The short answer is no, but it’s more complicated than that. Before we get started answering the hair color question, you may be wondering what this season stuff is all about. It is basically the theory that each person’s coloring fits into a season which determines the best colors they wear. When wearing colors that are harmonious with your natural coloring, you will shine and feel more confident. Your best colors are found by completing a personal color analysis.  So, the question that is often asked once someone knows their season is, “Will my season change if I change my hair color?” Again, the answer is that it doesn’t change, but it’s not a simple answer.

Your season, and more importantly your sub-season, is made up of so many different elements. The value of your coloring (dark or light), your color quality (intense, bright, muted, toasted or shaded), your color temperature (warm, neutral, or cool), and even your personality. Hair color plays a role, but only as one element to assess your overall temperature. It plays a bigger role in how you wear your colors and that’s where it gets complicated.

First off, as long as you had an accurate analysis, your season never changes. You are a Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter. What changes when you change your hair is how you wear your colors and which colors within your season (or sub-season) are best for you. If your hair change is so drastic that the colors in your season no longer work for you, then you might want to consider whether that change was one you should have made. Just saying!

1st example of how changing your hair changes how you wear color

Okay, so let’s say that your change was fairly subtle. Believe it or not, it does still have an effect. I’m a prime example of this. For the past year, I’ve been struggling what to do with my hair as I’ve become quite gray (like 85%). Should I embrace the gray or cover it up? While pondering this question, I was dying it myself. I chose a color that accurately matched my eyebrow color. The problem was that it wasn’t very bright. After a friend of mine told me very firmly that I needed to do something with my hair, I went to a hairdresser who brought me back to a bright blonde.  

The interesting part is that during this year of hair struggles, I’ve also struggled with my clothing. The reason has to do with color contrast. When my hair became neutral (gray is neutral and so is the blonde color I was dying it), I became less color dominate. This means that I could handle less color. As a formerly color dominant person (blue eyes, yellow hair, and pink skin), I was able to comfortably wear two or three colors at the same time. When my hair changed to neutral, and I put on foundation, I became one color and multiple colors no longer looked good on me. If that was all a bit confusing, read this post on personal color harmony. 

This fairly subtle change, resulted in a change in my “best” casual neutral too. Casual neutrals tend to be a lighter neutral – a version of tan or gray. With my more neutral hair, my best casual neutral was a medium taupe, but the hair change resulted in my best being a bit lighter and brighter. Both swatches are part of a Light Summer’s color palette and still work for me with changed hair, it’s just which casual neutral is most harmonious. The change isn’t huge, but it has resulted in which neutral blazer or cardigan works best on me and that does make a difference in how I feel!

2nd example of how changing your hair changes how you wear color

Another way that hair color affects how you wear clothes, is with how much contrast you have between your hair and skin. My beautiful Cool Summer client used to have dark hair and light skin, so she looked amazing when wearing high contrast clothing. Think black and white together. She also could rock an all neutral look. Now that she is fully gray, she no longer has that level of contrast, so all neutrals tend to wash her out. She now needs to add a color to shine. It was great to see her light up as she noticed the difference when we were doing her closet. She’d always been a natural beauty and was thinking that she might need to start wearing more makeup. Once she started adding a pop of color (and her specific colors) to her look, she didn’t need makeup, because she literally glowed!

By the way, the amount of contrast you have (difference between hair and skin color) can also change with a tan. So, how you wear your colors in summer versus winter can change as you become more or less contrasted. Blondes tend to increase their contrast while brunettes decrease their contrast. Same as with hair, your season doesn’t change, but how you wear your colors will.

I would love to hear about your color and hair struggles in the comments!