Sometimes, the colour we choose for our hair does not come out to be the same as it appears in the swatch book of   the company.    It  may  be  because  of  the 'underlying colour pigment' of your hair   that plays a  key  role  in  the  final  outcome of the hair  colour. To determine  that  you get  the  desired  look,  you  need  to  identify  the  colour of this pigment known as melanin in your  hair.     Melanin   is   generally   of   two   types - Eumelanin that is responsible of shades of brown and black in hair and Phaeomelanin that is responsible for yellowish blonde tones of hair to ginger and red colour hair. White and grey hairs are the result of absence of melanin in hair. Tone of your hair colour can be warm or cool.  Red, orange and yellow are considered warm tones while blue,   green and violet are considered the cooler tones.

The  colour  level   of   hair  usually  depends  on  the saturation   of   the  hair  pigment  or  the degree of concentration  of  melanin  in  the  hair. The scale is graded as follows: 1 - Black 2 - Very Dark Brown 3 - Dark Brown 4 - Brown 5 - Medium Brown 6 - Light Brown 7 - Dark Blonde 8 - Light Blonde 9 - Very Light Blonde 10 - Light Platinum Blonde

The   melanin   is  stored  in  alveoli  cells found  at  the  surface  of  the  cortex  of  hair, which also determines   the   thickness,   elasticity   and   strength   of   hair.   If  this  surface is  smooth  and healthy,   it reflects  light to produce a soft sheen but can be damaged by various  reasons  such  as  strong  developer  or  oxidizers,   brushing  and  drying  hair  carelessly  and  perming  the  hair  and using shampoos that are not hair-friendly. Heat is not  good  for  hair too.    Fine hair colours more easily and damaged than coarse hair as it has less and thinner cuticle layers.