Picking a new hair color can be exciting but somewhat scary. It’s a big decision, and you will feel like a new person afterward. Your hair color is a huge part of how you look and feel.

Kosa Salon SF located in San Francisco, is a professional salon specializing in hair coloring. With our years of experience and expertise, we have compiled a guide outlining the most crucial steps to help you find the perfect hair color. Our aim is to bring out your natural beauty and complement your style with a customized dye job.
Determining Your Skin Tone and Undertone
Step one: determine your skin tone and undertone. You must get this right because there are only three skin tones (light, medium, and dark) and three undertones (cool, warm, and neutral). Here’s how…
- Check out your veins: if they are blue or purple hue, you probably have cool undertones. If they look greenish, you have warm undertones. If you can’t tell, you have neutral undertones.
- The jewelry test: silver often works best with cool-toned skin, while gold looks best on warm tones. If you look good in both, you’re neutral.

Undertones can be brought out to their best by matching the hair color to your own. For example, cool undertones are brought out by ash blonde, platinum, or relaxed mocha hair, while warm undertones look great in golden, caramel, or rich brown shades.
Analyzing Your Natural Hair Color and Texture
Indeed, the color and texture of your natural hair can affect how dyes will take to and wear on your hair. Thicker, coarser hair will hold on to color for a more extended period but, perhaps proportionally, may require more dye to achieve the same level of coverage or may require more powerful developers to do so.

Changing hair color can be more easily achieved in lighter natural colors than in darker natural hair, and brighter, vivid colors may not be possible in darker hair without lightening.
Color Palette Choices:
Choosing a color from the thousands available is daunting. Here are some tips to help you narrow it down.

- Blonde: Good for light to medium skin tones. If you have cool undertones, go ash blonde, platinum blonde, or even sandy blonde. These hair colors are classic.
- Brunettes: Works for everyone. The darker the brow, the more contrast you can achieve with lighter skin, but medium and warm browns can also flatter warmer skin tones.
- Reds: Rich reds look fabulous in calm tones, while copper and golden reds shine in warm tones.
- New-Age Palette: Pastels (and brights, too) paired with deep colors like blues and greens can be fun, especially after an edgy look. These shades work best with neutral or cool undertones.
Current Trends and Classic Colors
Whether you are an avid follower of trends or prefer to stick with the classics, it is always helpful to understand what is in season to help you make an intelligent choice. Surging back into trend this year are more multi-tonal highlights, with balayage still being a go-to technique for adding depth and dimension.
Meanwhile, rich chocolate browns and vibrant chestnut tones are still classics and as fashionable today as before. Visit Kosa Salon SF for insights into what trends could work for you and which classics best complement your natural beauty. We go in and out with trends, but the color best for your style is always timeless.
Visualizing the Change
You won’t dye your hair until you know what it will look like, right?
The good news is that a few smartphone apps will let you upload a photo of yourself and play with different hair colors. They allow you to see your appearance with a new hue without dying your hair. If your stylist doesn’t have a virtual preview kit, ask if you can use your phone.

Test your color before you use it on all your hair. You should always test a strand on a small, hidden part of your hair. It’s an excellent way to see what the color looks like on actual hair, but it also helps to test for any adverse reactions to the dye.
Maintenance and Hair Health
To keep your color looking fresh and your hair feeling healthy, you must stay on top of your haircare regime. After drying your hair, choose shampoos and conditioners for colored hair. This helps to seal the color inside, keeping it bright and preventing it from washing out. Get regular trims to remove split ends and keep your color looking fresh.

Try using leave-in treatments or hair masks once a week for extra moisture and nutrients. Limit heat styling tools to once or twice a week at most, and always use a heat protectant if you use them. Talk to your stylist about professional treatments that restore moisture if your hair feels dry or damaged.
Wrapping Up!
Picking a new hair color is a lot more than a cosmetic update. Whether transitioning from a short bob to long hair with a dark hue or shifting from blonde to a rich, smoky brown, the key to being satisfied with your results is choosing a color that suits your complexion, complements your lifestyle, and genuinely feels like you.
At Kosa Salon SF, our experts are ready to help you discover the perfect color that reflects your style and personality. Don’t just dream about your ideal hair color, make it a reality.
Visit us or schedule a consultation to get personalized advice and professional services tailored just for you. Let’s bring out the best in your hair together.