The Color Wheel

The Color Wheel is a visual aid to understanding levels and undertones and how these are affected by haircolor. Consisting of the three primary colors, red, yellow and blue, the color wheel demonstrates how the natural nuances of your hair known as "undertones" begin to appear as you lighten your hair. In other words, if your hair is medium brown, golden red tones are likely to "peek out" during the lightening process. How strongly these undertones will affect your final hair color depends on the amount and strength of your undertones as well as the level to which you lighten your hair. Brassiness results when the two of these are out of sync with each other.

 

Levels

1 - Very black
2 - Very dark brown - almost black
3 - Dark brown
4 - Darkest medium brown; Dark red
5 - Medium brown; True red
6 - Darker light brown; dark auburn
7 - Light brown; Light auburn
8 - Light brown and blondes
9 - Light blond
10 - Very light blond

Using the Color Wheel

Understanding levels and their corresponding undertones is the solution to achieving your ideal hair color. It¹s a bit like solving a math equation. You simply apply a formula:

1. Determine your natural hair color level. (Use the chart above as a guide.) Remember: the darker your hair, the lower the number that most accurately portrays your natural hair color level.
2. Determine the level of the color you would like to achieve. (Look at the descriptive number used on the box of haircolor? i.e. 7 golden blonde.)
3. Each level has a corresponding undertone. The corresponding undertone to level 7 is orange.
4. Determine if you want to accentuate or counteract your hairs¹ undertone-in this case, orange. Auburn hair color is considered "orange¹. If you would like to have auburn or "golden" hints to your color, there is no need to be concerned with "counteracting" the undertone. Simply purchase a box of your favorite auburn haircolor.
5. Contrarily, if your desired result is not auburn-you detest auburn!, the undertone must be "countered." To find the counteracting undertone, trace your finger directly across the color wheel. In this case, blue is the counteracting tone of auburn. "Smokey" would be an example of a descriptive term for a color with a blue undertone. Minerva suggests that this site's page on toning is an excellent source for counteracting colors and their descriptions.
6. There are times when the undertone in your hair is simply too strong to counteract at the level that you are trying to achieve. At these times more advanced haircolor techniques such as hi-lighting and multi-tonal haircolor may be required.

A strand test is always a smart technique to assure you¹re choosing the correct color and technique.