Have you ever heard your hairdresser talking about your hair color and wondered what planet she was living on? It's not just you: Hair color can be confusing. Color names geared for the consumer are rather artful and subject to interpretation (think "cafe au lait"). Technical color designations, on the other hand, typically consist of numbers and letters that describe nuances about the color in a language only your hairstylist seems to understand.

Here, we dissect the very basics of hair color, what your hairdresser knows, and how you can be more informed when speaking to your stylist or choosing your next color.

What Hair Color Is—and Isn't

First, let's define hair color. Basically, it's a formulation of pigments and chemicals designed to enhance or change your hair's color. Don't call it "dye," though.Those in the beauty industry never refer to hair color as "hair dye." As beauty school instructors tell their students, "You dye an Easter egg; you don't dye hair." 

Defined as your hairstylist communicates it, the term hair color refers to the combined level and tone of a person's hair. These are two distinct elements, and they're crucial for you to understand to get the hair color results that best match your desires.

Hair Color Level

The "level" of a hair color is its relative lightness or darkness.All hair colors have levels, whether you're talking about your natural color or choosing a new one.
Standard hair color levels are defined on a scale of 1 to 10, with level 1 being the darkest, blackest color and level 10 being a very light blond color. The scale is understood throughout the beauty industry and is used across brands and formulations.

Here are the 10 standard hair color levels:

• Level 1: Black
• Level 2: Darkest (almost black) brown
• Level 3: Very dark brown
• Level 4: Dark brown
• Level 5: Brown
• Level 6: Light brown
• Level 7: Dark blond
• Level 8: Medium blond
• Level 9: Blond
• Level 10: Light blond

In addition, the very lightest platinum-blond colors are often referred to as level 11, 12, or even 13.

Hair Color Tone

After establishing the level of your natural or desired hair color, you'll next have to figure out its tone. Hair color tones generally fall into three standard categories: warm, cool, and neutral. When hairstylists discuss color, or if you are choosing a color from a swatch book, the tones are often indicated with a letter.

Here are examples of standard color tones:

Cool Tones

• A: Ash
• B: Beige
• B: Blue
• G: Green
• V: Violet

Warm Tones

• C: Copper
• G: Gold
• O: Orange
• R: Red
• W: Warm
• RB: Brown/Red
• RO: Red/Orange

Neutral Tone

• N: Neutral—neither warm nor cool

Tones are often combined in hair color formulas to create the perfect shade. For example, an auburn color is achieved by combining neutral or warm tones with red tones. Red hair color can be made cool by adding violet tones to the color formula. Sometimes, hair colorists achieve the right color combination by mixing different color tones together; they receive training in school or through color manufacturers in creating these custom combinations.

Hair color companies typically offer colors that feature ready-mixed tones, as well.

Combining Level and Tone

A hair color's technical name is a letter-number combination that denotes its level and tone. For example, a warm brown color would be defined as a "7W." The number indicates the hair color level (dark blond), and the letter indicates that the tone is warm.

Here are a few other examples of hair color as defined by level and tone:

• 8A: Medium ash blond
• 4RV: Dark red/violet
• 6C: Light copper brown
• 5N: Neutral Brown
• 9W: Light warm blond

Determining Hair Color Level and Tone

Figuring out a hair color level is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. Your opinion might be a level off from the next person's opinion, but generally speaking, the level is fairly obvious. Hair color tone, however, is not as easily defined by the eye.

What one person may see as "red" the next person may describe as "copper." This is where pictures and swatches come in handy to ensure that everyone is speaking the same language.

The most important thing to remember when discussing hair color with your stylist is that hair color is not flat (or, at least, it shouldn't be). It's a complex interplay of depth and temperature that can enhance or detract from your skin color and features. Communicating with her using the terms "level" and "tone" helps her understand what you want. Likewise, understanding the two will help you choose wisely from the rows and rows of colors at the store if you go the do-it-yourself route.

This article is from Live About

America's obsession with iced coffee is real: Cold brew hair is now a thing. Naturally, it's a hair color that got its caffeine-inspired name because the shade looks nearly identical to the popular Starbucks order — and it's hitting a pumpkin space latte-level of popularity on Instagram. 

According to PopSugar, cold brew hair first came to the internet's attention after New York City-based hair colorist Kimberly Bonondona posted a picture of her work on Instagram: a dimensional dark brunette color with warm highlights. Several other colorists have since posted their own takes on the trend. 

The subtle and natural placement of highlights mimic the look of coffee with creamer or milk swirling around in it, but by no means is this term universal. To find out exactly what to ask for in the salon, InStyle reached out to colorist Gio Bargallo.

"The best way to describe cold brew hair color is a deep brunette with chocolate red-golden hues," Bargallo said. Another (probably way more foolproof) option is bringing in a picture. Save those IG posts, or Bargallo recommends pulling up photos of Bella Hadid or Penelope Cruz, two celebrities with hair colors similar to the trend.

If you're itching for a change, the time to commit to cold brew is now — Bargallo says the cinnamon tones in the hair color make it a perfect option for fall. It also happens to be incredibly low maintenance — if you're already a brunette. "If you keep the roots darker and closer to your natural [color], you can then add babylights to create a soft dimension," he said.

Unfortunately, Bargallo said that warm-hued hair colors are the fastest to fade, so he recommends using an in-shower hair gloss to keep the shade fresh and vibrant. 

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This first appeared on InStyle

​Aside from just about everyone going blonde this summer, bob haircuts have been the trend du jour in Hollywood. And with new haircuts comes the responsibility of thinking of new ways to style them, which has prompted top celeb hairstylists to create a trending look that's been dubbed "glass hair." No, it has nothing to do with actual glass, but rather a sharp cut that is styled to look perfectly polished, smooth, and shiny — resembling the reflective qualities of the material.
 
"We first saw polish and shine in a glass-like manner popularized by Vidal Sassoonin the '60s," says celebrity hairstylist Cash Lawless. "He was achieving immense levels of shine on short geometric cuts. Now, videos have began to go viral and hairstylists started picking up on the trend." From where we're sitting, the trend isn't slowing doing anytime soon. So, if you're feeling the look just as much as we are, call your stylist and click ahead for all the celeb-inspiration and tips you need.

Grey hair – you either love it or hate it, show it off or hide it away. According to research, different ethnic groups will generally go grey at different times. Caucasians tend to start from the mid-30s, while ethnic hair tends to go grey only after 50. Contrary to popular belief, stress has not been shown to be linked to hair going prematurely grey, but genes can play a large role. Your children are more likely to go prematurely grey if you or your partner did.
 
Reasons for going prematurely grey:

• Vitamin B12, zinc and copper are needed to nourish your hair and to help in the metabolic processes involved in giving your hair its natural color. If you are deficient in vitamin C and E, you are more likely to go prematurely grey.
• Smoking results in the development of free radicals in your body, which in turn causes oxidative stress in the body. This can lead to a decrease in the pigmentation capacity of melanin, resulting in grey hair.
• Junk and processed foods accelerate aging, as these increase the oxidative stress and AGEs (advanced glycation endproducts), which accelerate aging and the loss of hair colour.

“Hair doesn’t turn white overnight,” says ethnic hair expert from Tanaz Hair Body and Nails, Brian Warfield. “The pigment can stop being produced while the strand is still growing, so you will find that a strand of hair can be half the original color and half white. My experience is that the strands that turn white become very smooth and resistant to color and chemicals. It’s like the cuticle is no longer there; chemicals don’t penetrate the way they used to, and the texture becomes wiry. ”Co-owner of Tanaz Hair Body and Nails, and hair specialist, Shelene Shaer, explains that all hair is made up of protein and keratin, with cuticles that overlap the hair. “Hair growth cycles can be anywhere from two to seven years, growing around 1cm a month.

As we age, the hair follicles become thinner, and some close up, so we have less hair. ”She adds that there are many amazing new products on the market that can slow this process down, although they tend to need continual use.
 
Color or grey

The good news is that grey hair has become a big trend, and many celebrities are sporting grey or silver hair – including those who don’t have any natural grey of their own! However, says Warfield, if you don’t like your white hair, you can opt for color. Make sure the color you use states that it will cover grey completely, otherwise the white hairs will turn out lighter than the strands that are not white. “If you go to a professional stylist, they must know that in order to cover white hair, they need to mix a base shade into their formula. For example, red shades on their own generally don’t cover white hair completely, and can turn pink. But if you mix a base shade of brown at the level you are targeting, then it will give the red something to hold onto and you will get better coverage with your color. Shaer suggests a number of ways to color grey hair.

“One is blanket color; this is when the color is solid and you will only get to see your regrowth. Inoa Loréal launched a color about four years ago that is a translucent – in other words, it colors the hair but it has a slight babylight effect, so the hair looks more natural. The grey gets about 80% colored and I love this. Another option is to add babylights of your natural color into your hair, and this way you maintain some grey, but it looks less. If you are struggling with the upkeep, consider keeping out a grey streak in front, to disguise the grey. ”With ethnic hair, Warfield recommends that if you relax your hair and your white hair goes yellow, use a silver shampoo after the relaxer to neutralize the yellow. “The more white hair you have, the more you need to moisturize it, as this will help to keep it under control. Use heat when doing your moisturizing treatment, to aid penetration of the product. The higher the percentage of white hair on your head, the shorter your cut should be. It helps to do a very stylish short cut, as this will take attention away from the white hair.
 
How to manage your hair:

According to Warfield, white hair needs more heat when it comes to styling, in order to get it straight. “Chemicals will still work (ie relaxers), but they may take longer and can give the hair a yellowish tinge. Sometimes, and this depends on the individual, going natural is an option that could be considered, especially if the texture of the white hair is very coarse and resistant. I’ve found that it’s very difficult to make your hair do something it doesn’t want to.”

With grey hair in general, colour takes longer, and stronger chemicals are needed to penetrate it, notes Shaer. “You will need to relearn how to manage your hair. It requires more work and styling, and the cut becomes so important, as styled hair is much easier to manage.” Colouring your hair generally softens the grey, she says. Hair oils and anti-frizz products will also help.
 
Why doesn’t my hair work for me anymore?

“Grey hair is like having a stranger move in; the way you style, cut and blow becomes so different. Shampoos with vitamins and lustre are important,” says Shaer.“Mind you, not all textures react the same way. Some are easier to work with than others, so not everyone will experience the same levels of frustration,” Warfield adds. Should you be battling with the changes in your hair, ask your stylist to teach you how to manage your “new” hair. You may find that you need to spend more time blowdrying; your cut and style will go a long way towards helping you to look and feel good. Contemplating doing box color? Click here to find out whether or not you should.
 

This first appeared on Longevity
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