HOW DO I CHOOSE THE PERFECT HOME HAIR DYE COLOUR?
With hair colour trends becoming more relaxed and organic looking for 2026, when you’re doing it yourself, choosing a home hair dye colour can sometimes feel harder than it should.
So we’ve put together a few tips to help you find your perfect shade.
First off, it helps to understand a few common colour terms. We use standard professional hair colour terms and numbers so, ash in the name usually means a cooler tone, while golden points to warmth. A shade with blonde in the name is not always especially light either, so it is always worth looking at both the depth and the tone rather than relying on the name alone. We’ve sectioned ours into Blonde, Red, Copper and Brunette to help out.
Start close to your natural hair colour.
As a general rule, we recommend choosing the shade that looks closest to your natural hair colour, especially if you want the most natural-looking result.
If you have been using another brand or a traditional box dye, and you’re beginning with our H2O Water Colour, starting one shade lighter than your previous colour is a good place to begin. Different formulations behave differently, and colour can sometimes develop a little deeper than you expect.
Can H2O Water Colour lighten your hair?
No, our H2O Water Colour isn’t mixed with peroxide, so it can’t lighten your hair.
If you choose colours lighter than your natural base, it will add gloss and a soft hint of colour rather than lift.
Our top salon tip is for the most natural looking finish, use your closest match at the roots, then a lighter shade through the lengths for softness and shine.
Think about tone as well as depth
Choosing the right shade is not only about how light or dark it is. Tone matters just as much.
If you suit cooler tones, shades described as ash may feel softer and more natural. If you prefer warmth, look for words like golden, honey or copper.
Don’t forget, you can also mix up your own. It’s absolutely what we do in the salon and quite a few of our online customers create their own blends at home too.
A softer way to colour grey hair
If you have a lot of grey through your hair, choosing a lighter shade can create a really lovely ‘highlighted’ effect. It will just colour the lighter hairs leaving the darker strands glossy, giving you a gorgeous blended.
Choosing your H2O Water Colour shade
You can browse our H2O Water Colour collection.
And if you would like help choosing, send us a photo of your hair in good natural light, along with what you would like to achieve, and we’d be more than happy to guide you through.
