Hair color is one of the most effective anti-aging tools we have—except when it isn’t.
Take your dye job too far (or inky, or frosty) and you can add years to your appearance. Three top colorists weigh in on what to avoid.
Aging Hair Color Mistakes & How To Fix Them
STRAYING TOO FAR FROM YOUR NATURAL SHADE
The hair color you have is the one you’re meant to have: It complements your skin tone and doesn’t look artificial. When coloring your hair, you should aim to enhance and enrich your natural color and subtlyconceal grays—not do a total 180. “Color within reason. If you’re a dark brunette, don’t stray too far from rich tones. If you’re a warm blonde, keep to the golden hues that add depth. If you introduce a completely new color, your natural shade will fight it until it oxidizes and turns brassy orange. And that will make you look like an old woman overnight,” says Louis Licari, a colorist and owner of hair salons in New York City and Beverly Hills.
Colorist Negin Zand of Salon Benjamin in West Hollywood says another thing that can make hair color look stark and fake is a dark hairline. “The fine hair there grabs onto the color and tends to get dark faster. I always use a color that’s two shades lighter than the one I’m using for the back of the head at the hairline, from ear to ear. That keeps it from looking obviously dyed, and it’s much more natural and youthful,” she says.
-Stephanie Saltzman, with additional reporting by Liana Schaffner
