What Level is my Hair? Hair Level Chart

When it comes to dyeing your hair at home, there are lots of things that you need to know before getting started. That’s why we’ve got the Manic Panic care guides, full of helpful information and at-home dyeing tutorials, so that you can get your dream colour transformation without going to a salon. In today’s guide, we’ll be talking about something very important: Hair levels.

If you’re dyeing your own hair, you might want to consider pre-lightening it first. And when it comes to pre-lightening, hair levels are essential. Your hair level determines whether or not you need to pre-lighten the hair, and what colours you can put on top. Not sure how it all works? Don’t worry, in today’s guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about hair levels, with a handy level chart and some clear explanations. Want to become a hair level expert? Jump right in!

What are hair levels?

Hair levels determine how light or dark your hair is. Lower levels (1-5) are darker, while higher levels (6-10) are lighter.

Why are hair levels important?

Hair levels are helpful for figuring out what kind of colour result you’re going to get. Darker hair won’t pick up colour as much, so if your hair is a level 1-5, you might want to consider pre-lightening it before adding colour. Hair dye guides and instructions will often use hair levels to talk about what different people should do, so it’s good to know what they all mean.

The Hair Levels:

Levels 1-5

These levels are pretty dark, starting from black (level 1) and going through to a light brown (level 5). If you have hair in these levels, we recommend pre-lightening it before dyeing. This is because any hair dye will have trouble showing up over a dark base. Some darker, more pigmented hair dyes, like deep blues and burgundy reds, may show up a little over dark hair, giving you a nice, soft tint, but if you’re looking for a truly bright and vivid result, you’ll need to change your hair level first.

Levels 6-7

These levels are still a little dark. Ideally, the best colour results come from a very, very light blonde base. However, a level 6 hair colour or level 7 hair can still give you a vibrant result if you’re dyeing with a pigmented dye. Think fuschia purples, greens, blues, etc.

Levels 8-10

These are the lightest levels that you can get to. As you can see in the diagram, level 8 has already been bleached, but still contains some yellow tones. To get a level 9 or 10, you may need to tone bleached hair, or even perform multiple rounds of bleach. Levels 8-10 are necessary if you want to get a vivid colour result with a lighter hair dye, such as one of our Creamtones Pastel Hair Dyes. A level 10 is best, as any hint of brassy tones can sometimes show up through a very light pastel dye.

What to consider before bleaching your hair:

From looking at the hair levels above, it can be easy to think that you must bleach your hair as much as possible. However, bleaching can be harmful to your hair, so make sure to consider the following before you try bleach at home.

• What colour is my hair? 

Darker hair will need more developing time, as well as stronger bleach. If you are trying to go from a level 1 to a level 8, you need to be prepared for multiple rounds of bleach and a lot of haircare.

• How damaged is my hair? 

If you’ve previously bleached or dyed your hair, you should check it to make sure that it’s healthy enough for more bleach. If your hair is already damaged, we recommend holding off on the bleach, as additional damage may completely ruin your hair.

Want to know more about bleaching your hair at home? Check out our complete bleach guide here, along with some more details on putting your hair level knowledge into practice.