Natural charm: how to achieve natural shades in coloring

In the world of beauty, natural hair colors are coming back stronger than ever. The days of dominating the scene with bright, synthetic colors are long gone. These days, a growing number of people are embracing softer, more understated hues that accentuate their inherent beauty without appearing garish. Finding the ideal balance and technique is key to achieving the ideal natural tone, whether it’s a warm brunette, sun-kissed blonde, or soft, earthy red.

Understanding the distinct undertones of your hair and working with them rather than against them is the key to achieving natural shades. Instead of totally hiding what’s already there, the goal is to enhance it. This method usually uses less harsh chemicals and processing, which not only gives your hair a more authentic look but also helps maintain its health.

We’ll go over the best methods and strategies for achieving those incredibly natural colors in this guide. You’ll discover how to accentuate your hair’s inherent beauty, from picking the best hues and products to maintenance advice. It all comes down to subtlety, personalization, and accepting who you really are when it comes to coloring in natural shades, whether you’re going through a professional or doing it yourself.

Technique	Description
Balayage	Soft, natural-looking highlights painted on the hair to mimic sun-kissed strands.
Babylights	Fine, subtle highlights that blend seamlessly with your base color for a natural effect.
Glossing	A color gloss adds shine and a hint of tint to enhance your natural color.
Root Smudge	A technique that softens the line between highlights and natural roots for a more blended look.
Low Maintenance	Choose colors close to your natural shade to minimize upkeep and keep the look effortless.

What determines natural hair color?

• eumelanin,
• pheomelanin.

The prefixes "eu" and "pheo" to the word "melanin" set them apart, but they can also alter the structure and color of hair.

There are up to 54 different shades of hair due to the varying amounts of these pigments in the body. But we’ll concentrate on the four primary ones.

What are the natural hair colors

The level of tone determines everything. What are the natural hair colors, and why, even when the goal is to give them a new shade within the same natural palette, do coloring issues still arise occasionally?

Blondes

All persons with light hair, ranging from ash to light brown tones, are referred to as blondes. This type of pigmentation is most frequently observed in individuals from European nations and is linked to variable amounts of pheomelanin and nearly total absence of the pigment eumelanin.

The fact that there are so many blonde children is interesting. But as people get older, they frequently become even darker, almost black hair shades.

Hair structure: porous and thin. In addition, compared to redheads and brunettes, there is more hair on them overall.

Features of coloring: because porosity makes it harder for the pigment to spread evenly throughout the hair structure, coloring wears off faster. Repigmentation is advised by experts as a preventative measure against this happening.

The choice of SalonSecret experts. A hair dye from a natural palette is more appropriate for a natural light color because it shouldn’t be overly chilly. Redken Gel Lacquers, L’Oréal Professionnel Majirel, and Matrix Color Sync all have gorgeous tones of titian, sandy, blond, and light red.

Brown-haired

Or, to put it more plainly, brown-haired people. Owners of all shades of dark brown, including nearly black, are among them.

Due to a high concentration of pheomelanin and a small amount of eumelanin, warm blonde hues with a reddish tint are produced.

Cold blond color results from a small amount of pheomelanin rather than a high level of eumelanin production.

Hair structure ranges from extremely thick and dense (typically darker) to thin and porous (usually light).

Features that stain: The most adaptable hair color that can be dyed in both light and dark tones equally well without compromising the health of the curls.

Expert selection from SalonSecret. Hair dyes L’Oréal Professionnel Inoa, Redken EQ Gloss, and Matrix SoColor all offer brown hair in all its diversity as its natural color. When coloring in two stages, the natural palettes of SoColor permanent dye and SoColor Sync ammonia-free toner are perfect. This is especially true when coloring in the root zone, when gray hair needs to be disguised. One of the components of these Matrix products is a protective bonder, which fortifies the bonds that make up the hair’s internal structure.

Brunettes

The majority of people in Asia and Africa have dark or black hair, though people in Europe and the West also have this hair color. Such hair can be identified by its robust and stiff structure, which is the outcome of high eumlanin production.

Most hair structure is thick and dense.

Features of coloring: curls can be harmed by rapid lightening, even by three tones. Additionally, during coloring, reddish-reddish shades may appear due to the peculiarity of pigmentation.

The choice of SalonSecret experts. Good covering dyes, like L’Oréal Professionnel Cool Cover, Matrix SoColor.beauty Extra Coverage, and Redken Chromatics Beyond Cover, can aid in creating a natural dark hair color.

Red

Such hair has a small amount of eumelanin and a strong pheomelanin predominance.

Although red hair is uncommon worldwide, people in Northern Europe, including Great Britain and Ireland, are most likely to have it.

Thick, thick, and dense hair structure.

Features of coloring: the most resilient color, which can only get a few tones lighter with bleaching.

Expert selection from SalonSecret. The permanent paint palette L’Oréal Pro Majirouge features exquisite shades of copper, orange, honey, as well as wine and berry shades.The collections of creative bright tones (Matrix SoColor Cult, Redken City Beats) also feature these shades. For the most natural outcome, the latter are diluted with transparent dye Clear.

Gray

Hair turns gray with aging or as a result of the body’s reactions. It is thought that in this instance, melanin pigments are essentially absent and the curls have completely lost their shade.

Hair structure: hard, porous, and coarse.

Characteristics of coloring: in order to prevent quick color washout, permanent dyes must be used.

Expert selection from SalonSecret. Very high-level blondes (Matrix Color Sync, L’Oréal Pro Majirel High Lift) and the stunning shade "Disco Silver" from the Matrix SoColor Cult palette will be used to achieve the natural hair color "under gray hair."

We encourage you to read stylist Alexey Nagorsky’s suggestions in this SalonSecret article if you wish to go back to your natural light, dark, or gray shade. Everything is neatly organized and placed on the shelves.

Fashionable coloring techniques for obtaining a natural hair color

It’s crucial to comprehend the characteristics of natural coloring if you want to adhere to the trend of naturalness or have tried a color change that didn’t work out. Hairdressers recommend dying your hair tone on tone occasionally, even if you are happy with your natural hair color, to give your curls some shine and prevent them from appearing lifeless.

Dyeing along the entire length

Enables you to attain a uniform shade from the very tips to the crown. If you have previously colored your curls more than once, you can go back to your natural hair color with this easiest option.

Natural highlighting

This type of coloring includes applying a blend of two or more colors down the length of the hair in addition to routine highlighting. But natural highlighting differs from artificial highlighting in that it is more naturally graduated and has fuzzier boundaries between shades.

Remember that the highlights should be harmonious and the hair should look better. If your colorist suggests using a strong concentrate Blondifier Gloss from the well-known salon line L’Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert to finish the process, accept without hesitation. This tool will give the strands a lovely sheen and shield them from brittleness.

Bronding

Blending of coloring and highlighting methods. In the conventional sense, one method of creating sun-bleached hair is browding. However, this method works well for dull, dark hair that needs to be visually refreshed while maintaining its natural look.

Accepting delicate, attractive tones that accentuate your inherent beauty is the key to coloring your hair in natural shades. Focus on bringing out the natural undertones of your hair with delicate highlights, lowlights, or delicate balayage techniques rather than using strong, artificial colors. This method requires less upkeep and grows out beautifully while also appearing effortless. It’s crucial to take into account your skin tone, hair type, and personal style when choosing the ideal natural shade, choosing colors that complement your natural hair color. The end effect is a youthful, radiant appearance that accentuates your inherent charm.

How to choose a hair dye for a natural shade?

Use professional dyes for full, glossy, intense color. While mass-market products have their merits, it can be challenging to achieve natural tones with them. This is because the dyes are not meant for mixing and may not always produce the desired tone depending on a variety of factors, including the state of your hair.

Key requirements for a high-quality dye are:

• 100% gray coverage.
• Ammonia-free composition.
• Components that protect the hair structure.

Additionally, high-quality dyes have the Oil Delivery System (look for the ODS marking); this patented technology uses oil to deliver dye, subtly altering the curls’ color.

Pay attention to the numbers

Every paint box has a name and a unique digital designation, which is the color number. The color range of dark to light is represented by the first digit. In other words, ash is number 10 if black hair is number 1. Should there be more shades in the paint, it will be indicated by the second digit following the decimal point or fraction. The number 0 indicates that your color is pure and natural. The same is indicated by the letter N (natural) in the marking.

Don"t forget about the oxidizer

Paint always comes with an oxidizer, a special developer. There are four varieties available:

• 3% – tone-on-tone coloring/one tone lighter;
• 6% – light lightening/coloring gray hair;
• 9% – lightening by three tones/use on coarse gray hair;
• 12% – lightening by four tones.

Professional products typically require the oxidizer to be purchased separately. Make sure to find out from the consultant or your stylist how much of the product you actually need and how much to mix it with the paint in order to achieve the desired color.

Embracing the understated beauty of your own tones and enhancing them with the appropriate techniques and products is the key to coloring hair in natural shades. Working with a stylist who is knowledgeable about the subtleties of your hair and selecting colors that complement your natural base are crucial, regardless of whether you’re going for a sun-kissed or rich, earthy look. Enhancing rather than overpowering your inherent beauty is the aim.

Recall that when it comes to natural-looking hair color, less is frequently more. Avoid sharp contrasts that could come across as forced or artificial and instead choose gentle, fluid transitions. By adding depth and dimension, styling methods like balayage, lowlights, and soft highlights can give your hair a fuller, more vibrant appearance without sacrificing its organic charm.

Finally, the proper maintenance is necessary to preserve your natural shades. Keep your color vibrant and fresh by using color-safe shampoos, avoiding heat styling, and thinking about touch-ups every now and then. A gorgeous, natural-looking hair color can be achieved with ease and satisfaction, improving your appearance all around with the right technique.

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