Our Top Tips for Choosing the Right Hair Color
How to Choose the Right Hair Color
Skin tone, lifestyle, maintenance — the factors that actually matter when picking a new shade.
Choosing a new hair color is one of the most exciting decisions you can make — and one of the most overwhelming. Pinterest boards fill up fast, but the shade that looks stunning on your favorite influencer may not work on you. The difference comes down to a handful of factors that have nothing to do with trend cycles and everything to do with you — your skin, your hair, your daily routine, and how often you actually want to sit in a salon chair.
At Tangerine Salon, our Aveda colorists guide every guest through this decision during a personalized consultation. But understanding the basics before you book means you'll walk in with clearer expectations and walk out with a result that feels effortless. Here's the framework we use across all five of our Dallas-Fort Worth locations.
Start With Your Skin Tone — Not a Photo
The single biggest factor in choosing a flattering hair color isn't what's trending — it's your skin's undertone. A color that complements your undertone looks expensive and natural. A color that fights it looks off, even if the shade itself is beautiful on someone else.
How to identify your undertone: Look at the veins on the inside of your wrist in natural daylight. Blue or purple veins generally indicate cool undertones. Green veins suggest warm undertones. If you see a mix of both, you likely have a neutral undertone — which gives your colorist the widest creative range. For a deeper dive into this with balayage-specific tones, see our balayage tone guide.
| Skin Undertone | Flattering Hair Colors | Colors to Approach Carefully | Colorist Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm | Golden blonde, warm honey balayage, rich auburn, caramel highlights, copper | Ash blonde and cool platinum can wash out warm complexions | Warm tones are the most forgiving for first-time color clients |
| Cool | Ash blonde, cool platinum, mushroom brown, icy highlights, violet-toned brunette | Overly warm gold or copper can clash with pink undertones | Cool-toned clients often love the polished look of a glossing treatment between appointments |
| Neutral | Vanilla cream, bronde, sandy blonde, beige brunette — virtually anything works | No restrictions — your colorist has the widest palette to work with | Neutral undertones let you experiment freely between warm and cool seasons |
| Deep / Olive | Rich chocolate, warm bronde, honey balayage, espresso with caramel ribbons | Platinum blonde requires multiple sessions and very careful toning | Face-framing highlights in a warm tone create beautiful contrast on deeper skin |
If you're still uncertain about your undertone, that's completely normal. Our colorists at Dallas, Coppell, Frisco, Allen, and Highland Village assess undertone in person during every consultation — it's one of the first things they do, and professional eyes catch nuances that the vein test alone can miss.
Know Your Color Categories
Before you can choose a shade, it helps to understand which type of color service matches your goals. Each category delivers a different look, a different level of commitment, and a different starting conversation with your colorist. Here's how our service menu breaks down.
Freehand-painted highlights that create a soft, sun-kissed effect with seamless grow-out. The most popular service at Tangerine and the technique we use on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Ideal if you want dimension without a hard line of demarcation at the roots. For technique details, see our balayage technique guide.
Best for: First-time color, low-maintenance lifestyles, natural-looking dimension Maintenance: 3–6 months between full appointmentsPrecision foil work that delivers maximum brightness and even lightening from roots to ends. Babylights — ultra-fine weaves of color — create a shimmering, multidimensional effect. This is the service to choose if you want an all-over blonde result or significant lift throughout. Learn the differences in our balayage vs. highlights breakdown.
Best for: Clients wanting maximum brightness, all-over blonde goals Maintenance: 6–10 weeks between touch-upsA single-process service that changes your entire base color — whether that means going deeper and richer, covering gray completely, or refreshing a faded base before adding highlights on top. Aveda's 96% naturally derived formulas deliver vibrant results with conditioning oils that leave hair shiny, not flat.
Best for: Complete gray coverage, dramatic base changes, vibrant single-tone results Maintenance: 4–6 weeks for root touch-upsA demi-permanent service that refreshes tone without lifting. Use it to neutralize brassiness in blondes, add a glass-like topcoat to brunettes, or extend the life of your existing color between full appointments. Many of our guests add a gloss to their cut appointment for a 30-minute color refresh.
Best for: Tonal maintenance, brassiness correction, adding shine between appointments Maintenance: Every 4–8 weeks as neededIf a previous color service — whether at-home box dye, another salon, or years of buildup — has left your hair in a place you don't love, color correction is the path forward. This is a multi-session process where your colorist carefully removes unwanted pigment, rebuilds tone, and restores hair health. It requires the most expertise and the most patience, but the results are transformative. See the possibilities on our transformations page.
Best for: Box-dye removal, banding, uneven color, unwanted warmth or darkness Maintenance: 2–4 correction sessions, then transition to standard maintenanceMatch Your Color to Your Lifestyle
The right hair color isn't just the one that looks best — it's the one you can actually maintain. Being honest about your lifestyle during the consultation is one of the most important things you can do. Here are the questions your colorist will ask.
How Often Do You Want to Visit the Salon?
If you want to stretch appointments to 4 or 5 months, a lived-in rooty balayage or bronde gives you the longest runway. If you don't mind visiting every 6 to 8 weeks, highlights and all-over color stay sharp. And if you're the type who enjoys frequent salon visits, cool platinum or vivid fashion colors reward consistent upkeep with a polished, head-turning result. For maintenance specifics, see our color maintenance guide.
What's Your Daily Styling Routine?
Heat tools, hard water, chlorine, and UV exposure all affect how your color holds up. If you air-dry most days and spend a lot of time outdoors in the Texas heat, warm tones will wear better than cool ones — UV breaks down violet toner molecules first. If you swim regularly, platinum is the highest-risk tone. Your colorist factors all of this into the recommendation so your color still looks great at week six, not just day one.
Are You Considering Extensions?
If Bellami extensions are part of your plan — now or in the future — your color choice matters even more. Extensions need to be matched precisely to your custom shade, and certain tones are easier to match than others. Lived-in, rooty balayage with soft dimension gives your extension specialist the most flexibility for seamless blending at the attachment points. Learn more about that pairing in our extensions transformation guide.
A gloss treatment refreshes tone and adds a glass-like shine between full color appointments
What to Bring to Your Color Consultation
The consultation is where your colorist translates your vision into a realistic plan. Making it productive starts before you sit down.
Bring 3 to 5 inspiration photos. Pinterest boards, saved Instagram posts, or screenshots from our transformations page all work. Your colorist can identify the exact tones in each photo and tell you which are achievable on your hair and which might need modification. A single photo is worth more than any verbal description.
Know your color history. Previous box dye, henna, relaxers, keratin treatments, and even hard water buildup all affect how your hair responds to color. The more your colorist knows about what's been on your hair in the past, the more accurate the formula will be from session one.
Be honest about maintenance. There's no wrong answer here — some guests love the ritual of visiting every six weeks, and some want twice-a-year appointments. Both are completely valid, and your colorist will design a color that fits your real schedule rather than an aspirational one.
Ask about pricing upfront. Color pricing varies by technique, hair length, density, and stylist level. Your colorist will give you a transparent quote during the consultation so there are no surprises at checkout.
During DCC Makeover Day, our colorists customize every shade for each Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader based on skin tone, camera lighting, and uniform color. No two cheerleaders get the same formula — and that same level of personalization is exactly what you'll experience at your consultation.
Five Color Mistakes to Avoid
Choosing a Color Based Only on a Photo
A photo is a starting point, not a guaranteed outcome. Lighting, filters, and the model's natural base color all affect how a shade appears. Your colorist uses photos as a tonal reference, then adjusts the formula for your hair and skin.
Ignoring Your Hair's History
If your hair has been box-dyed, previously highlighted, or chemically treated, it won't respond to new color the same way virgin hair does. Skipping this conversation leads to uneven results. Full transparency with your colorist — even about at-home experiments from years ago — sets you up for success.
Going Too Dramatic in One Session
A level-2 (very dark brown) to platinum blonde in a single appointment isn't realistic without compromising hair health. Our colorists at Dallas, Frisco, Coppell, Allen, and Highland Village will map a multi-session plan that gets you to your goal safely, with Aveda Botanical Repair™ treatments protecting your hair at every step. For the full process, read our lightening guide.
Underestimating Maintenance
A color that looks incredible on day one but fades badly by week four isn't the right color for you — it's the right color for someone with a different maintenance tolerance. The best color choice is one that still looks intentional between appointments. Ask your colorist to design for how your color will fade, not just how it will look fresh. Our balayage aftercare guide covers what to expect as your color evolves.
Skipping the Consultation
Walk-in color services often skip the assessment step, which means your colorist is working with less information. A consultation — complimentary at all five Tangerine locations — gives them time to analyze your hair, discuss your goals, and formulate before the appointment. The result is a better outcome and no surprises.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I've never colored my hair before?
Virgin hair is actually the easiest starting point for a colorist because there's no previous chemical history to work around. A warm balayage or dimensional highlights are both excellent first-time services because they add depth without requiring full commitment. Your colorist will explain exactly what to expect for aftercare and timing so the transition into color is smooth.
Can I see what a color will look like before committing?
Yes — consultations exist for exactly this reason. Your colorist can hold swatches near your face, show you photos of similar transformations on guests with your skin tone, and explain exactly what the finished result will look like. Some major changes benefit from a strand test to preview lift and tone on your specific hair before the full appointment.
How do I maintain my color between appointments?
Your colorist will build a personalized Aveda home-care routine based on your specific shade. Color-safe shampoo, heat protection, and UV defense are the foundation. Cool blondes benefit from Aveda's Blue Malva shampoo; warm tones do well with the Color Conserve line. For a complete guide, read our color maintenance tips.
Is Aveda color gentler than other salon brands?
Aveda color is up to 96% naturally derived and formulated with plant-based ingredients that condition while they color. It's not "gentler" in the sense of less effective — our colorists achieve vibrant, long-lasting results — but it does prioritize hair health and integrity in a way that conventional color systems don't. That's why Tangerine is an exclusive Aveda salon.
What's the difference between a toner and a gloss?
In practice, they're very similar — both are demi-permanent color services that adjust tone without lifting. A toner is typically used to neutralize unwanted warmth after a lightening service. A gloss adds shine and refreshes your existing shade. Many colorists use the terms interchangeably. Either way, it's a quick, low-commitment service that can dramatically improve how your color looks between full appointments.
Find Your Perfect Color
Complimentary consultations at all five locationsReady to Find Your Shade?
Every color service at Tangerine starts with a personalized consultation. Your colorist will assess your skin tone, hair history, and lifestyle — then recommend the ideal shade, technique, and maintenance plan for you.
Book Your Consultation