Hair Color Levels: Everything You Need To Know! (2024)

Hair Color Levels: Everything You Need To Know! (1)

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by Yushika Jolly on Jan 29, 2021

The intensity of semi-permanent hair color on our hair depends on the 'Hair color level' category that our hair falls into.But what exactly is this Hair Color Level and how is one to determine it? Well, time to level up. Let's try to understand the basics of what hair color levels stand for.

Want to color your hair that funky shade of pink? Or have been saving up to buy that beautiful emerald green hair dye but then you hear about hair color levels - and thus open, the floodgates of confusion! What are hair color levels, what is a hair color level chart, level 4 hair color, level 5 hair color and before you know it, you’re exhausted and now you’re unsure if pink is even the color for you!

If this describes your hair coloring experience then fret not, we’ve got your back!

So what exactly is this Hair Color Level and how is one to determine one’s hair color level? How does one figure out what Hair color level they're at or want to be?

Well, it's time to level up. Let's try to understand the basics of what hair color levels stand for.

You can skip to the good part (if you know, you know :P) -

  • What are hair color levels?
  • How do I know my hair color level?
  • What is a hair color level chart?
  • What is the best hair color for my hair color level?

    Let’s dive into the world of hair color levels!

What Are Hair Color Levels?
Before we get into any conversation regarding hair coloring, it is of utmost importance to understand our natural hair. The intensity of semi-permanent hair color on our hair depends on the 'Hair color level' category that our hair falls into.

Hair Color Levels: Everything You Need To Know! (2)
If you are a beginner in hair coloring you might find
this article helpful!

The Hair Color Level system is a universal system used by hair colorists, hairdressers, and hair color manufacturers to create standardized hair charts. It refers to how light or dark one's hair color is – the lower the number, the darker the hair.

The hair level chart makes it easier to refer to regardless of what hair color shades are called or described as. Hence, it is necessary to know what hair color level one has and what they require to get the best results out of hair coloring.

For example, unprocessed hair tends to be denser and less absorbent to the hair color and might only reflect a light tint of the color applied. It might also fade out sooner. Lighter shades of hair pick up colors more efficiently and give more vibrant results.

Instead of going through the strenuous process of describing your hair's base color, you could mention the hair color level and take a breather!

How Do I Know My Hair Color Level?
So now that we know what hair color levels are, it is time to identify your hair color level! You can refer to the following chart to get a better understanding of how to identify your

Here's a simple description of the different hair color levels:

Hair Color Levels 1 to 4
These levels are the darkest of regular hair tones. A level 1 is dark black, with no brown tones to it.

Semi-permanent hair colors commonly won't show on level 1 hair by any stretch of the imagination, as the base is excessively dim for any shade to be noticeable. From that level, the hair will slowly get lighter as they level up, with level 2 being the darkest brown, 3 and 4 being darker to medium brown tones. Level 4 or so is typically the darkest base feasible for color change without pre-lightening.

Best Hair Colors For Levels 1 to 4:
Rubra Red, Carola Pink will be your go-to shades on a dark base like this.

Hair Color Levels 5 to 7
These levels are of the lightest brown to the medium blonde range. The majority of our deeper and highly pigmented colors will take well to hair at levels 6-7

Best Hair Colors For Levels 5 to 7:
Other splendid, highly pigmented colors like Comrii Purple, Raggiana Orange should deposit admirably on-base tones in this reach thus working best on Levels 5 to 7 of your natural hair color.

Hair Color Level 8
This level is the perfect light blonde range acting as the best base to see most of our colors turn out dynamically. Most Paradyes colors will turn out precisely and vividly on a level 8 base.

Best Hair Colors For Levels 8:
Colors like Mayeri Green, Superba Aqua, and Crinkle Violet will turn out best beginning for people with hair color levels ranging from 5 to 7 coupled with all the colors mentioned for lower levels.

Hair Color Level 9
Not exactly platinum yet an exceptionally light blonde, a level 9 will take pretty much any semi-permanent color that turns out on a level 8.

For black Indian hair to reach level 9, we recommend bleaching twice.

Best Hair Colors For Level 9:
Rudolphi Blue and Saxony Yellow show the best results with this high hair level. Blue-based shades can add up with the yellow color effectively in your hair to show up unwanted hues. When this occurs, you can tone your hair beforehand with hotter colors like Crinkle Violet to balance this impact.

Hair Color Level 10
This degree of hair is a light platinum blonde, with almost no blonde/yellow tones; anyway, as you get into the white, blonde scope of this level, you can do pretty much any color on the planet! You may see colors turn out lighter and more brilliant, or your particular color's undertones may show through more.

It is also essential to be realistic about how much your natural hair can handle. Especially for first-timers or those who plan to go from a darker natural shade to a lighter level – patience is key! Hair coloring is fun but also requires planning. You wouldn't want to end up damaging your hair, and why should one compromise with the health of their hair anyway. Take it easy and space out your hair-lightening sessions and let the hair color do its magic!

Best Hair Colors For Level 10:
The entire palate is yours! All you have to do is choose.

So, whatare you waiting for? Visit ourwebsite and get on a shopping spree!

We hope this article helped you understand all the complications surrounding hair color levels and how to choose hair colors based on your hair color level. Take a look at our look book to better understand what various levels of hair color look like when they are dyed!

Hair Color Levels: Everything You Need To Know! (2024)

FAQs

What are the levels in hair color? ›

The level system is a range of hair color shades from dark to light. This system of levels is used by hair color manufacturers to communicate the darkness or lightness of a shade. Better Natured hair color levels range from 1-10, with 1 being the darkest (black) and 10 being the lightest (lightest blonde).

How do you understand the hair color numbers? ›

The first digits in hair dye codes are between 1 and 10. Each of the ten color levels is appropriately named to indicate a particular degree of lightness or darkness. The higher the first number, the brighter the tone of the hair. (e.g., 1-black, 10- lightest blonde).

What are the four 4 basic types of hair Colour? ›

There are four types of hair color: Temporary, Semi-permanent, Demi-permanent and Permanent.

What are the hair Colour number codes? ›

The higher the number, the lighter the base colour will be e.g. 1.0 is deep black and 9.0 is a light blonde. The second number of the shade is always related to the reflect. The higher the number is, the warmer the reflect will be e.g. 1.0 is a deep black with no reflect and 4.5 is a light brown with a warm reflect.

What does level 7 hair look like? ›

In the hair color grading system, Level 7 hair color is typically described as a dark blonde shade. It falls in the range between light brown (Level 6) and medium blonde (Level 8).

What does R mean in hair color? ›

C stands for copper, A is ash, R is red, and M is mahogany. Warm tones neutralize cool tones and vice versa. If you're coloring your hair lighter, warm tones become naturally exposed, so we recommend using a cool tone for more neutral results.

What does n stand for in hair color? ›

Natural. Natural tones (N) are neutral in color, which means they contain a balance of warm and cool tones. They are best for covering gray hair. PRO-TIP: N is best for covering gray hair and giving a natural-looking result. Since gray hairs have lost their natural pigment, they soak up dyes more readily.

What are the classification of hair color? ›

The scale uses the following designations: A (very light blond), B to E (light blond), F to L (blond), M to O (dark blond), P to T (light brown to brown), U to Y (dark brown to black) and Roman numerals I to IV (red) and V to VI (red blond).

What is the basic knowledge of hair color? ›

Every natural hair color has a combination of four natural color pigments: black and brown, also known as eumelanin, and red and yellow, also known as pheomelanin. Hair color has both level and tone. Level is how light or dark the hair is and tone means the underlying color (for example, if it's “cool” or “warm”).

What is the best color for gray hair? ›

Neutral shades like soft blonde, mushroom brown, light copper, and caramel blonde balayage are the easiest to blend gray into (and maintain over time without wanting to shave your hair off).

What hair color is trending right now? ›

Cherry-Cola 2024 Hair Color Trend

And now, we've arrived at cherry-cola hair, which is simply just a rebrand for the reddened dark-brown hair color we know and love: auburn. This tone is great if you already have dark hair, as you just really need to throw on a red color glaze to add a warm tone to your hair.

What does G mean in hair color? ›

A: I am not a colorist by any means but to my understanding, the "g" stands for golden base whereas the "gn" stands for a golden/natural base. The undertones with the "g" will be more golden and the"gn" undertones will be more of a golden brown.

What are the levels of hair color? ›

Universally, hair colours exist from a level 1-10, with 1 being darkest and 10 being lightest. Some colour manufacturers may use a 1–12 system, with 12 being the lightest colour level.

Is a 3 or 4 darker in hair color? ›

These levels are used to describe how dark or light your hair color is. Level 10 is lightest blond, level 9 is light blond, level 8 is medium blond, level 7 is dark blond, level 6 is light brown, level 5 is medium brown, level 4 is dark brown, level 3 is darkest brown, level 2 is black brown and level 1 is black.

What does 5N mean in hair color? ›

The numbers mean 1 as darkest and 10 means light or lightest. The Letters like N mean natural, A for Ash , V for violet, . So 5N is 5 natural . Each hair coloring company has a hotline might need to call because I'm not sure about just "5" being neutral also.

What is level 12 hair color? ›

To understand this in a real-world application, the darkest hair color (black) is a 1 and light blonde is a 10. Brown-colored locks range from level 2 to level 5 (dark brown to light brown) and level 6 and upwards cover the blonder shades. Some charts even go up to level 12, which is considered ultra-blonde.

How do you classify hair color? ›

The scale uses the following designations: A (very light blond), B to E (light blond), F to L (blond), M to O (dark blond), P to T (light brown to brown), U to Y (dark brown to black) and Roman numerals I to IV (red) and V to VI (red blond).

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