of blonde also has cool tones with light brown that complement cool-toned skin. While it complements all eye colors, it pairs especially well with hazel and brown eyes.

Dirty Brown

While most browns usually have rich, warm tones, this one has cool honey tones that balance out the rosiness in your face. This color pairs especially well with hazel and brown eyes.

Deep Brunette

This deep dark color is dark enough to complement the red undertones in your face without creating an unsightly contrast with your light skin. This shade pairs well with all eye colors but looks especially gorgeous when paired with blue eyes.

Pastel Blue

Shades of blue look perfect on people with cool-toned skin. The pink undertones create a perfect contrast with the cool blue color. This shade looks good with all eye colors.

Em Ford, a blogger, shared she accidentally dyed her hair purple after an incident with a purple shampoo. She states in one of her blog posts, “In the few days that the colour lasted in my hair, I began to love having it.” Inspired by this look, she decided to try out a pastel hue by mixing silver, lilac, and blue semi-permanent dyes. She further adds, “Although having blue hair isn’t what I had in mind for my new do – I’m going with it and having fun with it until I settle on a new style (i).”

Mermaid Green

This color, unlike most greens, has strong aqua undertones that look beautiful on cool-toned skin. The color looks especially pretty on people with blue eyes.

Hair Colors For Olive-Toned Pale Skin

Baby Blonde

This shade of blonde falls right in between platinum and golden blonde, making it the perfect shade for people with olive skin. It pairs extremely well with all eye colors.

Dirty Blonde

This cool toned color looks best on people with olive skin and conveniently enough, it goes well with all eye colors.

Chocolate Mauve

This color is a perfect blend of warm and cool tones, with undertones of a dirty brown and cherry. Chocolate mauve looks gorgeous on all eye colors.

Black

While black looks good on most people, jet black can very easily go wrong on pale skin. All eye colors complement the black hair and olive skin combination.

Lavender

The lavender hair trend can never get old. And how could it when it looks so gorgeous – especially on olive skin. Lavender hair and blue eyes make a great combination.

Purple

Because of the combination of blue and red undertones in purple, it looks best on people with olive skin. This shade looks great with all eye colors.

Infographic: 3 Simple Steps To Find The Right Hair Color For Pale Skin

Choosing a new hair color can always leave you unsure if it will match your skin tone. Selecting the right hair color for pale skin can be a challenge as you never know how it will appear on you. However, considering certain crucial factors, like your skin tone or eye color, can make things simple. Here, we have outlined a few easy steps to assist you in selecting the appropriate hair color. Check out the infographic below.

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

What hair colors should I avoid if I have pale skin?

Usually, people with pale skin should avoid overly bright colors and deep black shades. However, which colors look unflattering depends on your undertones too. If your skin has warm undertones, avoid ashy hair shades with cool undertones. Similarly, if you have cool undertones, avoid yellow and brassy hair color shades. They will create an unflattering contrast and offer an unappealing look.

Does burgundy hair look good on pale skin?

A deep burgundy hair color can look just as good on pale skin as a rich espresso. A burgundy plum is a lovely alternative if you have olive skin and green eyes. As with any dye job, some maintenance is necessary to avoid any brassy fading, but if you are prepared to maintain your burgundy hair, it will be worth it!

Does gray look good on pale skin?

It is recommended to use a darker gray if you have pale skin because light gray can wash you out. Gray will also look great on you if you have a fair complexion with warm undertones. A medium gray will contrast with paler skin without being overpowering.

Does white look good on pale skin?

No, white will only make you appear too pale. Shades that are overly bright and light should be avoided if you have pale skin.

Illustration: How To Pick Hair Colors For Pale Skin

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team

Struggling to find the perfect hair color for your pale skin? Check out this video exploring a range of hair color swatches tailored to complement your cool skin tones effortlessly!

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Reviewer Author Editor Fact Checker

Madison DufourBarber & Cosmetologist

     

Madison Dufour is a licensed and practicing barber and cosmetologist with 10 years of experience, as well as an entrepreneur running several hair businesses, including MadisonD Barbering and The Exquisite Find Hair Blog. After working behind the chair for several years, she felt the calling to start the non-profit Barber in a Bag that teaches basic hair cutting skills in street and slum communities in South America.

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Arshiya SyedaCo-Editor-in-Chief

 

Arshiya Syeda is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of StyleCraze with 8 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer who combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care.

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Asmita DeAssociate Editor

Asmita De is an associate editor with over three years of experience. She graduated in English Literature from the University of Calcutta. She has collaborated with several digital companies and reputed publishing houses as an editor.

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Aparna HarryBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

Aparna Harry is a beauty and lifestyle content writer with over three years of experience in writing for different genres. She has a master’s degree in English Literature from The English And Foreign Languages University and a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Mysore.

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