Beauty Routine Calendar: Plan Your Care Schedule
Choose how often you exfoliate, use retinol, wash your hair, mask, do your nails and remove body hair to get a four-week calendar that spaces the…
Hair Color Planner: Explore Shades and Upkeep
Choose your current hair level, the level and color family you want and your hair history to see how demanding the change is, who should do it and what upkeep to expect.
The hair color planner helps you to think through a color change before you buy a box of dye or book an appointment. It tells you what kind of change you are asking for, how demanding it is, and how much upkeep the result needs.
What this tool does
Colorists describe depth of color in levels, from 1 (black) to 10 (lightest blonde). The planner compares your level now with the level you would like, and adds what it knows about your hair's history and condition. It gives general guidance, not a color formula.
What you enter
| Field | Choices |
|---|---|
| Your hair now | Level 1 to 10 |
| The level you would like | Level 1 to 10 |
| Color family | Natural, golden, ash, copper, red, or a vivid or pastel fashion color |
| History of your hair | Never colored, colored with dye, bleached or highlighted, or colored with henna or a metallic dye |
| Gray hair | None, some, or a lot |
| Condition | Healthy, dry or damaged |
| Skin undertone | Optional: warm, cool, neutral or not sure |
Judge your level in daylight, at mid-length.
How the result is worked out
The change is the level you want minus your level now.
| Change in levels | Kind of change |
|---|---|
| 5 or more lighter | A major lightening: bleach, over two or more visits |
| 3 or 4 lighter | A clear lightening: bleach or high-lift color, and a toner |
| 1 or 2 lighter | A gentle lightening |
| The same level | A change of tone only |
| Darker | Adding color, the gentlest change |
Difficulty is rated from points: 1 for a lift of one or two levels, 2 for three or four, 3 for five or more. One point is added for lightening hair that has dye in it, for lightening hair that is already bleached, for damaged hair, for a fashion color, and for bleached hair going three or more levels darker. Two points are added for henna or metallic dye. A fashion color on hair darker than level 8 counts at least 2 points, because the hair must be lightened first. Zero points is rated Low, 1 or 2 Moderate, 3 or 4 High, and 5 or more Very high.
A salon is advised for a rating of High or above, a lift of three levels or more, a fashion color that needs lightening, henna, or any lightening of hair that has been colored before.
Messages you may see
Six lists need a choice. A missing one shows a message such as "Choose the level of your hair now." or "Choose a color family." The skin undertone is optional.
Worked example
Level 3 (dark brown) to level 8 (light blonde), ash, hair colored with dye, some gray, dry, warm undertone.
The result is "A major lightening of 5 levels", rated High: 3 points for the lift and 1 because dye does not lighten dye. The plan advises a professional colorist, a root touch-up about every four to six weeks, and a toner or gloss every four to eight weeks, because hair lightened to level 8 shows a yellow warmth underneath. It also notes that ash contrasts with a warm undertone.
Limits and assumptions
Levels are judged by eye, and the result of any color depends on the product, the timing and the hair. A colorist who can see and test your hair gives a more exact answer. Hair dye can cause an allergic reaction even if you have used it before: do the allergy test in the product instructions each time, as Hair Dye Patch Test: How to Follow Product Instructions explains.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I go from dark brown to blonde at home?
It is not a good idea. A lift of three or more levels needs bleach, even application and a toner, and mistakes can break the hair. The planner advises a salon for changes of this size.
Why does lightened hair turn orange or yellow?
Dark hair contains warm pigment that shows as the hair is lightened: red and orange at the middle levels, yellow at the lightest. A toner balances it, and a purple or blue shampoo helps between appointments.
How often will I need to touch up my roots?
Hair grows about 1 cm a month. With a strong contrast or a lot of gray, regrowth shows in four to six weeks. A color close to your natural level can go six to eight weeks.