The Perfect Match: The Best Hair Colours for Olive Skin Tones

If you have olive skin, not all hair colours will be the best match for you. Thanks to the yellow and green undertones, some hues can make your skin appear sallow. But that doesn’t mean you have to stick to plain shades of brown.

If you are fair skinned with warm undertones, stick to shades of platinum, silver, ash, beige and champagne. Cooler undertones should go gold, caramel, honey and butterscotch, and the best shades for those with neutral undertones are reds — true red, strawberry blonde, auburn, copper, amber and rust.

Those with medium skin and warm undertones should look to dark chocolate, chestnut, dark auburn and mocha. Cool undertones should think caramel, honey, golden brown, amber, mahogany and cinnamon. And for neutral undertones, your best shades include espresso, soft-black and licorice.

If you have dark skin with warm undertones, your best shades include caramel, golden brown and butterscotch. Cool undertones should stick with dark mocha and brown-black, while neutral undertones should opt for auburn red, reddish-brown and chestnut.

Now that you’ve considered your complexion, and what works best with it, it’s time to get to the good stuff… the hair colours that truly compliment green eyes, and make the already-gorgeous colour truly striking.

Those with dark and warm olive skin tones don’t have to avoid going blonde. In fact, blonde hues are incredibly flattering on this skin tone. Keep it blonde all the way to the scalp or soften the look with a darker root.

Blonde highlights are an easy, low commitment hair colour update for people with warm olive skin. Highlights complement both light or dark eyes, and look just as good with hazel eyes and brown eyes as they do with blue.

If you’re looking to go red, the undertones shouldn't be too red or orange. Warm olive skin has a tendency to look slightly green, so anything with these hues will clash. Auburn is the perfect red shade if you want to switch things up.

Pale or platinum blonde hair can make warm olive tones appear sallow. But golden blonde complements them beautifully. If you have light or medium olive skin with warm undertones, you can’t go wrong with golden blonde.

If you’re a warm brunette looking for a hue that strikes the perfect balance between subtle and contrasting, add some medium-to-deep brown highlights. This adds dimension to your hair without altering your base colour. It’s an easy update that will flatter your skin tone.

Choosing the wrong shade can leave you looking washed out or ashy, so it's important to find a hair colour that complements your cool undertones and enhances your natural features. These are the best hair colours for cool olive skin tones.

A sandy or beige platinum blonde is especially flattering on olive skin that pulls cool. This hair colour is stunning and definitely a statement. Plus the platinum hair trend will always be in style.

If you’re looking to get creative, a pastel baby pink suits olive skin best. Keep the colour subtle with an ombre look, and the pinkest colour towards the ends of your hair. Start by experimenting with a colour-depositing conditioner.

If you’re looking for a hair colour that provides a strong contrast against your warm olive skin, try a cool deep shade like ash brown. Cool tones like an ashy brown pop against olive skin. This shade is incredibly flattering and one of the best hair colours to make you look younger.

If you have cool toned skin and want to dye your hair red, try adding some shades of warm cinnamon. Adding just a few highlights will soften the colour of darker hair, making your olive skin look brighter and the colour of your eyes more intense.

Honey blonde is overall the best hair colour for olive skin. It’s just the right amount of ashy and warm making it flattering on almost everyone. Ask a colourist for honey balayage, baby lights, or highlights.

Neutral olive skin tones have a balance of warm and cool undertones, which can make finding the perfect hair colour a bit easier. The best hair colours for neutral skin tones are below.

Shades of golden brown paired with a medium olive skin tone create a natural, beachy look. The hue is a great way to lighten up naturally dark to medium brown hair. Ask your colourist to paint on balayage highlights and tone with a warm shade for a sun-kissed look that will flatter your skin tone.

Mocha is a balanced neutral shade of warm and cool and complements most skin tones, but especially olive. Thanks to the green undertones, deep mocha shades are beautiful on olive toned skin.

If you like dark hair go for a multi-dimensional dark brown. This shade can be achieved by asking your hair colourist for baby lights throughout, toned to a deep brunette. This colour is a better shade to opt for than black if you want dark hair and have olive skin. The darker hair you have against your skin, the duller your complexion will appear.

Chocolate tones compliment an olive skin, hazel eye combination beautifully. A warm chocolate is a subtle way to illuminate an olive complexion and golden eyes. Chocolate brown has yellow undertones, which creates a beautiful sun-kissed end result when mixed throughout darker hair.

Chestnut brown has some red undertones to it, and for the right tone of olive this can be so pretty. It’s often recommended that people with olive skin opt for warm, golden shades when it comes to hair colour, but don’t be afraid of red. Chestnut brown makes a strikingly pretty contrast to an olive complexion.

If you use hair dye or bleach to alter your natural hair colour, it’s important to follow a proper hair care routine to prevent colour fading and maintain strong, healthy hair. Keeping your colour rich and vibrant between salon sessions relies on the products you choose for your at-home coloured hair maintenance routine. Look for products that are free from sulfates, parabens, SLES, and formaldehyde. These ingredients are notorious for stripping hair follicles of their moisture, pigment, and strength. Davines coloured hair maintenance products contain naturally derived ingredients that won’t cause chemical damage to your hair. Additionally these tips will help you extend the life of your hair colour while preventing breakage and split ends.

Washing too frequently strips your hair of the moisture it needs, leading to damage. Not to mention fading your colour. Wash your colour-treated hair two to three times per week.

Hair masks are deep conditioning treatments that lock in moisture and keep your strands as hydrated as possible. A must for colour-treated hair.

Heat from blow-dryers and styling tools don’t just cause damage to your hair, they also fade your colour. As often as you can, air-dry your hair.

One of the best ways to keep your colour-treated hair looking healthy is to get regular trims by a trusted professional stylist. Hair that is regularly trimmed is less likely to become damaged and develop split ends.