Not sure what color to dye your hair? Press the button for one shade or one two-shade look. Each comes with a swatch and a line on what it looks like.
Read the full guide
What hair color should I dye my hair for a natural look?
After your first press, open the All shades list to narrow the draw. Blondes, Browns, Reds and coppers, and Blacks, grays and silvers hold the shades that grow on heads, from platinum blonde to raven black.
What unnatural color should I dye my hair?
Choose Pastels for soft shades such as lilac and mint green, or Bold colors for hot pink, teal and royal blue. Two shades holds looks named by how the color is placed: highlights, balayage, ombré and dip-dyed ends.
Tips
A screen shows color differently from hair, so treat each swatch as a rough guide.
Questions and answers
What colors should I dye my hair if I cannot pick one?
Look at the Two shades group. Highlights, lowlights, balayage and ombré each put two colors on one head, so you can keep your own shade and add a second.
What is the difference between ombré and balayage?
Ombré shades one color into another, usually dark at the roots and lighter at the tips. Balayage is color painted on freehand, which gives a subtle, natural-looking result.
Does this page tell me how to dye my hair?
No. It suggests a shade and shows roughly what it looks like. How to get there is for a colorist, or for the instructions on the pack you buy.
Is this a quiz?
No. It is a shuffled list with a swatch on each card. It does not ask about you, so it cannot say which shade suits you. Every shade in a group has the same chance.
Ash blondeA cool blonde with a gray cast and no gold in it.
Dirty blondeA dark blonde flecked with gold and brown, also called dishwater blonde.
Golden blondeA rich yellow blonde, deeper than the pale kinds.
Honey blondeA dark blonde with a warm shimmer.
Platinum blondeThe palest blonde, close to white.
Sandy blondeA cream to gray-hazel blonde, the shade of dry sand.
Strawberry blondeA blonde with red in it, also called Venetian blonde.
Browns 10
Caramel brownA warm, golden-toned brown.
Dark brownA deep brown, one step up from the darkest brunette.
Dark chestnut brownA dark brown with a red-brown warmth, like a chestnut shell.
Light chestnut brownA lighter, warm red-brown.
Light golden brownThe lightest brown with gold in it, nearly a dirty blonde.
Lightest brownA light brown that turns to mid blonde in the sun.
Maple brownA dark golden brown, the shade of maple syrup.
Medium brownThe standard brunette: neither light nor dark.
Milk chocolate brownA soft mid-to-dark brown, the shade of a chocolate bar.
Walnut brownA warmer take on medium brown, close to a light chestnut.
Show all 72 shades (55 more)
Reds and coppers 8
AuburnA reddish brown, from medium to dark.
Bright copperA bright orange-red with a metal shine.
Deep burgundyThe darkest red in the range: a deep wine red.
GingerThe everyday name for natural red hair: a warm orange-red.
MahoganyA deep red-brown.
MaroonA dark, brownish red.
Red-orangeA red that leans toward orange.
RustA brown-orange red.
Blacks, grays and silvers 9
Ash grayA pale gray with a faint green cast.
CharcoalA dark gray with a touch of blue.
GunmetalA very dark blue-gray.
Jet blackA deep black that throws a silver shine in bright sun.
Off-blackA black so soft it sits next to the darkest brown.
Raven blackThe darkest black, with a sheen that can look almost blue.
SilverA bright, metallic pale gray.
Slate grayA mid gray with blue in it.
Smoky blackA black with a brown haze in it.
Pastels 13
ApricotA pale, soft orange.
Baby blueA light, clear blue.
BlushA dusty rose pink.
ChampagneA pale gold cream.
LilacA pale purple with a pink cast.
MauveA pale purple with a gray softness.
Mint greenA pale, cool green.
Pastel pinkA soft, pale pink.
PeachA pale orange-pink.
PeriwinkleA pale blue with violet in it.
PistachioA soft yellow-green.
Powder blueA pale, chalky blue.
Sky blueThe blue of a clear midday sky.
Bold colors 17
CrimsonA strong, deep red.
Forest greenA deep green.
FuchsiaA vivid purplish pink.
Hot pinkA strong, bright pink.
IndigoA deep blue-violet.
Kelly greenA strong, pure green.
Lemon yellowA bright, sharp yellow.
Lime greenA bright yellow-green.
MagentaA pink-purple between red and violet.
Navy blueA very dark blue.
PlumA dark reddish purple.
PurpleAn even mix of red and blue.
Royal blueA deep, vivid blue.
ScarletA bright red with a little orange in it.
TangerineA bright, clear orange.
TealA dark blue-green.
TurquoiseA bright blue-green.
Two shades 8
BalayageColor painted on freehand for a soft, natural-looking lift.
Chunky highlightsHighlights that are larger and thicker than usual, for contrast.
Dip-dyed endsOnly the ends take the second color, as if dipped in it, often a bright one.
HighlightsStrands lightened so they stand out against the rest.
LowlightsStrands colored darker than the hair around them.
OmbréOne color shading into another, dark at the roots and lighter at the tips.
SombréA softer, more gradual shading from one color to the next.
SplashlightsOne band of lightened hair running across from ear to ear.
How this list was compiled: Hair dye shades and two-shade looks to choose from, each with a swatch. The list and its groups are ours. Every name was checked on 2026-09-30 against English Wikipedia, and each card keeps the page it was checked on (x.src). Blondes are the varieties listed in the article Blond (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blond), which spells the word blond: ash-blond is ashen or grayish, golden blond a darker to rich yellow, honey blond dark and iridescent, platinum blond whitish, sandy blond grayish-hazel or cream-colored, strawberry or Venetian blond reddish, dirty or dishwater blond dark with flecks of gold and brown. Browns are shades listed in Brown hair (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_hair). Reds follow the range given in Red hair (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hair: a deep burgundy or bright copper, auburn, burnt orange or red-orange, strawberry blond; also known as ginger hair) and Auburn hair (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auburn_hair: reddish-brown, medium to dark). Blacks follow Black hair (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hair: raven black, the darkest, almost blue in some conditions; off-black) and Human hair color (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_hair_color: jet black, silver). Pastel, bold, gray and red-brown names that are plain color words (Mahogany, Maroon, Rust, Smoky black, Ash gray, Slate gray, Charcoal, Gunmetal and every Pastels and Bold colors card) are named colors in Wikipedia's List of colors: A–F, G–M and N–Z; Hair coloring (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_coloring) says dyes exist for colors not found in nature, such as green and fuchsia. Two-shade looks are the techniques named in Hair coloring (highlighting, lowlighting, splashlighting), Hair highlighting (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_highlighting: balayage, chunking), Ombré (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ombr%C3%A9: ombré, sombré) and Dip dye (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dip_dye). Our own, not from a source: every line under a name, in our words, saying only what the shade looks like, and every hex value, chosen by eye so a swatch can be shown. No brand, product or maker's shade name is used. The page says nothing about how to dye hair. Licence: own work