How to Choose the Perfect Hair Colour
The Colour Journal
The perfect hair colour starts with you
Skin tone, eye colour, texture and lifestyle all play a part in finding a shade that feels flattering, wearable and entirely personal.
Book a colour consultationHair colour can brighten the complexion, enhance your features and express your personality, but the most successful result is never based on trend alone.
At Jo Hansford, our colourists combine creativity with precision to find a shade that works beautifully with your natural colouring and everyday life.
Find your match
Hair colour and skin tone
Understanding your undertone is a useful starting point when choosing shades that brighten rather than overpower your complexion.
Choose cooler, softer shades
Warm gold, copper and auburn can emphasise redness, while cooler tones tend to create a more balanced result.
- Ash blonde
- Ash brown
- Mocha
- Cool mink
Look for depth without brassiness
Medium-to-deep shades can bring definition and warmth without creating an overly golden or red finish.
- Rich chestnut
- Deep brown
A broad spectrum of colour
This complexion can often carry everything from cool blondes to dramatic brunettes and expressive red tones.
- Platinum blonde
- Titian or copper red
- Deep, dark brunette
Rich shades with depth
Deep, saturated colours can complement the natural warmth and luminosity of darker skin beautifully.
- Burgundy
- Deep red
- Rich brown
- Navy or violet accents
Beyond skin tone
Consider maintenance and texture
The most flattering colour should also suit how you live and how your hair behaves.
How much maintenance feels realistic?
Highlights, lowlights and balayage grow out softly and can often be refreshed every 10–12 weeks, making them ideal for a lower-maintenance routine.
Full-head tints and bleached styles usually require more frequent salon visits, often every four to five weeks, to maintain roots and vibrancy.
Choose techniques that enhance the hair
Fine hair can benefit from a more unified tone, which helps create the impression of density and fullness.
Thick or coarse hair can carry multidimensional techniques such as balayage and subtle highlights beautifully, especially when paired with glossing or professional styling.
A colour that evolves with you
Reassess as your colouring changes
Skin tone and personal style can evolve over time. A shade that once felt perfect may eventually appear too strong, too warm or less flattering. Regular consultation helps keep your colour current, harmonious and refined.
