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30 Best Hair Color Ideas for Olive Skin

Olive skin, with its warm and neutral undertones, offers a unique canvas for a myriad of hair color possibilities.

A greenish undertone classifies olive skin, but that’s not true. It’s more of a greenish-gold undertone, and it’s stunning.

From sun-kissed highlights to deep, sultry shades, you can carry almost any hair color, and no matter what shade, you always wear your hair; it never wears you.

Dive into our curated list of the best hair color ideas tailored specifically for those with olive complexions and let your complexion blossom beneath a color that brings out the best in you.

Hair Colors for Women With Olive Skin

To achieve a flawless aesthetic, you have to know your clothing style, have your makeup routine down to a science, and choose a hair color that complements your skin tone.

Olive skin is warm with earthy undertones that respond to shades of gold, brown, red, purple, pink, blue—and on and on and on.

So which hue complements your complexion to its best advantage? Maybe one of these colorful coifs will pique your interest.

1. Platinum Blonde

platinum blonde hair color for olive skin

Platinum blonde is one of the most exciting and intriguing hair colors for women with olive skin because the combination is so unexpected. The combo of light eyes, olive skin, and light hair is even more startling—but in the best possible way.

2. Molten Highlights

women's Molten Highlights hair color with olive skin tone

Golden highlights bring out the olive in your skin tone. You don’t even have to touch your natural hair unless you want to, as long as you add a few highlights in varying shades of blonde.

3. Burgundy and Brown

Burgundy brown hair for olive skin women

Olive skin tones are one of the few that can handle the burgundy spectrum without looking too sallow. In this case, there’s a subtle burgundy overlay covering milky chocolate locks. The result is radiant, isn’t it?

4. Sterling Silver

Silver Olive skin tone hair color

You’ll have to forgive our obsession with Rihanna, but she’s a fashion queen and a hair maven, and we trust her judgment implicitly.

Any hue she chooses can be classified as the best hair color for olive skin, but the gray pictured here is out of this world. It adds a cool tone to her warm skin and makes her eyes pop.

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5. Magnificent Merlot

best Merlot hair color for olive skin

Wine red is a trendy color this year, and it looks as if it’s made for olive skin. Unfortunately, this is another color that’s hard to wear if you’re fair. However, golden and light brown tones flourish beneath the decadent, dramatic shade.

6. Blonde Ombre

Blonde Ombre hair color for olive skinned girls

Olive-skinned girls could have blonde ambitions, too. Soften the sharp edges of the light hue by opting for the ombre effect. The dark roots will provide some much-needed balance.

7. Middle Part

Medium brown can come off as dull, but a golden brunette hue is a flattering hair color for women with olive skin. Anytime your hair is somewhat lighter than your skin tone, you’re pulling off a stunning aesthetic.

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8. Blonde Frame

A little blonde goes a long way. Draw attention to your face and illuminate your skin tone by getting highlights just around your face. Go for balayage, so you have more control over where the beachy streaks go.

9. Dark Hair Idea for Olive Skin

Dark hair color with olive skin tone

How gorgeous is Mila Kunis? She’s a dazzling beauty who knows which hair colors are most flattering. Here, she steps out with a raw chocolate base lightened by subtle, sporadic mahogany traces with a red tint.

10. Mila, Take 2

We couldn’t resist another example featuring Mila because we trust her opinion on the best hair colors for olive-skinned women.

This time, the base of her hairstyle is more of warm cinnamon chocolate with brassy undertones. A scattering of lighter brown highlights brings out that bold brass even more.

11. Pitch Black

Black hair strikes a dramatic contrast against olive skin. The combination is smoldering, mysterious, and exotic by nature.

It’s best to go for straight black, shiny, and healthy but matte. Blue-black hair tends to clash with olive undertones.

12. Shades of Brown

You might not think shades of brown could look so dynamic, but here’s proof. The secret is in contrast. Anytime you mix brunette hues, you want the lighter shades to pop. As you can see, you don’t need many highlights—just a few to capture the eye.

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13. Warm Caramel

Caramel hair color idea

Caramel is a flattering hair color for women with olive skin tones because of its golden undertones. The color highlights the hints of gold in your complexion. This shade of caramel stands out because there’s a subtle russet overlay giving it a radiant auburn sheen.

14. Lighter Tips

Blondes and light browns are beautiful against shades of olive. Instead of going for all-over lightening, keep your natural shade dark and get the ends of your hair bleached and toned. Go about a shade and a half lighter than the roots.

15. Streaky and Sun-Bleached

Natural blonde streaks make it seem like you’ve been spending time in the sun. Although they make your hair appear richer and more radiant, they do the same for your complexion.

16. Femme Fatale Red

Fatale Red hair colors for olive skin tones

Who knew that Snooki could be hair inspiration? Her style has evolved into a glamorous aesthetic; however, she sports one of the best hair colors for olive skin tones.

It’s hard to tag this red as a specific shade. It’s not quite burgundy or wine red, nor is it cherry. Dark cherry, perhaps, or black cherry—whatever you call it, it’s lush and retro with a definite pinup vibe.

17. Lavender Rose

Halfway between pale lavender and rose pink, this color pops against dark skin, making your skin pop. It doesn’t matter what color your roots are, but consider an ombre fade or balayage.

18. Caramel Drizzle

Again, just a few sun-kissed streaks will take you far. That’s all you need to give yourself an irresistible, undeniable glow.

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19. Copper Kissed

Copper is an underrated hair color for women with olive skin. Unfortunately, it’s under-represented and underutilized, too.

Become a trendsetter. Make this a must-have shade for fall. It’s like a copper-kissed caramel, and it’s to die for.

20. Denim Blue

Demi is rocking a vibrant, dimensional shade of blue here. It’s Crayola perfect, with just enough variations to make it multi-faceted. Love, love, love!

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21. Hair Color for Light Olive Skin

hair color for light olive skin

Blonde balayage is stunning against olive skin. Give your long curly hair this gloss of color for mermaid, summery vibes you’ll love wearing all over town.

22. Hair Color for Olive Skin and Blue Eyes

hair color for olive skin with blue eyes

Light brown hair with blonde highlights or caramel balayage is just the hair color for women with olive skin and blue eyes. Layer the hair, so it falls softly around your face.

23. Hair Color for Olive Skin with Dark Brown Eyes

hair color for olive skin with dark brown eyes

Dark brown eyes will pop whether you have light or dark hair. To flatter your olive skin, try this dark brown hair with hints of light color. Part hair off-center and fill your mane with waves.

24. Hair Color for Olive Skin and Hazel Eyes

hair color olive skin with hazel eyes

Olive skin is gorgeous with light blonde to surround cheekbones. Load up waves in your mane for a soft, romantic style you’ll want to wear all the time.

25. Hair Color for Olive Skin with Green Eyes

hair color for olive skin with green eyes

If there’s one color that’s unexpected on olive skin, it’s purple. This dark shade is perfect for women with green eyes. Wear hair parted in the center and down, straight or curly, for a dramatic style.

26. Auburn Hair Color for Olive-Skinned Women Over 50

hair color for olive skin women over 50

Auburn hair color is another excellent choice for women over 50 with olive skin. The color adds a youthful glow and you’ll love this style’s fresh take.

27. Hair Color for Olive Skin with Grey Eyes

hair color for olive skin with grey eyes

Choose this dark brown shade if your eyes are light-colored, like grey or light blue. The look is chic and sophisticated on bob with soft-cut ends parted in the center.

28. Jet Black Hair Color for Olive Skin

jet black hair color for olive skin

This jet black hairstyle features long straight hair parted in the center and not tucked behind the ears. You can leave it jet black to flatter olive skin or add a few burgundy highlights for fun.

29. Platinum Blonde Hair for Olive Skin

hair color for olive skin tone

A platinum blonde and white mix is a gorgeous color against olive skin. Make it an all-over color, or focus the lighter pieces near your face to draw attention to your eyes.

30. Red Hair for Olive Skin and Brown Eyes

colorful hair colors for olive skin

If you aren’t a natural redhead, try out this dark red shade, perfect for bringing out the shape of your natural curls. If an all-over color is too much for you, just add red to the tips.

FAQs

Here are some commonly asked questions regarding the best hair colors for olive-skinned beauties.

What is olive skin?

Olive skin is a tone where you are not quite dark-tanned, yet not quite pale white either. Olive is characterized by undertones of green or yellow. In the light, your skin will show a slightly darker tanned complexion, whereas, in the dark, your skin may come off as slightly pale.

What’s the origin of olive skin tones?

The origin of people that have olive skin tones is from these countries:
– Middle East
– Mediterranean region
– Southern Europe
– Parts of Africa
– Latin America
– The Indian Subcontinent
Celebrities such as Jenifer Lopez, Thandie Newton, and Brad Pitt all have olive skin tones.

Does black hair look good on olive skin?

Yes, black hair looks good on people who have olive skin tones. People with olive skin who choose darker hair colors such as jet black, chocolate brown, and mocha stand out most because the darker colors on their hair allow their complexion to shine.

Will gray hair suit olive skin tone?

Gray, silver, or deep charcoal looks best on people with olive or fair skin with yellow undertones. However, most dark or light greys flatter most olive-skinned people.

If you are looking for inspiration on how you would like to dye your hair gray, try dark roots with a balayage of grays throughout your hair.

Is red hair color a good option for olive skin?

Yes, red hair is an excellent option for olive-toned skin. However, you may want to opt for a deep copper-toned red or a rose gold balayage to best suit your skin tone.

Yellow undertone skin colors look best with vibrant cherry reds and dark burgundy or light rose-pink reds.

How can I know if I have an olive skin tone?

To find out whether you have an olive skin tone, you must look at your veins. If you notice green veins, you have warmer undertones. If your veins appear blue or purple, you have a cool undertone. If your veins match your skin color and appear neutral, you have olive undertones.

Does an olive complexion have a cool or warm undertone?

Olive skin has both neutral and warm undertones of yellow and green, so if your skin appears to be ashy or pale gray, you have this skin shade.

What hair colors to avoid if you are an olive skin girl?

Hair colors that do not complement an olive-toned skin are:
●   White or beige
●   Warm blond
●   Mint green
●   Royal blue
●   Neutral or nude
●   Pastel

Do olive skin look better with dark or light hair?

The best thing about having olive skin is that hair colors are almost limitless. Whether it be dark or light, most colors will suit them.

In short, the best hair colors for olive skin tones are the hues that bring out the glow of your complexion. Did any of these inspire you?