Best Lowlights for
Cool Undertones
Cool undertones — pink, rose, or blue-pink skin — look their most polished when hair colour stays in a cool or neutral register. Lowlights add depth and dimension, but warm-toned lowlights can turn brassy over time and create a colour clash with cool complexions. The right lowlights for cool undertones are those that deepen colour while maintaining the cool, clear quality that makes pink-toned or blue-toned skin look luminous. Think cool browns, soft ash, and cool dark tones rather than warm caramels and golden browns.
Discover Your ColorsWhy Cool Undertones Need Temperature-Matched Lowlights
Cool undertones have a pink, rosy, or blue-pink quality in the skin. This coolness is most flattering when echoed in hair colour — cool blondes, ash browns, cool darks. When lowlights are added in warm-toned shades, even if they look beautiful initially, they tend to clash with the skin's cool quality in a way that reads as the hair looking 'off' rather than dimensional.
The specific problem is warmth at the face frame. Lowlights placed around the face have the highest visual impact on how the complexion reads. Warm-toned lowlights near a cool-toned face can cast a golden shadow that makes the skin appear more yellow than pink — diminishing the luminosity that cool undertones can have when colour is well-matched.
Cool lowlights — ash brown, cool chocolate, cool espresso — add depth while maintaining the cool temperature that allows pink or rosy skin to appear at its clearest and most porcelain-bright. Ashy tones and blue-adjacent browns are the cool undertone's best friends for lowlight depth.
Your Best Lowlight Tones
Ash Brown and Taupe
Ash brown lowlights are the most universally flattering for cool undertones. They add genuine depth without introducing any warm yellow or orange cast. Cool ash browns sit in a blue-grey-brown range that harmonises perfectly with pink-toned or rosy complexions. Taupe and mink tones add slightly more warmth but remain neutral-cool enough to work well on most cool-undertoned skin.
Cool Chocolate
Cool dark chocolates add rich depth while maintaining a colour temperature that keeps cool-toned skin looking clear. The blue or neutral base of cool chocolate prevents the brassiness that can occur when warm chocolates fade. On cool undertones with medium-depth hair, cool chocolate lowlights create beautiful, high-fashion dimension that photographs exceptionally well.
Cool Espresso and Near-Black
For maximum depth, cool espresso and near-black tones are the most dramatic and flattering choice for cool undertones. Blue-black has a slight violet or navy cast that harmonises beautifully with pink-toned skin. Cool espresso adds the deepest brown dimension without going warm. These work best as dramatic lowlights on medium-to-light hair or as subtle deepening on already-dark hair.
Violet-Toned Brown
Violet-toned brown lowlights are a fashion-forward choice uniquely suited to cool undertones. The violet base in these shades — which would clash with warm-undertoned skin — harmonises naturally with the blue-pink quality of cool undertones. Subtle aubergine or plum through a cool brunette base creates striking dimension that makes cool skin look more vibrant and intentional.
Getting the Most from Cool Lowlights
Placement strategy
For cool undertones, focus lowlight placement deeper in the hair — through mid-lengths and ends — and use restraint around the face frame. This creates depth and dimension while keeping the light, cool quality near the face that makes cool-toned skin look most luminous. If your stylist places darker lowlights directly at the temples or along the face frame, the shadow can make the skin appear heavier and less bright.
Purple shampoo for maintenance
Cool lowlights benefit enormously from regular purple shampoo use. Purple shampoo neutralises any warm or brassy tones that develop as hair colour fades, keeping ash and cool brown tones fresh and true. Use it once or twice a week. This maintenance step is especially important for cool-undertoned clients because even slight warmth in faded lowlights can create a clash with the cool skin quality.
Gloss between appointments
A cool or neutral-toned gloss treatment between salon appointments keeps cool lowlights looking their best. Ask your colourist to apply a clear or cool-toned gloss that refreshes shine without adding warmth. This preserves the dimension created by the lowlights and keeps the overall colour looking intentional and fresh for longer.
Wardrobe pairing
Cool lowlights look their most polished when paired with cool-toned clothing: slate blue, soft grey, navy, plum, soft pink, and crisp white. These colours echo the cool palette of both the hair and the skin. Wearing warm terracotta or camel with cool-toned lowlights can make the colour mismatch more visible — the warmth of the outfit will highlight any brassiness in the hair.
Lowlight Tones That Clash with Cool Undertones
Golden caramel and warm honey
Warm caramel and honey lowlights look stunning on warm undertones but fight cool-toned skin. The yellow-orange base of these shades sits in opposition to the pink or rosy quality of cool undertones, making the skin appear more sallow and the hair colour look incongruous. As these warm tones fade, they also go brassy in ways that are particularly unflattering against cool complexions.
Cinnamon and warm auburn
Red-warm tones in the cinnamon and auburn family have a red-orange base that can cast an unflattering shadow on cool-undertoned pink or rosy skin. While some red can work for cool undertones (burgundy and cool red are different — they're in the pink-red family), the orange-red of cinnamon and auburn creates a warm-cool conflict.
Warm chocolate and mahogany
Mahogany and warm chocolate have a distinctly red-brown base that reads as warm. On cool undertones, these shades can make the hair look like it's fighting the skin rather than complementing it. If you want rich brown depth, choose the cool version of chocolate — one your colourist will describe as ash, neutral, or cool-based rather than warm or red-based.
Copper and bright orange-red
Copper lowlights are among the most unflattering choices for cool-undertoned skin because copper is essentially pure warm-orange pigment. On pink-toned or rosy skin, copper creates a stark warm-cool contrast that makes both the hair and skin look unbalanced. Even subtle copper warmth in lowlights tends to look brassy rather than vibrant on cool undertones.
Lowlight Swaps for Cool Undertones
Trading warm tones that fight cool skin for cool-based alternatives that keep everything clear.
Golden caramel reads warm-orange against cool skin. Cool ash brown adds the same depth while staying in a blue-grey-brown register that harmonises with pink undertones.
Warm chocolate has a red base that fights cool-toned skin. Cool dark chocolate achieves the same depth with a neutral or blue base that stays harmonious.
Warm espresso fades to brassy brown on cool undertones. Blue-black and cool espresso maintain their cool temperature as they fade, keeping the lowlights looking fresh and intentional.
Cinnamon and copper are warm-red tones that clash with pink-toned skin. Violet-brown adds red dimension in the cool-red (pink-purple) family instead, which complements rather than fights cool undertones.
Honey reads warm regardless of how subtle it is placed. Cool taupe and mink add the same soft depth while staying neutral-cool enough to work with cool-toned complexions.
Warm bronze near the face casts golden shadow on cool skin. Cool ash babylights add depth at fine scale while keeping the face framed in cool tones that make pink-toned skin look its most clear.
Which Cool Season Are You?
Cool undertones appear across several seasonal palettes. The specific season depends on your overall contrast level and the intensity of your colouring. Your lowlight choices can be calibrated to your exact seasonal depth.
Cool Summer
Learn moreIf your cool undertones are soft and rosy and your overall colouring is medium-depth and low-to-medium contrast — soft blonde or medium brown hair, soft eyes — Cool Summer is likely your season. Your best lowlights are cool ash brown, soft taupe, and muted mink. Keep everything soft and medium-depth rather than dramatic.
Cool Winter
Learn moreIf your cool undertones are more distinctly blue-pink or cool-neutral, and your overall colouring is high-contrast — dark or very light hair, vivid or dark eyes — Cool Winter may be your season. Your best lowlights are cool espresso, blue-black, and cool dark chocolate. High contrast and vivid depth are your strengths.
Soft Summer
Learn moreIf your cool undertones are very muted — neutral-cool rather than distinctly pink — and your colouring is soft and blended overall, Soft Summer may fit best. Your best lowlights are the most muted of the cool family: cool greige, soft taupe, smoky mink. Avoid anything with strong pigment or vivid contrast.
Find Your Exact Cool Lowlight Shade
Cool-undertoned skin looks its most luminous when hair colour stays in the cool or neutral register — and lowlights are no exception. The exact depth and tone of your best lowlights depends on your natural hair colour, how much contrast you carry, and where exactly your skin sits on the cool spectrum from soft rose to vivid blue-pink. A personalised colour analysis identifies your seasonal palette and gives you specific shade language to take to your colourist.
Get Your Color AnalysisFrequently Asked Questions
What are the best lowlight colours for cool undertones?
Cool ash brown, soft taupe, cool dark chocolate, cool espresso, and violet-brown lowlights are the most flattering for cool undertones. They all share a blue or neutral base that harmonises with pink or rosy skin. Avoid warm caramel, golden honey, cinnamon, and copper lowlights — these fight cool-toned complexions and tend to go brassy as they fade.
Can cool undertones have brown lowlights?
Yes — but the brown must be cool-based rather than warm-based. Cool dark chocolate, ash brown, and neutral espresso all work beautifully. Ask your colourist specifically for "cool" or "ash" brown rather than "warm" or "natural" — the base pigment in the formula is what matters for undertone compatibility.
Do warm lowlights look bad on cool undertones?
Generally yes. Warm-toned lowlights like caramel and golden brown sit in the yellow-orange family, which is opposite to the pink or blue-pink quality of cool undertones. The result is a colour that looks incongruous with the skin — the hair appears warm while the skin appears cool, creating a disconnect that reads as the colour being wrong rather than dimensional.
How do I keep cool lowlights from going brassy?
Use purple shampoo once or twice a week to neutralise any warmth that develops as the colour fades. A cool-toned or clear gloss treatment every 6-8 weeks between appointments also maintains the cool quality of your lowlights. Avoid heat styling without protection, which accelerates colour fade and can cause warm pigments to emerge from beneath cool colour.
Can cool undertones have violet or purple lowlights?
Yes — violet-toned brown lowlights are actually one of the best choices for cool undertones. The violet or purple base in these shades harmonises naturally with the blue-pink quality of cool-toned skin. Subtle aubergine or plum lowlights through a cool brunette base look striking and intentional on cool complexions in a way they don't on warm-toned skin.