FAQ: I Want To Color My Hair Auburn But...

Question:
I have a darker medium brown hair and I want to dye it auburn but I am afraid that I may turn my hair either orange or some hideous color. I'm very tan in the summer and keep slight tan for the winter.

Answer:
The best choice would be to go to a hair salon and have your hair done with a reputable colorist. A reputable colorist should take in consideration your natural hair color and natural skin tone. Then a colorist would need to know what is your color target (he/she would show you swatches) and he/she should advise you if that is the best choice for your skin tone. Remember some hair colors do not look great with certain skin tones and actually can make you look tired and/or old instead of making you young, vibrant and beautiful. So even if you want a certain color you may be making a wrong choice. (I made one time a wrong choice when I bought a lipstick that looked absolutely gorgeous on my friend. But this very popular lipstick looked absolutely terrible on me and I had to give it away.)

If you want to stay away from orange-y shades, then just choose a red/violet based permanent hair color (a wine color).
If you DO want to be somewhat orange-y red, but not orange, then you can either choose darker shade of brown red color (as dark as your hair) or use a semi-permanent color that washes away in few weeks (read the boxes for a "semi-permanent" expression). Semi-permanent should not change your natural color, just coat it. It means that it would give your natural hair a hue.

It is also very important to read entire booklet (that is inside the box) before you start coloring your hair. Please note that any red pigment based color is quite difficult to correct.

Note:

This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post only. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.