There are certain things you need to know about natural hair colour. When you colour your hair, you use certain chemicals, and every time these are applied to your hair, you cause it to take on a certain degree of damage. The damage in question may be minor or major, depending on a number of different factors.

What colour you select also depends on certain factors. The shape of your head or face is one of them; your complexion or eye colour can also be factored in. Not to speak of your personal preferences. You may choose warm or cool colours. The warm ones tend toward orange and reds and yellows, whereas the cool tones include your blues and violets and greens. When you choose a hair colour, these things – whether you are warm or cool – should be taken into account. If you are cool, for example, purple orchid hues are appropriate.

If your complexion is said to be warm, go for highlights of the golden blonde varieties. Warm skin is said to be light brown with gold undercurrents. Your eye colour needs to be considered as well. If you have brown eyes, a golden-brown hair colour would suit you. The best thing is to check out a colour chart. Colour charts are readily available, and it’s best to consult one to see what your choices should be.

One particular type of mistake that crops up over and over again is the choice of a colour that’s too dark for a person. This kind of mistake is not easy to correct because the cortex (the hair’s inner layer) is involved. And this makes any attempt at lightening the hair problematic. You should never choose a colour that’s more than a few shakes off your natural colouring.

Choosing the right shades is not rocket science, though. Pink tones or shakes are for those with fair skin. Warm colours – such as reds or browns – look advantageous with pinks and oranges. If you favor blues and greens, you are probably a cool beige or light blonde. The important thing to keep in mind that colours need to be coordinated to look good on you. Your natural colouring combined with your hair colour and the colour of your eyes and what you wear all come into the picture, and should form a harmonious continuity.

One natural hair colour that has received the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is “Henna”. It is made from the stalk and leaf of a shrub which grows in Asia, Africa and Australia. Henna has gained popularity because it strengthens and softens the hair.

Henna gives your hair a reddish sheen, varying according to the original colour of your hair:

• Red hair turns to a more intense red.

• Blond hair turns to a strawberry blond.

• Brown hair becomes a coppery sheen.

• Gray hair turns to orange.

• Black hair turns to chestnut brown.

There are many other natural hair colour products that are not sold in stores. They are only available at home. With the help of lemon juice, it is possible to lighten blond hair. You only need to pour it on your hair and allow it to dry naturally in the sun.