Girls in the Beauty Department

Latinas, Here's How to Embrace the Natural Golden Tones in Your Hair

When it comes to hair color, the adage of working with what Mother Nature gave you has never rung truer. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't experiment with your color— after all, nothing brightens your complexion and your spirits faster than a fresh dye job. But this winter, we're loving the idea of letting the natural undertones of your hair guide your color choices. It's a direction that Alexis Unno, a Cuban American colorist at John Barrett Salon in New York City, is rooting for. "After years of going too platinum blond or inky black, Latinas are finally embracing the natural warmth of their hair," she says. "These golden tones highlight the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose, making for prettier lighting." Here, Unno weighs in on why these famosas make working with your natural color look so good. Plus, she has advice for getting it yourself at home, no colorist required. BLOND Why It Works: "Paulina Rubio is a golden blond with sun-kissed streaks. Her overall color contrasts with her skin tone, instead of matching it, which makes it look modern," says Unno of the singer's trademark mane. Pro Tip: "When you lighten darker hair, a lot of

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When it comes to hair color, the adage of working with what Mother Nature gave you has never rung truer. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't experiment with your color— after all, nothing brightens your complexion and your spirits faster than a fresh dye job. But this winter, we're loving the idea of letting the natural undertones of your hair guide your color choices. It's a direction that Alexis Unno, a Cuban American colorist at John Barrett Salon in New York City, is rooting for. "After years of going too platinum blond or inky black, Latinas are finally embracing the natural warmth of their hair," she says. "These golden tones highlight the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose, making for prettier lighting." Here, Unno weighs in on why these famosas make working with your natural color look so good. Plus, she has advice for getting it yourself at home, no colorist required.

BLOND

Why It Works:"Paulina Rubio is a golden blond with sun-kissed streaks. Her overall color contrasts with her skin tone, instead of matching it, which makes it look modern," says Unno of the singer's trademark mane.

Pro Tip:"When you lighten darker hair, a lot of red and orange undertones surface, and this is especially true with Latinas. A dark ash-blond shade will balance that excess warmth," says Unno.

Try This at Home: Dreaming of going significantly lighter? Save that for your next salon visit. But for a subtler change, try the two-step Vidal Sassoon Salonist Permanent At-Home Colour in Light Neutral Blonde ($14, kmart.com), which covers the roots first, leading to a more uniform (and natural) look.

BRUNETTE

Why It Works:"The ombré look has not only settled into something more subtle," says Unno, "but it's here to stay." She cites Gina Rodriguez's dark chocolate base as the ideal balance to the caramel tones on the ends.

__Pro Tip:__According to Unno, precisely following the directions on your at-home color box is key for getting that rich base shade. As for the highlights on Rodriguez, they can be also be achieved at home. Pick up a kit that's one or two shades lighter than your base and paint them on where you want them, concentrating from midshaft down to las puntas.

Try This at Home: Revlon Luxurious ColorSilk Buttercream in Light Iridescent Brown ($6, at drugstore.com) has argan oil, plus mango and shea butters, for shiny pelo oscuro.

__RED

Why It Works:__"Actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher's vibrant red hair color is a shade that nature intended," says Unno. "There are no violet undertones. Instead it has warm, flattering hints of copper and gold."

Pro Tip:"In order to make an auburn look more natural, you need to go more orange-based, not reddish violet. It's less harsh," says Unno. A red-boosting shampoo, like Davines Alchemic Shampoo Red ($24.50, us.davines.com) will also help keep the color true, which is especially helpful for fickle red pigments.

Try This at Home: L'Oréal Paris Féria Power Reds in Rich Auburn True Red ($10, at walgreens.com) features pigments that create dimension—ideal for redheads.