Which Shade of Blonde Is Best For My Skin Tone?
As with most things in the on-demand culture we’ve created, changing up your style is pretty simple...some cold hard cash and a few hours at the salon is all it takes to get the hair of your dreams.
The real difficulty? Finding your color in a seemingly endless sea of options!
Once you’ve decided to test that “blondes have more fun” theory - or chosen to shake things up and try a blonde other than your usual shade - be prepared for Phase 2 of the decision-making process: Deciding on the depth and tone of your desired blondeness. A bit of confusion as to which shade is right for you is perfectly normal…platinum sure is pretty, but will it look natural with your dark skin?
With so many blondes to choose from, you’ll have no shortage of possibilities...from the purest pale pigments to delightfully dark complexions, there’s a blonde out there for you!
As lovers of blonde - icy cool to sunnily warm and every blonde in between - we’ve put together this quick guide to simplify Phase 2 of the “New Hair, New Me” process, so that you can get back to gorgeous in no time flat!
Cool Blondes: Best For Light / Medium Skin With A Cool Tone
Platinum Blonde
The icy perfection of platinum blonde on cooler skin tones creates an illuminating contrast that provides a powerful pop for any eye color. Got a flare for the dramatic? Platinum blonde is the ideal backdrop for winged eyeliner, smokey shadow, and bright red lips! Just be warned...a cooler skin tone and a platinum hue can lend a bit of a “washed out” look if you’re a makeup minimalist.
Silver Blonde
Ever cool and elegant, silver blonde errs on the side of grey with a stunningly shiny finish that’s phenomenal on pale or olive skin tones. Application technique is an important consideration with this particular option, as silver blonde tends to look best with a fair amount of dimension...try progressive color* with a smudged root for an on-trend, edgy look!
Pearl Blonde
Much like it’s namesake, pearl blonde is best described as an alabaster base brought to life with pale pink or subtle blue dimensions. While it looks great on cooler skin tones, it takes a special kind of “chutzpah” to do this specific blonde justice, so have your sass ready to shine!
Champagne Blonde
A hair color every bit as lovely as a glassful, champagne blonde makes a fantastic singular color for neutral skin tones, and provides a high-class glow as a base to platinum highlights* for those with cooler undertones.
Neutral Blondes: Best For Neutral Skin Tones of All Depths
Beige Blonde
Beige blonde is the ideal neutral hair color for fair-complected folks with pinkish skin undertones and light eyes. This sandy shade truly shines when accented with lighter blonde highlights, or when used as a balayage* base!
Ash Blonde
On the cooler side of the neutral color spectrum, ash blonde boasts undertones of grey, green, and blue to counteract brassiness and unwanted warmth. With its timeless silvery glow, ash blonde has been a salon staple for years...and surely will be for years to come!
Mocha Blonde
The creamiest of the neutral blondes, mocha blonde makes for a fantastic base for lighter blonde highlights, or it serves as a phenomenal highlight on deeper blonde bases. Need more convincing? Mocha’s coolness is among the easiest to keep up...simply wash once a week with purple shampoo and conditioner to effortlessly maintain the perfect tone!
Warm Blondes: Best For Neutral To Warm Skin Tones, Matched In Depth
Butter Blonde
This pale, warm shade is perfect for similarly pale complexions with a mildly warm undertone; it pairs nicely in the winter months when skin is lighter, and contrasts beautifully when skin darkens a bit in the sunny months. It also makes an excellent base for cooler blonde highlights.
Honey Blonde
This brilliant, warm shade is absolutely gorgeous on medium skin tones, especially those with darker eye colors. Honey blonde is also a great base-color option if you’ve got your eye on golden or butter blonde highlights!
Golden Blonde
Rich, golden blonde is the cream of the crop for those with a medium to dark skin tone - particularly for those with lighter eyes, bringing blue, green and hazel hues to life. Add buttery highlights for an effortlessly elegant finish.
Caramel Blonde
All-over caramel blonde offers an instant glow-up to darker skin tones. Looking for a more dimensional finish? Use the caramel color as a base and add buttery highlights, or apply caramel highlights to dark blonde or light brown locks for added sweetness.
Well there you have it. We hope that you’re able to make good use of this resource when deciding on which shade of blonde you’ll be loving life in!
*We used technical terms like “highlights” and “balayage” a few times within this article...for more information about these and other blonding techniques, check out our blog post Which Blonding Technique Best Suits My Lifestyle?