Hair Color Advice from a Color Analyst | Artistic License

[@Adri-yc3tb]

Every time i want to change something in me, whether it be my wardrobe, my hair color, or to simply understand my body a bit better, I start a marathon on your channel. Seriously, your channel has such a gold premium content that its one of the best of KZbin. Thank you so much for every single video you made because it help us understand ourselves for what we are, instead of us comparing to others that have a totally different body type, hair color or color season and become upset by that. I noticed that you stopped uploading videos as before, I hope everything is alright, we seriously miss you!

[@ave_rie]

Finally! An explanation why I dislike warm reddish brown on my warm yellow olive skin. 🙂 I find slightly ashy browns look more natural and harmonious to me than the warm reddish browns often declared as "perfect" hair colors for olive folks by fashipn magazines. I find that the warmth and the redness emphasized the yellow of my skin - it's not that I hate the color of my skin, I just prefer NOT to look like I have jaundice. 🤣 This also explains why muted vomit blonde, as I call it, looks good on some of my college classmates but looks comical on others. Great info! I wish hair stylists knew this as well. A lot of the ones near me dont give much of an advice or ecplanation about color choices. Instead they just open a book of swatches and lets the client go crazy lol. So many washed out and jaundice faces in our city. Tsk

[@patrician3821]

Me too! After falling into the reddish brown trap for pale olive girl several times I decided to only die my hair ashy brown. It is actually just a tad lighter than what my natural color was. I was afraid of my little rebellion but I like what I see now. I don’t feel so ARTIFICIAL in the wrong way. I also look super weird in angular modern styles and kept trying my hair. Maybe I found it by accident but I am happy someone who studies the subject recognizes the problem and gives me a explanation that makes sense. Just like the “I can be olive and cool” and “I can be Italian/ portuguese brunette and be cool”. I spent years trying to be golden😁. And every time I bought a yellow, orange, warm brown piece of clothe it remained forever intact in my ( full of dark green, blues and pinks) closet until I passed it to someone else. Your videos are refreshing because I see different things, like this red/green axis I had never heard about. It is very interesting, thank you, I will keep coming back to learn more!

[@cinderling5472]

Ha, jaundiced! Loved your descriptive comment. Another warm olive girl who cannot wear red hair checking in :)

[@patrician3821]

@@cinderling5472 hahaha Jaundiced is the perfect expression. Pale, yellow greenish. We, green people, must unite!

[@SueRosalie]

you may not actually have warm yellow olive skin. Olive skin can be either warm or cool toned. In fact most women who suit "winter" colour type have dark hair and olive skin. Do you suit black, white, clear tones, true red, violet, etc. and look terrible in camel, medium browns and muddy autumn colours?

[@ave_rie]

@@SueRosalie Hi! 🙂 could you please explain further? I also thought I may not be warm yellow olive when I watched the video showing Gemma Chan but upon watching Merriam's video on warm and delicate, I related more to Mila Kunis but I'm a tad more yellow green. Still not 100% sure which olive type I am but I can see that I fit in better with the warm delicate olive description. I'm still learning so I'd love to read your thoughts on that 😊

[@amnbvcxz8650]

I’ve actually came to similar realisations observing which hair colours look in which ways on different skin tones! You’re the only person who talks about this

[@Rainbowdust74]

I never thought about bone structure having anything to do with hair color, but I see your point. In the late '80 and early '90s, I'd see a girl with a jet black bob from time to time, and she'd look absolutely amazing. These girls generally had very angular features however. I could never quite achieve the same result myself. I think I might have more of a beveled bone structure, though. My natural hair color seems to look more put together on me than does artificial color, though highlights look fairly okay.

[@diffsiuhgr4578]

i'm an Olive Warm and Delicate with Rosacea, i just don't know how to act

[@elektraeriseros]

I'm loving the chaos this sentence exudes 👌🏾

[@kcherre2164]

Oh damn I feel you

[@lamondeenntiere5046]

exactly the same😖

[@hotkebab3317]

Omg same (still not sure if i am a delicate warm or cold) but olive with rosacea is confusion

[@monix373]

Haha same here! Go for colors at the top right quadrant. :)

[@tinybarabo]

Every time I watch your video, I have the feeling you cracked the code! It’s totally spot on!! Finally the olive tone is translated into hair too. I wish this video was out good 10 years ago when I decided to go “natural” red which looked utterly horrible on me 😅😅

[@NEChristo]

Would you explain the green/red balance more please, I don’t really understand it.

[@amnbvcxz8650]

I understood it fully

[@DillyBlue]

Just my observation, but when it comes to unnatural hair colours, I think pastels are often the better choice for rounded types; and for bevelled types, just a streak, or an ombre or balayage that bleeds into the natural hair colour, often works better than an all-over solid colour.

[@kuramacabre]

I am planning precisely to buy a sage green wig for several reasons: 1. Green is the best color ever, no discussion. 2. I am a rounded type, so lighter colors with low contrast look better on me. 3. I am also cool and delicate with pink (red) hue, not a single olive spot on me. 4. Green is just the best. 💚✨

[@DillyBlue]

@@dancerlywakeness rounded=romantic, bevelled=natural

[@kristinamitrova5210]

@@kuramacabre I’m a soft natural watching this because I’m currently fantasizing about forest green hair (will I ever get it? Who knows, it took me 6 years to get the courage to get a bob but I feel I’m getting better with my over carefulness). My undertones are warm and muted but I think I’m also quite red - or am I, because I never feel like a can put on too much blush. Perhaps the green would help with that, playing off the redness in my skin...ahh, I don’t know. This is my long way of saying, I’ll probably get a wig as well. Green is a scary color, but just like you said, it’s beautiful, and it’s such a vibe.

[@kuramacabre]

@@kristinamitrova5210 I would suggest ombre effect on naturals, you really can pull it off. As for the shade, emerald green is all the way, on the other side of the spectrum. Maybe a more muted emerald green.

[@kristinamitrova5210]

What you suggested is really along my thoughts of what I would do...that was kind of reassuring, thanks for that :D

[@blu3j00Ls]

Next step: find a hairstylist that actually listens or know what i need 🤔

[@JuSav12]

This explains so much why my natural hair colour is so unflattering on me. My skin is warm and delicate with some pink thrown in, and my natural hair colour is a moisy brown colour that is cool toned without much red at all. Super ashy. It can look great on others, but I warm up my hair and it makes such a difference!

[@iremersmusic]

I’m sure your natural color looks good on you though. I’ve never seen a single person that looked bad with their natural hair color.

[@euphrasiepolly5575]

Irem Ersan not really. Every hair colour is beautiful, but sometimes your natural hair colour can look good but not the best tor you.

[@SaadetOZTRK]

MERRRIIAAM I missed you so much, welcome back to your throne Queen!

[@merriamstyle]

omg you're so funny! I missed you guys too I was just thinking that. It's nice to hear from long term subscribers again.

[@ave_rie]

Could you also do an eyeshadow and blush color choices video? Some colors tend to age me but some make me look better even if the placement, amount, and tyoe of product is the same. The color is just off sometimes. Happens with blush too. The general advice is muted warm pink or peach blush for warm olive folks. It's very difficult to find such blush that has the right saturation/value. I always either find that blushes typically do not have thia brightening effect or those that are too ashy for my skin. But in some fashion editorial photoshoots, the blush can actually make a person look more awake and bright. Very subtle but I notice it. Can we ever wear muted warm lavender? Is there such a color? Do you notice that too? I'm curious sbout your opinion. Thanks!

[@patrician3821]

Once more I agree! We olive people suffer a lot, warm or cool. It is hard to be olive and pale and cool ( and have rosacea that people takes for pink but is only a skin disease). Try to find a blush that doesn’t look completely separated from your face! I admit defeat. I walk around looking like a green ghost because make up is always wrong and a waste of money for me.

[@narcissa6581]

Im the palest olive can get i think (im practically the colour of Casper) and i am also a cool and delicate and i agree! Its soooo hard to find colours that are flattering on me 😔

[@MetalNettle]

Yes! I'm so glad you made the distinction between red/green and overall warmth or coolness! I feel so validated as a cool and delicate strawberry blonde/copper head with pale green skin haha. Every foundation ever is either too pink or too orange, usually I have to get the lightest cool shade and mix it 50/50 with a green colour corrector. I've watched all of your videos and I think the red/green balance in relation to the yellow/blue is something you could go more into, I'd love to watch it. It feels way more logical and nuanced than just olive or not olive.

[@SueRosalie]

you can combine box hair colours to get the shade you want, e.g if one is too light and the next one is too dark if it's the same product . For example I mix 8.1 with 9.1 half and half to get the right in between shade that matches my natural colour.

[@rockstarkate78]

I haven't watched one of your videos for awhile and wow! I love the new camera and lighting. Makes a huge difference :)

[@GreenSnapShot]

This is random but I appreciate how clearly you speak as someone who struggles with English ❤️

[@itsmidtrib1569]

This is way too complicated to understand. I wish you had pictures for every example

[@monicaemmorey2093]

Agreed! I love the info and am very interested but I would like some visuals. 😄

[@katitadeb]

The 2:59 graphic is enough to understand tho I guess not everyone has the eye for seeing and understanding color balances. That's why professional stylists exist, it's their job telling people how do they look and what's most flattering.

[@xakirax_8864]

@@katitadeb How are we supposed to take advice if we don't understand it ???

[@Do2494]

Check Aly Art's latest video, she talked about the colours with more graphs and explains a little more

[@elvillivle]

Experiment or leave it to the professionals.

[@conymalses3151]

You look so beautiful❤

[@merriamstyle]

aw thank you!

[@jansmith3613]

Nature took care of lightening my hair for me. I'm now totally Grey/silver/white haired. However, I actually like it and think the color suits me. With hair loss I wear wigs most of the time and so I have stopped buying them in my natural dark brown/red and gone to my new natural. :) If you wonder what colors suit you and if/when things open up a bit; you can try on wigs to actually see different colors and styles on you.

[@1010divajap]

Same here. Alopecia. I am a dark brunette who is wearing blonde, not too cool, not too warm. I took my various wigs (around 12 of them in different blonde shades) to a local salon and paid for the head hair color expert to tell me which colors were best and why. Yes, it cost me $80, but it saves me money in the long run. I like your idea and would love to see that myself on youtube. Have you tried Palm springs blonde by Jon renau or 10/613gr by Henry Margu? My best color I found out is 12FS8 in the Jon Renau, but since you are silver now, those blondes above are blonde but not far from silver.

[@abhaya_ananth]

I wish I had Merriam as a personal stylist! Her inputs make so much sense

[@sooyoungfanclub]

i’m somewhat of an olive (although very pale) and a few years ago i attempted to go ginger because i was so mesmerized by people who could pull it off, unfortunately it looked very strange on me and i had to return to my slightly greenish brown hair

[@leona5543]

Yes I had a similar experience. The red made me look ill.. something was off

[@sooyoungfanclub]

@@leona5543 yeah exactly the same with me. i thought it would maybe work out, because i thought red and green together would make each other pop, but i looked like i was sick... i guess you can’t treat skin the same way you would treat colors on an outfit

[@saranox7319]

Same, it washed me out like crazy.

[@MuchomorekStudio]

Do you have green undertones or red ? I am super strange :D : also pale (but can tan super quickly), warm, dark brown eyes+ orange freckles , however I think I have green undertones.Weirdly, I look good with rich chocolate brown, bad with ginger, now I am trying golden brown... I am lost too :D I`ve never been ashy brown though.

[@saranox7319]

@@MuchomorekStudio for me I tan to a golden brown tan but in winter when pale I look rather ill. My eyes are grey/green with some brown/yellow specks but they definitely got lighter. My haircolor is a dark blonde/light brown with golden shimmer in the sun. (Hate the shimmer) I am a soft autumn I guess? Colors too warm wash me out. Maybe I would be a deeper autumn if I dye my hair darker, but oh well.

[@kbear6863]

Makes sense, I realise green in my hair is really important. My natural hair is very mousey light brown, dark dirty blonde

[@DarylBaboulisGyscek]

It would be amazing to see a redness-in-skin graph like the hair one! Super helpful as usual!

[@larissad.9629]

Amazing video. It would be awesome if you make a video about olive skin hair colors. I'm olive warm and delicated, my natural hair is a cool dark brown which makes me look kinda washed out and sick.

[@zl7046]

Thank you so much for all the amazing videos Merriam, they have helped me so much in expressing myself. 💕

[@merriamstyle]

aw yay!!

[@jeannedarc9222]

Your hair color looks so good tho🤩

[@merriamstyle]

thank you! my hair naturally doesn't have reds in it because my skin also doesn't have reds in it. the red-green balance in general tends to be similar in a person's hair vs skin but don't quote me it's not like I ran statistics!

[@ginadelfina5887]

Thank you so much for acknowledging that some warm-toned people can still handle cool tones. I really love the systematic, clear way you explain things in your videos, with lots of visual examples. After watching several of your videos, I realize that I am warm-toned. When I was younger, I for some reason thought that I should stay away from "hot" colors, or any bright or dark colors at all, simply because I am light-skinned. (Despite studying art for years, I never thought of analyzing my own skin tone.) When I got older & began developing my own style & becoming more adventurous, I realized I was very drawn to warm tones. I now understand why. But I also love to wear deep greenish-blue shades, and do look good in those, too, possibly because I have blue eyes. I wonder what role do you think eye color plays, if any?

[@merriamstyle]

the eyes definitely play a role and someone who's warm will look better in blue if they have blue eyes than if they don't! also teal blues and teal greens, as well as 'warm purples' look wonderful on warm and delicate because the colors harmonize nicely with their skin, but the skin itself might be a little less glowy since those are still cool colors. but still, i call my system artistic license because if you know the effects different colors have, you can use your 'artistic license' to go for the look you want.

[@tokioteleiras]

My skin and warm Yellow and Green. I love when my hair is dark green turquoise, like esmerald with a slight hint of blue.

[@clairekurdelak2913]

My goodness, it looks like you styled your hair, makeup etc in a Natural/ Beveled way today! That looks great great on you! Have you changed your interpretation of your lines?

[@clairekurdelak2913]

@Guada Wilkinson I also follow Aly- in what video did she say she is SN? I have been waiting for her to tell us what she now thinks is her kibbe type!

[@Carrie-sgda]

This really helped. I realise now why rich hair colours don’t look quite right on me. Also why the neutral dark brown looked so right. I should be trying golden or neutral colours . Thank you 🙏🏽

[@sarahali683]

That sudden hair change at 0:41 tho, keep your hair off the face looks much better than way!!

[@gigglegrl7405]

You look stunning when you pull your hair behind your ears.

[@noway8445]

If warm light colors look good on you, then cool dark colors will compliment you the best. AND,... If cool light colors look better on you, then warm dark colors should work best. The levels of dark and light work in hand with finding your best tonalities. A neutral complexion can wear either combination but usually in muted tones. Use this formula for clothing, makeup, and most importantly for haircolor selection. Try to avoid warm dark with warm light. Also, try to avoid cool dark combined with cool light. Hold up a swatch of warm dark and cool light in one hand and a swatch of cool dark and warm light in the other hand,... look in the mirror and the choice will be obvious. If it is not obvious then you are neutral. I paint realistic portraits with oil paint and my pallet rarely has any brown or tan on it. I use red, yellow, and blue to show the light source temperature and shadows. Try an ashy blonde with warm lowlights. Or maybe a golden beige blonde with deeper ashy root. Red haired people are also light red or dark red. Look to the eyes color compliment for the best combo. Blue eyes typically look great with copper red tones, green eyes look great in true reds, brown and hazel or warm skin red heads usually look great in brown reds or red-violet. Great video subject!

[@Neonrain08]

I have quite angular bone structure my natural hair is a ashy level 7 but i have always felt i looked best with very dark ashy hair, dark hair just makes my bone structure stand out in a much nicer way now i know why i've never felt i looked right with my natural hair colour or blonder colours despite being very fair skinned

[@Nepparinen]

I am warm toned and a brunette. I have always wondered why I don't really like a "warm" brown on my hair but now I understand that it has been the red-green balance thing. I think that there is this common misconception that all warm toned people suit reddish/orange hair. I actually dyed my hair that way when I was a teenager. I don't really have any red on my skin so the reddish brown always looks a bit fake. Therefore I have lately asked my hairdresser to dye my hair "neutral" brown, not red but not cool. Makes so much sense why I have felt this way and I think I have colored my hair just right without really knowing why I prefer it this way.

[@DrHihi]

hey can you help me? I have medium brown hair with golden highlights and medium brown eyes green outline with that I think I have a warm undertone but I have the clear skin I think I have a sub-cold tone (silver me is better than gold / royal blue suits me better than the yellow mustard everything going cold color me better) I do not know if I can be of cold tone with warm hair and eyes?😊

[@janitapanos240]

I love how you describe it as “your signature hair colour”.

[@everything5066]

I always wondered what green-red contrast is .

[@merriamstyle]

yes, it's a way to create contrast! For example, for me, since I'm high value contrast, a cool burgundy is perfect because it creates contrast with the green in my skin but it's still cool (mimicking my value contrast). Since a shirt is not a hair color, we don't have to consider whether or not it looks natural.

[@everything5066]

@@merriamstyle omg tysm I have a similar skin tone to you (also cool and delicate) and i just tried the color and looks so good . Honestly you set me free from the seasons bs , i apperciate your work💖

[@merriamstyle]

@@everything5066 aw yaaay! I'm so happy to hear that.

[@FrostyFreya]

This is so helpful! Unfortunately, i had to find out the hard way, experimenting and failing. Although I’m am a cool toned winter, I can’t handle ashy hair because I have redness in my skin. Instead of ashy browns I need to have a neutral brown with a touch of orange. Been wearing bleached blonde for so many years though, very unflattering on me 😂

[@cinderling5472]

This really was the missing piece for me 😍💕 such an essential bit of information! It makes so much sense though, if you harmonise clothing to match bones, why not also make sure the hair colour does the same in every way? Very well done sweet Merriam! 💜 Thanks so much! In my case, I'm probably a warm and delicate olive with bevelled bones. All my life I've loved red hair though, and it actually really complements me at times; I'm guessing the overall effect improved when my skin got more yellow in the summer; but the orangey tones were always eh. I'm wearing henna right now, but it doesn't do anything for me and for the longest time I couldn't understand why. Along came your video! I'm so thankful. Going to try a nice and deep chocolate brown..

[@rdpcl]

This is interesting. I seem to be Warm, Soft and Olive with dark brown hair, and since my hair pulls very orange when I bleach it, I thought that reddish tones were better for me than ashy ones. I've been doing light henna applications for years and it left my hair with a reddish tint which I didn't mind, but recently noticed it looked artificial. A month ago I got a "hair botox" treatment and as a side effect it masked/took away the reddish tint making the brown more neutral and I got tons of compliments.

[@maidende8280]

I’m super cool toned but my hair pulls very red when bleached too. I have lots of pink & blue in my skin , but no yellow, so I’m kind of mixed in that regard. What’s Hair Botox?

[@rdpcl]

@@maidende8280It's a treatment similar to Brazilian keratin straightening, but it doesn't straighten, only takes care of the frizz. People with dyed hair are advised that their color may change a bit.

[@maidende8280]

@@rdpcl oh wow. And it’s called hair Botox? My hair is super fine so prone to frizz, though better since I stopped dyeing it. Does it dry out the hair or moisturize it? I need more shine, as my hair is so dry naturally. It doesn’t straighten the hair at all?

[@andreazorzutti6752]

You're brilliant! And you look amazing in black.

[@cutienerdgirl]

You're GORGEOUS! I've said this before under another video of yours, but this hairstyle suits you so well. The medium length slightly waved hair with side bangs.💗

[@RainbowCurveCostuming]

Having watched your videos I now understand I am a light olive radiant cool skin tone and having had pretty much all the colours of the rainbow as hair my absolute favorite haircolour is magenta. It might even look better on me than henna red which almost always everyone always thought was my own colour. I think it helps that henna lets the natural colour shine through a bit and does not change the value too much.

[@merriamstyle]

maybe you're a Mixed body type?

[@theweirdsider]

I feel like I'm never going to be put together because my face is always overrun with acne and scarring. It's so deeply depressing. Nothing looks right on me because I just don't look right. I always leave these videos with nothing figured out and extremely hurt feelings. (Not because of the content creators, but because of the state my skin is constantly in lol.)

[@Laura-vs6fs]

I understand you. I have acne for almost 10 years now and it was actually okay, when I was in puberty as it did not leave scars and I visited a dermatologist and a cosmetician working with her. The past 5 years, my acne switched to adult acne and it left so many scars and switched from the t zone to mostly my cheeks, jaw and chin, so yeah. I also have rosacea, so I never have a clear complexion, even when my acne calms down for a few days as my scars and redness are always there. My skin is also very yellow and pale, I am probably a light olive, but I just think I am actually too yellow for that, and the redness just stands out even more against it. I hope one day I can find a great dermatologist and have enough money to get treatments done that help scarring as microblading etc

[@ready4reiki]

I’m have a hard time figuring out if I’m warm red or warm green? Can you do a video with photos of warm red and green and cool red and green and warm red and cool red and cool green and warm green? Things like that so we have comparison? This is a great video and something I didn’t think about.

[@hiso714]

I think the shade of your natural hair colour is what really matters. I have very warm olive skin but my hair is ashy brown. Whenever I try the "right" warm hair colours they look so off! But contrasting my skin with the cooler tones defffffo works better and more natural looking!!

[@hjumper9743]

What about a coppery color on someone with warm olive skin?

[@starminoui]

I thought I was warm olive but one of my best hair looks was when I had red-violet balayage with my dark brown hair 🤣

[@merriamstyle]

yes, it's possible you're not olive.

[@starminoui]

@@merriamstyle I noticed I only appear olive when I’m at my palest. If a warm and delicate is very pale they would notice the blue in their skin more, so maybe that’s what I saw? Maybe I’m a cool and delicate and I’ve been wrong this whole time lol!

[@merriamstyle]

@@starminoui sounds like you're super close to neutral, and it is harder to see cool/warm with lighter skin tones sometimes because less pigment = less for the eye to see in general if you're just looking at the skin (but draping is more obvious on less pigmented people). anyway sounds like you're close to neutral, I can't say from just one photo, you don't look obviously warm and delicate to me in your photo, very hard to say since so close to neutral! if peach vs pink doesn't tell you much, also check with olive green (warm) vs emerald green (cool). look for your skin being more even toned. sometimes people like when their skin looks yellower with warmer colors but they don't notice it also looks less even toned. you can see that happening to my skin in my draping video.

[@lexiemedina8215]

Can you do a video of hair colors for warm and delicate people...like should I make sure there is grey undertones? Also could you be warm if you look good in baby blue?

[@galatheal]

I'm a pale olive, warm and delicate, and I finally understand why ashy brown hair colors look better on me than reddish browns! It's the green!

[@nunyabizz3518]

Having trouble hearing you, dear

[@nancybrewer5871]

Hi there, I'm subscribed to your channel and really like your videos. Unfortunately in many of them your voice is so soft or the volume in recording the video is so low that it's impossible to hear what you are saying. This is really frustrating as I'd love to hear the content.Nope,I'm not hard of hearing and and I have the volume all the way up! I don't have this problem with other channels. Could you please check into it. What I can hear is fascinating and we'll done. Thank you!

[@lindaAA3101]

GREAT explanation Merriam!...Also, ck out Rachel Bilson....Her skin tone goes well w/ the hair color she normally wears (imho). Rachel adds these nice golden highlights to her brown hair, and w/ the pink blush, she looks really good.

[@ririimari]

GREEN WARM for me. Light olive skin.

[@lisahilton9616]

Very interesting yet will need to listen a few times to fully grasp. LOVE your hairstyle and cut. Beautiful style.

[@aniadorota8736]

It was very interesting and gave that important clue about direction I should be taking. Thanks a lot 🙂👍

[@katerinapetrova24]

Awesome! I’ve alllways wanted red hair like a natural auburn colour. I think I’m a warm and delicate olive and a mixed type. My hair is a medium golden brown and I’m pretty pale. I was thinking of going a more muted and soft auburn but now learning that I have more green I’m not sure that it would be as convincing, but maybe being a mixed type I can pull it off?

[@merriamstyle]

I think you could pull it off as a Mixed type. Try a muted/soft warm auburn because the auburn will already contrast with your olive skin so it'll create interest in your look as a Mixed type. This would work specifically because you're Mixed.

[@katerinapetrova24]

Thanks so much!

[@cyclamen831]

Agree with others, this video is confusing. I wish there were pictures to explain the difference in real people. Also, how do you go to a hair stylist and tell them the red-green, cool /warm hair?

[@Bianca-nb7by]

In terms of highlights, what would you consider to be the most flattering for someone who is cool and delicate? In the past when I’ve had my hair highlighted at the hairdressers I usually end up with golden highlights on my naturally brunette hair but am now curious if there might be a more flattering option? Highlights seem to make my face look brighter and almost mimics how my hair was naturally in the summer when I was a child which is why I think I’m so drawn to it.

[@merriamstyle]

maybe ash blonde if you don't have a ton of pinks to your skin. otherwise strawberry blonde. yes, stay away from golden highlights as cool and delicate!

[@Bianca-nb7by]

@@merriamstyle Thank you so much for your reply Merriam! I do have some redness to my skin even though I have olive undertones. I’ve not considered strawberry blonde highlights before but now I’m curious :) I think that even though I love the colour emerald on me and am almost certain that I’m Cool and Muted that I might be close to neutral as golden highlights don’t look terrible on me?

[@zufaanek]

Great advice! This explains a lot to me. I’m very neutral in my natural colouring maybe slightly warm. My natural hair is a light brown with bronze tones to it but very gentle. I never knew what that colour was I think it was definitely on the red side not the green. Possibly cooler red type: I can get away with many hair colours as long as they’re not too light , too dark , too cool or too warm. Again I have to stay close to neutral middle ground but I struggle as I find it too boring....

[@andrijanaadamovic5545]

I am cool toned with frackles, and pink tone, i have grey eyes and dark blond hair but i want to try something different, new. What do you recommend? P. S. Love the video and your voice

[@chicanica64]

Red/Green is definitively the key for me.

[@raylin2057]

This video is genius. 🤔 I should give you my photos to help others look pretty insted of doing what I did by dying my hair gold lol 😭 it's all fun and games until you look bad in gold.

[@Maja161]

And what is your skin tone?

[@burstangel]

I'm warm and delicate with black hair, I look good in ashy colors, but unfortunately my hair always pull orange. I look good in it, but ashy is better.

[@user-xj6nl7xm1c]

Would be nice if u would discuss extreme haircolours too, different blues for each, different greens for each, etc. I enjoy your videos a lot!

[@mmmlextacy]

This seems to match for me too..... I am cool and bright and was very blonde as a child. This has naturally faded to a dark blonde/light brown as an adult (darker as I never go into the sun!) I also have more redness/pinkness in my skin and have blue eyes. However... my dad was auburn as a kid and in certain light, I have some very faint reddish flecks in my hair. You'd never say my natural colour is warm... but there's something lurking. I dyed my hair Sansa/Lily Cole red/ginger and it suited my colouring very well. I now lighten my hair a few levels to be a light blonde. I probably in theory would best suit an ashier blonde (I am definitely cool and bright - bright blue is my absolute best colour, warms look awful) BUT I actually seem to carry a warmer blonde somewhat well too - it can light my face up quite a bit. It's confusing!

[@katmarsh7518]

You can be very pale with a warm undertone but also have a lot of red (that looks pink) in your skin? *Mind Blown* This is what I am! This is why only a narrow range of ridiculously specific shades work on me! Can you tell us more about how to balance warm undertone + red tones, like you did with olives, please?

[@maidende8280]

This is my mum...she looks great in bright, warm colours that aren’t too dark. What colour is your hair & how dark is is your skin?

[@katmarsh7518]

@@maidende8280 It sounds like she might be what Merriam calls Warm & Bright. I think I might be Warm & Delicate, though very, very close to neutral. I always thought I was cool because I have blue eyes and very pale skin with a lot of pink in it and blue veins, and mid brown hair that was white-blonde as a child. However, cool colors really don't suit me, so I was very confused because bright warm colors and traditional warm colors like mustard look even worse on me than cool colors..

[@maidende8280]

@@katmarsh7518 you do sound really cool! I was white blonde as a child too, now mid brown, & have light eyes, same veins etc too. What colours do you think you look best in? For me it’s pretty easy, jewel tones, navy, grey, black, white, & some cool pastels. My mum was a warm coppery redhead with bright green eyes & warm & bright sounds right. She could pull off lime green, orange, bright warm pinks etc.

[@katmarsh7518]

@@maidende8280 For me it's been really difficult! All the signs say I *should* be cool, but I don't think I am. There is no shade AT ALL of pink or purple I can wear, and grey makes me look dead. I can get away with black if it's broken up by other colors, but not bright white, it has to be ivory/cream. I can't wear jewel tones or pastels, except light primrose yellow. Greens and blues are difficult, there are many I can wear, but many I can't. In general they have to be mid toned to slightly dark, and muted but not greyed. The kind of blues and greens that get suggested on soft autumn palettes, even though I look cooler than a soft autumn. My best colors are peach, washed out silvery gold, olive/khaki green, taupe, really dark brown, and slightly warm but dark and muted red. Your mum sounds like what other color systems call a spring.

[@maidende8280]

@@katmarsh7518 Yes! My mum is a defo a Spring. I’m a classic Winter, but was kinda Summery as a child. To me you sound like a lot like an Autumn. My mum’s older sister is one, even tho her overall colouring/appearance (colours of hair, skin, eyes & freckles) is VERY similar to mine (& yours it sounds like). She’s just warm instead of cool toned skin-wise. There’s always exceptions within seasons/categories. Like I can pull off mossy muted greens bc of my eyes, as well as maroon, both of which are Autumn colours, tho they aren’t ideal. But I look absolutely dreadful in beige, orange, yellow, cream & warm neon shades. Beige/camel/tan does to me what grey does to you. And grey is my second best colour.

[@caroline__0148]

My face has a bit of redness because of some mild skin conditions but the rest of my skin in my undertone doesn’t have any red and looks slightly more greenish but not so much that it’s definitely olive (I’m cool toned) should I go for a red based color or green based?

[@Claire-wy2pd]

girl you know your stuff!!!!

[@katiej823]

I think I’m a light warm olive, and I look great in Burgundy red/purple and dark brown/black hair. Like, dark wine red and plum purple, but also since I’m delicate, dusty lilac looks great. Got a bunch of compliments when my purple hair faded, lol. Also look good in peach. Is this an olive trait? Or nah. I’m also a Soft Dramatic with more rounded facial features than a typical SD. It’s confusing! Lol

[@merriamstyle]

sounds like warm and delicate! and looking good in peach is a warm and delicate thing especially if you're olive (if you're peachy toned you could look good in peach as cool and delicate but that's why we test orange magenta first, and only test pink vs peach after if needed, a totally different story!).

[@LuluBowenTarot]

A little confused. If I have very cool under skin tone and skin tone and some redness in my face am I a) avoiding the red/cool (blue) axis or b) I'm aiming for the red/cool (blue) axis colour tones?

[@vanelabaitz6806]

grracias merriam

[@weronikawronska3931]

I am a romantic and every hairdresser I have ever visited told me the same- any color would suit me except blonde. And I totally agree...I don't have any angularity in my face and when I put a blond wig on my face just disappears amongst my hair, you do not see it and its shape at all... It's just like a one big blurr with eyes and lips on it...I look so much better in darker colors, maybe because I do have some conrast in my face-like darker brows and darker lip color, also the whites of my eyes are quite white and contrast with my intense irises. I am guessing that's why pale or even medium hair colors don't do me any favour, as they do not support the natural colors and contrast on my face... Thank you for your video, looking forward to another one!

[@comment3711]

Excellent! Now I finally understand how strawberry blonde suits my pale cool skin. Thank you!

[@sheri6089]

Usually, I don't prefer your hairstyle, but it looks really good on you! Lucky! Shows how pretty you are!

[@ikramd9702]

Thank you! 😊 What do you think are the best hair colours for warm and delicate olive undertone?

[@dianasworld3015]

Holy shiiiit you used my photo 😁 🙌

[@VickyGoss]

I'm definitely cool without reddening of the skin. My skin is fair . I love blonde but getting the shade that doesn't wash me out is why I'm here.

[@ooppii1]

How do I know if i have more red or green to my skin? 🤔

[@qwertzuiop7578]

I was wondering the same!

[@starburst9053]

If you have a pinkishness to your skin, you have more red....I think lol

[@jessieeee]

I finally understand why I can't wear any shade of red hair... I'm cool and delicate, but years ago, before realizing that, I tried to dye my hair a copper red and it made me look ill; more recently, now being aware of my cooler tone, I decided to wear a cool red color - almost purple, something like a "plum" shade... and it made me look ill the same way!!! I was so confused, but now everything makes sense!

[@Maja161]

Im cool and delicate but I look great with red/copper hair 🤔

[@defunct5728]

Merriam used my photo! This is the most exciting thing that happened to me all year 😆

[@NEChristo]

Would really appreciate another video to further explain the red green balance..it is confusing.

[@jo4731]

Hi Merriam.. firstly you look absolutely stunning in this video - hair colour, make-up and your background are all so harmonious... I'm pretty comfortable with my style and colours but I'm all at sea about my hair. I'm 54 so my hair is very grey these days (when I was young I had very dark hair and eyes and pale skin but these days seem to have lighter eyes, slightly yellower skin) and I have no idea what colour my hair should be (I'm not ready to go grey yet). Do you do a hair colour typing? XX

[@SolutionsWithin]

I just hope scientists cure grey hair soon (grey is caused by hair follicle no longer transfer melanin properly), b/c I refuse to use toxic chemicals on my body any longer, so I'm dying my hair with henna and indigo and other plant materials that make the hair super healthy and grow faster, but...... I am very cool and pink (Irish), so the henna basically looks terrible on me LOL even with the indigo mixed in. Also, henna is permanent, but indigo is not, so after indigo fades, one is left with the henna colour! I guess I'll keep using it until I get my hair super long like I want it (past waist), but scientists say they are very close to curing the problem causing grey hair biologically, so then I would just choose to have my natural colour after that.

[@natalieyork956]

You look fabulous!

[@heyderbeebee]

I notice most olive skin celebrities have very dark hair, other than Jessica Alba (who looks gorgeous with dark hair but likes to be medium blonde). Even highlights/balayage look sort of cheap and weird on them. The other best hair colours were not caramel/red toned, just neutral very light blonde.

[@GreenSnapShot]

Also you are glowing ❤️

[@badgrrrl]

She's begun to apply makeup and style her hair.

[@adrianan7543]

Thank you for your amazing content. I have rosacea and it is very difficult for me to determine the best colors for my overall skin and my hair. Could you provide any tips for my situation? Thank you.

[@pamelaminkovska5428]

I'm a cool undertone and have deep brown eyes on a square face. My hair is dark ashy blonde-ish in the roots but merges into honey highlights. It's a headache to deal with it. I was thinking of dying it a solid color, the same as my roots. I know it's best to embrace your natural color, but what's that? I don't know what to do.

[@mikkisen8092]

You have the best colour insughts

[@1989leaxy]

You want to know what haircolor you look best in? Your own! 😁

[@1989leaxy]

@@damvsv9452 yes. Only my ends have a little bit of blondish grown out pieces but i don't think it shows in the pic

[@1989leaxy]

@@damvsv9452 :) that sounds like it would look good on you.. why don't you give it a try! Life is too short to wonder.. if you want to be carefull, don't do a permanent color, instead something that washes out over time or just do like a balayage.. just not all the hair. I hope you will be happy with the end result 😉

[@sofiaa8505]

I love your voice and work :))

[@Dr.Wolfstar]

Hi, In your online consultation, do you also include bone structure/best hair length / hair cut? thanks

[@myrtle1234]

Thank you for the the detailed and nuanced insights that you provide. It’s like having a scientist explain the subjects to us.

[@merriamstyle]

aw! thank you!

[@di3486]

This is such a fascinating topic. I am a light-medium (I think warm and delicate) that can pull off cool and delicate colors. VERY olive undertoned but my brown hair has more red than green in it. Maybe it’s time for a new hair color🤔

[@emmaphilo4049]

So many women out there who look washed out from dying their hair blond. Been hurting my eyes forever.... Especially those crisp highlights. Looks sometimes like white streaks of hair. What are hair dressers doing to those people ???

[@vickyvictoria4u]

Cool Olive and Mixed, here. 👩🏻‍🦱👩🏽‍🦱👩🏼‍🦱

[@cjrg2779]

I wish you would have inserted some visuals. I have virgin hair and I want to get framing hilights done but I have no idea what color to get since I have a natural light tanned skin. I have natural darkest brown hair that has some red in it and dark brown eyes.....my skin has a mix of some red/ pink overtones......I personally would love to get a color that would help cancel the red/ pink on my skin..what do you recommend?

[@Flanclanman]

This is great, thank you !

[@--Valentina-]

I really like your color videos--but I emailed you two weeks ago with two questions before booking a color consult and I never heard back from you.

[@merriamstyle]

Sorry about missing your email! I get such a large volume of emails, that I sometimes must take to going through only my list of booked consults and answering those only. I just can't answer every email I get but I wish I could. I had two Valentinas email me in the past month, so I responded to both just now--one of them must be you so you should see a response from me now!!

[@merriamstyle]

I just saw a few hours ago that both of the emails i wrote were drafts and I didn't send, and I sent them earlier. hope you received a response and one of those Valentinas was you!

[@--Valentina-]

Thanks, Merriam. I'll pass on the color consult for now, but I wanted you to know I'm a subscriber, I hope you keep posting color videos (you're the best KZbinr in this area imo), and I keep recommending your channel to people. 😊