Cool Winter hair color
The most flattering cool winter hair color is deep and completely cool (think jet black, blue black, a deep ash brown, or a bright silver) with nothing golden or red in it.
Best hair colors for a Cool Winter
- Jet blackadds sharp contrast for medium to deep skin
- Blue blackbrings out cool undertones in dark hair
- Deep ash brownkeeps dark hair cool without red shine
- Medium ash brownsuits lighter Cool Winters who find black too harsh
- Cool espressogives rich depth without golden warmth
- Bright silverflatters natural grey hair without yellowing
Hair colors to avoid
- golden blonde or honey highlights
- copper and auburn red
- warm caramel brown
- strawberry blonde
- Shades that suit you best: jet black, blue black, deep ash brown and a cool espresso
- A gentler choice: medium ash brown
- If you're going gray: bright silver
- Shades to pass on: golden blonde, honey, copper, auburn, caramel, plus strawberry blonde
Cool Winter is a bright, cool season with a lot of contrast. Think icy shades, jewel blues, snowy white and true black: all of them look striking on this season, and your hair follows the same rule. Contrast here means how much darker or lighter your hair is compared with your skin and eyes. Cool Winters usually carry plenty of contrast, so clear, cool hair keeps your whole face looking defined.
True winter hair color
You may also hear Cool Winter called True Winter, and the two names describe the same season, so the hair advice is the same too. Natural hair for people in this season tends to grow in one of these forms:
- jet black or blue black
- deep ash brown without red running through it
- a medium brown that stays cool
- bright silver, or salt and pepper grey
If what grows on your head already matches one of these, you're starting with a shade that works with you. A lot of Cool Winters get their best results by staying near what grows naturally and keeping it cool.
How to dye within your season
Hair dye boxes and salon color charts use a few short words for tone, and those words count more than the name of the shade. Ash tells you the base is cool and smoky, with no yellow or red in it. Golden means the shade runs warm and yellow. Neutral sits in the middle.
For this season, ash and the other cool tones are where you want to go. Golden shades add warmth, and that warmth tends to leave Cool Winter skin looking sallow and tired, much like warm peach or orange clothing does.
Picking your shade
All six of the top shades do something a little different, so it helps to choose based on the depth you're after.
| Shade | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Jet black | Sharp contrast that suits medium to deep skin |
| Blue black | Pulls cool undertones out of dark hair |
| Cool espresso | Deep and rich, without any warm gold in it |
| Deep ash brown | Cool and smoky on dark hair, with no red glow |
| Medium ash brown | A good pick for lighter Cool Winters who find black too strong |
| Bright silver | Suits natural grey hair and keeps it from yellowing |
If black feels like too much next to your skin, try a medium or deep ash brown instead: a gentler kind of dark that still reads cool. If your skin is medium to deep, jet black or blue black shows off the strong contrast this season loves.
Colors to leave out
These shades pull your hair toward the warm side, and warmth fights against a season that is cool and bright:
- honey or golden blonde highlights
- auburn and copper reds
- caramel brown with a warm pull
- strawberry blonde
You see the same pattern in Cool Winter clothing. Shades like moss, vivid peach, fiery copper and pale coral all sit on the season's avoid list, and the hair colors to avoid lean the same golden, coppery, peachy way.
Adding highlights or balayage
With balayage, your colorist paints the color on by hand rather than working with foils. On dark hair it can add movement without any stripey effect. As a Cool Winter, what matters most is the tone of those lighter pieces. Request ash or cool tones on them, never honey or caramel. Golden or honey highlights are one of the main things this season is better off skipping, even if the rest of your hair is a deep, cool shade.
Requests to make at the salon
Plain talking pays off in the colorist's chair. Make a few direct requests so the result stays cool:
- Ask for an ash or cool tone, so your colorist steers clear of golden bases.
- Pick a shade off the best list (deep ash brown or cool espresso, for example) because a vague "dark brown" can come out warm.
- Say you'd rather have nothing gold, honey, caramel or red anywhere near your face: those warm notes are the ones that fight with your skin.
- If highlights are on your wish list, ask that they be toned cool to blend with the rest of your hair.
Going grey while staying in season
Silver hair is a gift on this season. Both bright silver and salt-and-pepper show up naturally in Cool Winters, and a bright silver keeps grey hair flattering, with no yellow creeping in.
Bright silver and platinum are the metals that suit you best, so silver hair echoes the jewelry that already looks crisp against your skin. The thing to watch out for is a yellow cast, because yellow drags back the warmth this season does better without.
Common questions
Is platinum blonde an option for a Cool Winter?
An icy platinum slots straight into those icy seasonal tones, and platinum happens to be one of your best metals. The thing to watch for is a blonde that turns golden or strawberry: both shades this season should skip.
Why does my dark brown dye always turn red?
That red shine means the color has shifted warm. Deep ash brown earns its spot here by keeping dark hair cool and free of any red glow, so an ash brown is the request to make next time.
Do plum or burgundy work on me?
A cool plum with a berry or violet lean pairs nicely with Fuchsia and Icy Lilac: two colors this season is known for. A rusty or coppery burgundy, though, drifts into auburn and copper territory, and those are off the table this season.
How do I confirm I'm truly a Cool Winter before dyeing?
A few everyday signs point the way. Pure white lights up your face where cream looks a bit dingy; bright silver jewelry looks sharp while gold fights it; and black worn near your face looks natural even without much makeup. Checking yourself in a mirror by daylight, or sitting for a draping session with a pro, can confirm whatever a quiz suggests.