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Why is there a number on the box of my hair dye?

Why is there a number on the box of my hair dye?

Hair colour numbers are unique codes that explain the many different colours and tones of hair dye. These numbers are the same worldwide. You could compare it to the RAL colour chart. If you understand it well, a colour number will help you with choosing your hair colour. However, with hair dye, the final colour result depends on your own hair.

Structure of a hair colour number

The first number, the number on the left side of the dot, is the hair colour number. The higher the number, the lighter the colour. The hair colour levels range from 1 (black) to 11 (very light ash blonde). The second number, the one on the right side of the dot, stands for the colour nuance. For example, the 1 in 7.1 stands for ash. This means it's a matte, cool, dark brown colour. Some colours have a third number. This tells you which hue the colour has. The 6 is 4.65 stands for red and the 5 for mahagony. 

haircolour_pigments_numbers

The first digit: colour level

The first number on the box describes the colour value: it shows how dark or light a colour is. WECOLOUR has 11 colour levels that range from 1.0 to 11.1. 1.0 is always black and the 11.1 is always very light ash blonde

The second digit: hair colour tones

The second digit of the colour, the number on the right side of the dot, stands for: 

.0 or N: natural (neutral undertone);
.1 or A:  ash (cool);
.2 or V: iridescent (cool);
.3 or G: golden (warm);
.4 or C: copper (warm);
.5 or M: mahagony (cool);
.6 or R: red (warm);
.7 or G: chocolate/matte (generally cool although our 7.7 is somewhat warmer);
.8 chestnut (warm).

The third number: the hue of a hair colour 

Some colours have a third number. This means there's an extra tone or hue. These numbers work the same as explained above, they're the nuances. For example, a 4.65 has a dark brown level with the nuances of copper and mahagony.

Choosing the colour level

How do you choose the right colour to dye your hair at home? The first thing to do is decide which colour level (the number on the left side of the dot) your hair currently has. Take a look at your roots when deciding the value level, not the (often lighter) ends of your hair.

It's recommended to choose a colour that has the same hair colour level, is one or two levels lighter (if your hair hasn't been dyed yet), or is maximum 3 levels darker than your current hair. For example, if your undyed hair has value level 5 and you want to dye it lighter, the best options are 6 and 7 or if you want to have it darker, 3 or 4.  

Only go two levels darker if you have lighter blond hair (colour levels 8-11). If you do want to go darker, do this in steps. If your hair is level 10, first dye it to an 8 and then to a 6 to get the best result. 

Are you unsure what to do? Answer the questions in our hair colour advice tool. It's an online questionnaire that will help you to decide which colour is right for you. If you've never used WECOLOUR dye before, we advise you to choose one level lighter, because our colours are known to turn out darker. 

Cool hair colour numbers

Are you a summer- or wintertype? In that case you have a cool skin-, hair- and eyecolour. Cool tones in your hait will suit you the best. It will bring harmony in your appearance; the colour of your skin and hair will complement each other perfectly. 

Cool hair colour numbers for a summertyp

Are you a summertype? Choose for one of the following nuances: 
Nature/neutral tones: dark blonde (7.0), medium blonde (8.0), hazelnut blonde (8.07), light blonde (9.0) and very light blonde (10.01)
Ashtones: ash dark blonde (7.1), ash blonde (8.1), ash light blonde (9.1), extra ash light blonde (10.11) and very light ash blonde (11.1).

Read more about hair colours for the summer type.

Cool hair colour numbers for a winter type

If you're a wintertype, the best colours you can choose are dark neutral- or ashtones, like black (1.0), dark brown (3.0), ash dark brown (4.1), brown (5.0) and ash brown (5.1). Try to avoid warm colours.

Read more about hair colours for the winter type.

Warm hair colour numbers

Are you a spring- or fall type? Warm tones like .3 (golden), .4 (copper), .7 (chocolate) and .8 (chestnut) will suit you really well. These tones will make complement your skin and make it look calm! 

Warm hair colour numbers for a spring type

Hair colour numbers for you are the golden shades .3 such as golden dark blonde (7.3), golden blonde (8.3), golden light blonde (9.3), almond light blonde (9.37), gold very light blonde (10.3) and copper .4, such as our copper dark blonde (7.4) and intense copper dark blonde (7.44). We do recommend mixing copper dark blonde (7.4) and intense copper dark blonde (7.44) with a (light) blonde colour in a 1:4 ratio. This is because copper dark blonde (7.4) turns out very bright on blonde and grey hair.

Read more about hair colours for the spring type.

Warm hair colour numbers for a fall type 

The warm colours that will complement you really well, are the golden dark brown (4.3), ice brown (5.31), chocolate brown (5.7), mahagony red brown (4.65), and hazelnut light brown (6.71). 

Read more about hair colours for the autumn type.

Haircolour numbers and their characteristics

 

Good coverage on grey hair with golden and natural shades

Doesn't the hair dye cover your hair completely after dyeing? Choose for a neutral- (.0) or golden (.3) tone. These colours have the best coverage on grey hair. WECOLOUR has black (1.0), dark brown (3.0), golden dark brown, (4.3), brown (5.0), ice brown (5.31), light brown (6.0), golden light brown (6.3), dark blonde (7.0), golden dark blonde (7.3), almond dark blonde (7.37), medium blonde (8.0), hazelnut blonde (8.07), golden blonde (8.3), light blonde (9.0), golden light blonde (9.3), almond light blonde (9.37), very light blonde (10.01) and golden very light blonde (10.3). 

Also, be sure to read our blog with tips on how you get a good coverage on grey hair.

Red and copper shades for allergies

Have you ever suffered from a hair dye allergy? Then the red and copper shades from WECOLOUR are the right ones for you. These colours contain no PPD (none of our colours) and also no TDS. Usually, an allergy is caused by these substances.

Warm shades against a matt colour

Is your hair an unwanted shade of matt or greenish? Then consider a warm colour or choose a combination of a warm shade mixed with a natural shade. Adding some warm pigment to your hair will neutralise your hair colour.

Ash shades against an unwanted warm hue

Of course, this trick works the other way around too; do you have an orange or red glow in your hair that you would like to get rid of? Then cancel it by dyeing your hair with a cool shade such as an ash shade .1, or mahogany brown (5.5), for example. If you don't want your hair darker, choose an ash shade in one colour level lighter.

Choose a new hair colour based on the hair colour number

So don't choose a new hair colour (only) based on a picture of a model on the box or on the wonderful names manufacturers give their hair colours. In any case, always check the colour level and hue. These say more about what to expect from a colour than a pretty name or a pretty picture on the packaging. Still need help picking a new colour? Let us know, send us your photo and receive a hair colour number advice from a colourist.

 

colour numbers WECOLOUR

What colours can you choose?
Find out in four steps with our free colour advice tool
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