What is seasonal colour analysis?

Seasonal colour analysis basically an assessment of your natural colouring (the undertones of your skin and hair) and finding out what colours better suit your natural colouring. Some people suit cooler tones, while others suit warmer tones.

What are the colour seasons?

The main colour seasons,  just like the weather seasons, are Spring, Summer, Autumn/Fall,  and Winter. Winter and summer are more on the cool side, where as Fall and Summer are on the warmer side.  The following websites explain and show Seasonal colour analysis in great detail and how to find your optimal colours:

• The Chic Fashionista: Seasonal Color Analysis
• Style Makeover HQ: Seasonal Color Analysis
• Carol Thompson Beauty Secrets: Seasonal Color Analysis

Henna: Achieving cool to warm tones naturally.

Henna is translucent like cellophane (the material carrot bags are made of), which means that it will use your natural or existing hair colour as a base to create the final colour.

Henna also builds up in colour each time you do an application. For example, if you take several sheets of coloured cellophane  and layer them on top of each other, the colour becomes less translucent and more saturated.

How do I achieve a cool  tone with henna and natural herbs?

As someone with a very cool and ashy undertone (medium-dark ashy brown natural hair colour), I was faced with the dilemma of  the henna warmth not suiting my natural colouring.  When I started to henna, I was unaware that the warmth of henna could be ‘pushed’ to the cool side. The silver streaks at my temples were orange and it didn’t do anything for my skin tone at all! The orange clashed horribly with my pale ashy olive complexion. After much research, I decided to experiment with amla (which is known for cooling down the warmth of henna) as well as switch to a completely different Henna, Yemeni, which yields the coolest reddish colour  out of all the henna powders I’ve tried.  Other herbs that can be added to cool down any henna are brahmi (just 1TBS in your henna paste is all you need!), indigo, hibiscus tea and/or clove powder. I’ve personally tried indigo as glosses mixed with either conditioner or cassia to cool down a henna, but indigo can be mixed into henna to create burgundy to almost black tones.  Indigo alone right after a henna application creates black tones.  Of course, many layers of henna can turn orange-y tones into burgundy tones, which are cooler.  If you wish to not go burgundy and stick to cool reds, start doing root only applications to prevent the length from darkening.

Moroccan henna is another cool toned henna.  It starts off as a muted orange, but quickly oxidizes to a muted, rich, almost burgundy colour with repeated use or on darker hair.

What about warm tones?

Warm tones are easy to achieve with henna.  jamila henna is recommended, however, if you’re wanting to keep your warm tones, then henna glosses (one to four tablespoons of henna paste in enough conditioner or cassia to cover your hair) and leaving the paste on for less (an hour, 2 hours at the most). Generally, any henna in gloss form or a very short henna applications will yeild warmer tones. Experiment with different types of henna in glosses to find out what works best with your hair.  The best additives for a warm toned henna are chamomile tea, marigold tea, honey, rhubarb powder, saffron and catnip tea.  To create darker, warm tones such as browns, Katam is a suitable addition to henna.

Remember, natural hair care is all about experimenting! It’s not only safe, but FUN! 🙂