What level is my hair?
Knowing your current natural hair color level is the best way to help determine the best shade of hair color to use to get the results you want. Here’s how you can figure out what level of hair color you currently have:
1.Choose a section of your hair and hold it up, extended outwards away from the rest of your hair. (Hair always looks darker when it's layered on top of the rest of your hair and no light can come through the section.) For best results, make sure you are standing in natural light.
2.The section you’ve chosen should be from the farthest part of the crown you can closely examine. Your hair is always lightest around the front of your hairline, where it is finer and gets the most sun exposure. If you use the roots right along your hairline as your guide, you’ll probably come away thinking your hair is lighter than it actually is (which could result in your hair color coming out darker than you expect or want).
3.Take a very good look at the shade of hair growing out from your roots, close to your head. If what you're seeing is mostly gray, look for the color in between the grays. Tons of people think “natural hair color” refers to what color they were born with, or what color their hair was in early childhood, but our hair tends to change color as we age. Often, our hair gets darker when we get older. So, while you might remember having had lighter hair as a kid, you want to know what color your hair is right now, so you can choose the shade that will give you the results you’re looking for.
4.Now take a look at the hair color chart on this page. Which shade best matches your current natural hair color? That’s the one you want!
5.If you’re looking to go lighter or darker, that’s another story. Our hair color lifts 1–2 levels lighter—for example, if you’re a natural level 4, the lightest you will be able to take your hair is a level 2.
6.Going darker? Though it’s always easier to take your color darker, we recommend doing so in steps and only going one shade darker at a time (for the health of your hair). If your color isn’t dark enough, you can always go a shade darker next time!
7.Important to note: permanent hair color cannot lighten hair that has already been color-treated. So, if you most recently colored your hair with a level 5 shade, applying a level 6 shade on top of it will not lighten your color at all.
What color is my hair? Conclusions
Following the steps above you can determine the color of your hair. If you aren't sure, visit a Hair Color Bar to have a free hair color consultation with a licensed colorist. Once you have your hair color, you can find the perfect matching shade, or change it up! 
