Cool Winter: Hair Dye

Hair dye is more than just a cosmetic change - it’s a bold expression of identity. Whether you’re concealing greys, enhancing your natural shade, or experimenting with vibrant, daring colours, your chosen hue reflects your personality and emotions. It can also boost confidence, helping you feel authentic or signalling the start of an exciting new chapter in life!

In Cool Winter, we see medium and dark brunettes as well as a variety of blacks: intensely dark, blue and brown. Due to its dominantly cool hue, colours are ash in tone or tinged with blue. There are absolutely no gold or reddish accents.

In this article, we’ve used a variety of blonde, brunette and fashion colours to demonstrate which hair dyes we’d advise for Cool Winter as well as those that should be avoided.

Affiliate links have been used to provide additional visual examples. These products have been physically tested on our clients in order to provide the most accurate recommendations but results may vary. We always advise a patch test prior to dyeing your hair. To achieve some of these colourings, you may need to lift your natural colour or strip back any residual dye. This is something a professional stylist could help with.

Please note, this advice is generic for all Cool Winter individuals and recommendations will vary based on your unique colouring. Some trial and error may be required in order to find the best hair dye for yourself. For personalised advice, we suggest purchasing a Colour Analysis package with the hair option.

Cool Winter individuals typically have naturally brunette or black hair. These colours are ash or blue in tone with no red or gold warmth.

They belong to a season influenced by deep value, which makes these colours darker than those we see in Cool Summer.

Those who lean closer to Dark Winter need to select darker, neutral variations. However, individuals who lean closer to Bright Winter will need the bolder, bluer colours.

BLONDE HAIR

Cool Winter has a moderate to high contrast level and belong to a season influenced by deep value. This makes blonde tricky for them as these colours are typically too light. 

Bianca’s strongest option here is the dark ash blonde in example two. A similar product would be Naturtint Permanent Hair Colour in 6A Dark Ash Blonde. Paired with this colour, the blue of her eyes is more apparent and she has an evident rosy glow in her cheeks.

The medium ash blonde in example one isn’t terrible but does begin to reflect some white on her face. This is because it reduces her contrast level. It could be plausible if Bianca created some balance with deeper makeup, jewellery and clothing. Product recommendations for this colour include Clairol Nice'n Easy Crème Permanent Hair Dye in 8A Medium Ash Blonde.

Blondes that are not recommended to Cool Winter include light variations such as the light ash in example three and the light golden in example four. 

The light ash blanches her appearance as if a bright light was being shone on her. Compare this effect to the dark ash in example two where her features are balanced.

Similarly, the light golden reflects yellow on her skin and casts shadows around her eyes. This effect is only intensified in examples five and six as the warm colour clash with her cool tones.

brunette hair

There are a wide variety of brunettes on the Cool Winter hair dye chart as this colour works particularly well for them.

Bianca looks best paired with the dark ash brunette, such as L'Oréal Paris Excellence Cool Crème Permanent Hair Dye in 4.11 Ultra Ash Brown. This colour repeats her natural contrast level and the ash tone balances her cool hue. Note how her image is lit up and her eyes sparkle.

The medium ash in example two isn’t terrible but it is a lighter variation and the effect isn’t as strong as example three. This colour may be likened to Clairol Nice'n Easy Hair Dye in 77 Medium Ash Brown. Bianca would need to balance it with some depth in makeup, jewellery and clothing.

Compare the light ash brown in example one with the effects in examples two and three. Bianca’s contrast is reduced considerably and her eyes don’t sparkle as they do in the others. It’s another colour that would need depth in other areas to create balance. This makes it possible but not very practical.

Cool Winters should stick to medium and dark ash to make everyday styling more simplistic.

The brunettes that Cool Winter need to avoid are golden variations such as those shown in examples four, five and six.

If we compare each of these examples with their ash counterparts in examples one, two and three, we can see they cast a yellow tinge on Bianca’s face. The warm colour is reflecting and clashing with her cool tones.

other hair

Aside from blonde and brunette, many Cool Winter individuals have naturally black or blue black hair. This makes these options a strong choice for a subtle change or total image transformation.

Example one shows an intense black that makes Bianca’s eyes sparkle. Product recommendations for this colour include Schwarzkopf Oleo Intense Hair Dye in 1-10 Intense Black.

We also see a blue black in example four similar to Schwarzkopf Live Intense Colour Hair Dye in 090 Cosmic Blue. This colour draws out Bianca’s rosy glow as it balances her cool hue.

Purple is also a strong choice for this subtype as their secondary colour quality is their bright chroma. This means bold, unconventional colours work particularly well for them. The violet hue in example three has a similar effect to the blue black in example four but her eyes pop more paired with this colour. You could try Schwarzkopf Live Urban Metallics Hair Dye in U69 Amethyst Chrome.

As Cool Winter individuals age, they may see deep salt and pepper variations of grey take over their hair. These differ to the yellowish white greys we see in warm and light seasons. Such colours have been trending for a while now and are readily available as box dyes. The silver grey we see in example two is cool and deep with a metallic sheen. It is similar to Colour Freedom Metallic Hair Dye in M9 Silver Grey and refines Bianca’s overall image. This colour needs to be maintained with a toner to keep it looking fresh. We would recommend using a product such as L'Oréal Paris Cool Silver Absolute Silver on a bi-weekly basis.

Colours we do not recommend to Cool Winter include warm reds and platinum blondes.

In example five, we see a bright copper that reflects yellow on Bianca’s skin and creates dark shadows around her eyes. It has the brightness required for her chroma but its warmth clashes with her dominant cool tones.

When assessing blonde variations in a previous section of this article, we concluded that dark ash blondes are suitable for Cool Winter at a push. Platinum blondes are cool but far too light for an individual with Bianca’s contrast level. We see the hair colour in example six before we see Bianca, which indicates an imbalance. It also reflects white on her skin making her look pale and unwell. 

Styling

Cool Winter has a moderate to high contrast level. This means their best colour combinations complement what is in the individual’s palette rather than opposing or blending with them. 

The above visual demonstrates how to effectively combine colours to repeat this contrast level if you choose to style your hair with a mix of highlights and low lights. This also applies to styles such as ombre, which maintain Cool Winter’s intense colour depth. 

Example one shows how a monochromatic effect can be created using different neutrals. This could be done with an intense black base and evenly dispersed metallic grey highlights. Alternatively, the grey could be roughly drawn through the ends to create an ombre effect.

Another way to achieve this effect is to pair a dark neutral such as a dark ash brown with blue black. Again, this can be styled as highlights and lowlights.

Alternatively, light neutrals such as medium ash brown can be teamed with dark accents such as purple to achieve the same effect.

Cool Winter’s secondary characteristic is their bright chroma. This means their hair has a naturally glossy shine, which needs to be maintained with hair masks and shine spray. Purple or silver shampoos and conditioners are also effective for maintaining cool ash tones.

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