So it’s that time of the year and you’re after some kind of change. You’ve ruled out a new life, new car – all the expensive things and have opted for a new hair colour. It’ll be like a new you anyway…but you’ve hit a another hurdle and don’t know which colour to choose or which colour will work for you. Don’t fret, here are some simple tips to choosing the right hair colour for you:

• Warm or Cool? – Before we get started one of the most important tips is to determine whether your complexion runs warm or cool. Put simply – you’re warm if you have golden, olive or dark skin, tan rather than burn and the veins on your wrist look more of a greeny colour. On the other hand you’re cool if you burn before you tan, have pale skin and most likely blue or green eyes. Your veins will most likely look blue. If you have a mixture of both then take the warm route (although you may be able to pull off both).
• Warm – if you fall into this category opt for shades darker than your skin but avoid jet black hair as this will make you look washed out.
• Cool – avoid warm colours such as gold, auburn and copper as this will highlight the paleness of your skin. Stick to the ‘cooler’ shades: ash blonde and cool brown etc.
• Blonde – everybody at some stage wants to go blonde, some women can pull off any colour, some can’t. If you were blonde as a kid, you’ll most likely pull it off now. If not, then there is still a chance but you’ll have to choose the right shade. For a blonde look and to avoid the dreaded orange mess (especially if you’re a warm) go to your local hair salon for advice and treatment. For the warms opt for contrasting highlights/lowlights to compliment your eyes rather than a full blonde look.
• Brown – for the cools out there choose a lighter shade of brown. One of the latest trends is the go a brown with blonde highlights for a sun-kissed look.
• Red – contrary to popular belief almost everyone can go red – you’ll just need the right shade. Generally, for the warms stick to the darker, almost brown reds and for the cools, work with the lighter reds. In all cases reds should be done in a professional hair salon as to avoid the orange box curse.

What to do after you’ve changed the colour (or opted for highlights)? Well to keep it looking its best invest in colour protection hair products and if you’ve gone the full colour route keep those growths back with a touch up every 4 – 8 weeks.