Here’s some help with hair colour definitions and 4 hair colour tips for image consultants and personal stylists.
4 Hair colour tips
Let’s set the scene with a few keywords for hair colours.
These lists aren’t exhaustive; they’re just a starter for ten to get you thinking about how you could describe hair colours to your clients.
Warm: Copper, chestnut, golden, honey, beige, strawberry, bronze, auburn, claret, ivory, cream
Cool: Wine, plum, ash, white, silver, burgundy, plum, pearl, black, berry, grey, damson, heather, champagne
Tip #1: Ask your client to describe her hair colour
And, if you’re running a small group workshop, ask everyone to describe someone else’s hair colour. Then listen and make notes. Some clients are brilliant at using unusual words that you can pinch (borrow?) and use with other clients. I’ve picked up some amazing adjectives over the years, like Pewter Blonde, Mushroom, and my all-time favourite – Mucky Duck Brown!
Tip #2: Industry hair colour definitions
If you’re really stumped for interesting and new ways to describe hair colours, here’s a list of hair colour definitions as used in the hair industry that top Hair Image Consultant Scott Cornwall has checked for me. In the world of hair (and I’ve checked this with the senior trainers at Wella UK), dark blonde is exactly the same as light brown! But we’ve tried to show some slight difference in the table below.
| Hair colour | Definition |
| White blonde | White blonde, no golden shades |
| Silver grey | Salt’n’pepper, mixed dark and white shades |
| Yellow grey | Grey with golden shades |
| Ash blonde | Cool blonde, no golden shades |
| Warm blonde | Golden or strawberry blonde |
| Red/Copper | Carrot red, chestnut or copper shades |
| Dark blonde | Mousey, between blonde and light brown |
| Light brown | Light brown, ash or cinnamon |
| Medium brown | Medium brown, chestnut or ash |
| Dark brown | Dark brown, but not quite black |
| Black | Jet or raven black, may look blue! |
Tip #3: Invest in a hair colour chart
If you’re still having problems, I suggest you buy a hair colour chart from a hair and beauty wholesalers but be aware that different manufacturers will have different names for the same thing! You can pick up a colour chart from Sally’s wholesalers on sallybeauty.com or from eBay.
Tip #4: A simple test for Cool or Warm hair colour
- Sit your client in front of a mirror and stand behind her
- Hold a truly cool grey drape behind the hair/head of your client
- If it looks good, she’s probably Cool
- If it looks hideous, then I think you can safely say that you’ve identified Warm
You can learn lots more about hair colour analysis on my Hair Colour Analysis course.