When you hear your stylist say “level 7” or “level 9,” they are not trying to speak another language. Hair color has its own little system for describing how light or dark hair is, and understanding that system can make a lot of those mysterious color conversations make much more sense.
What is a hair color level?
A hair level is basically a measurement of how light or dark the hair is. The scale generally runs from level 1, which is black, up to level 10, which is the lightest blonde. Some color lines include additional levels above 10, but 1 through 10 is the basic system most of us use behind the chair.
The important thing to know is that level and tone are two different things. Level tells me how light or dark your hair is. Tone tells me what color you see within that level, such as warm, cool, neutral, golden, copper, or ash.
So when I say that someone is a natural level 7, I am talking about how light or dark their natural hair is. I am not saying their hair is automatically a particular shade of blonde.
Why does hair turn orange or yellow when it is lightened?
This is probably one of the biggest hair color questions I get. Someone wants blonde hair, their hair gets lighter, and suddenly they are staring at orange or yellow hair wondering what went wrong.
Usually, nothing went wrong. That warmth is part of the natural pigment inside your hair being exposed as the hair gets lighter.
Think of your natural hair color as having layers of pigment. Darker hair contains more underlying red and orange pigment. As we lighten it, we work through those warmer stages. Dark brown can expose red. Medium brown can expose red-orange. Dark blonde can expose orange or gold. Very light blonde eventually gets down to pale yellow.
This is why “just make it blonde” is not really one step. Your starting level matters a lot.
What does a toner actually do?
A toner is not magic, and it does not make hair several levels lighter. Toners are generally used after lightening to adjust the tone of the hair that is already light enough.
If your hair is too yellow, we might use violet-based tones to visually neutralize some of that yellow. If it is too orange, we may need blue-based tones. If it is red-orange, we may need something with more blue or green depending on the exact color we are trying to create.
This is where the color wheel becomes useful. Opposite colors can help neutralize each other. But that does not mean every orange head of hair should automatically get a blue toner. The starting level, the amount of warmth, the condition of the hair, and the final goal all matter.
Why can’t I just put my desired color over my current color?
Because artificial hair color does not behave exactly like natural hair, and color generally cannot be relied on to lighten previously colored hair the way lightener can.
For example, if you have years of dark permanent color in your hair and decide you want to be a light blonde, putting a blonde color on top is not going to magically remove the old dark pigment. That is a completely different process.
This is also why your color history matters so much. When I ask what you have put on your hair, I am not being nosy. I need to know what I am working with before I decide what your hair can safely do next.
Why two people can use the same formula and get different results
Hair is not a blank canvas. Two people can walk into the salon with what looks like the same shade of brown or blonde and react completely differently to the same color formula.
Porosity, previous color, natural pigment, texture, density, previous lightening, and even how the hair has been treated at home can all affect the result.
That is why formulas are not always one-size-fits-all. A color formula that looks beautiful on one client may not be the right choice for another client, even if their hair looks similar in a photo.
The big takeaway
Hair color is a little more complicated than “brown,” “blonde,” or “red.” Your hair has a level, underlying pigment, tone, and history, and all of those things affect what we can create.
If you have ever wondered why your hair looks orange when you are trying to go blonde, why your stylist wants to know your color history, or why your toner is not supposed to make your hair lighter, hopefully this makes the process a little less mysterious.
And if you are sitting in my chair asking, “Can we make it this color?” I am always going to look at what we are starting with before promising you where we can end up. I would much rather give you an honest plan for getting beautiful hair than rush the process and compromise the hair to get there.
Get Your Level & Tone Read in Mesa, AZ
LivforCOLOR offers free consultations at a private, appointment-only studio in Mesa, Arizona. Whether you’re trying to understand your natural level, plan a lightening service, or just want an honest read on what your hair can safely do, Liv works with clients from Mesa, Gilbert, Tempe, Chandler, and Scottsdale.