The Color Wheel
The color wheel organizes all colors into relationships that predict how they mix and how they cancel each other out. Every licensed cosmetologist must know these relationships to formulate color accurately.
Primary Colors
Primary colors cannot be created by mixing other colors. They are the foundation of all other colors:
- Red
- Yellow
- Blue
Secondary Colors
Secondary colors are created by mixing two primary colors in equal parts:
- Red + Yellow = Orange
- Yellow + Blue = Green
- Red + Blue = Violet
Tertiary Colors
Tertiary colors are created by mixing a primary with an adjacent secondary: red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet.
Hair Color Levels
The level system measures the lightness or darkness of a hair color on a scale of 1 to 10. Level 1 is the darkest (black) and level 10 is the lightest (pale/platinum blonde). Levels have nothing to do with tone (warmth or coolness), only depth.
| Level | Description | Underlying Pigment Revealed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black | Red-black |
| 2 | Darkest brown | Red |
| 3 | Dark brown | Red |
| 4 | Medium brown | Red / red-orange |
| 5 | Light brown | Red-orange |
| 6 | Dark blonde | Orange |
| 7 | Medium blonde | Orange-yellow |
| 8 | Light blonde | Yellow |
| 9 | Very light blonde | Pale yellow |
| 10 | Lightest blonde | Pale yellow / nearly white |
Warm vs. Cool Tones
Tone (also called hue) describes whether a color reads as warm or cool:
- Warm tones: reds, oranges, yellows (gold). These are on one half of the color wheel.
- Cool tones: blues, greens, violets (ash). These are on the opposite half.
A color's tone is separate from its level. You can have a cool level 6 (ash dark blonde) or a warm level 6 (golden dark blonde).
Color Formulation Basics
When lifting and toning in the same service:
- Determine the client's current level.
- Determine the target level and tone.
- Identify the underlying pigment that will be exposed at the target level.
- Choose a toner or formula whose tone neutralizes the underlying pigment using the complementary color rule.