5 Hair Tips We Can Take From Emma Watson On Going Darker For Winter

In case you've been living under a rock without access to your phone recently you may not know that Emma Watson has gone over to the dark side. No, she's not been adopted by Darth Vader - although we're pretty sure she could melt even his cold heart. Ms Watson has had a seasonal switch-up and dyed her hair a darker shade of brown, and it looks pretty great tbh. If you fancy trying something a bit bolder a la Emma, we spoke to L’Oreal colour expert Jack Howard for advice on dying your hair darker

Summary

· Going dark is a commitment
· Take some pictures
· Match the colour to your skin tone
· Add dimention
· Don't forget the aftercare
· Check out these other dark-haired celebs for inspiration:

We have a saying here at the SoFem HQ: What Would Emma Watson Do? ("WWEWD?") It's how we make all major life decisions. But never did we think that we'd be able to apply this to our hair colour. See, Emma Watson has always had a beautiful light brown hue that sometimes verges on a honeyed blonde colour. But Emma has urges to mess with her hair just like the rest of us, and recently dyed her hair a darker shade of brown than we're used to seeing on the actress. While we may not be able to get away with her post-Potter pixie crop - yeah really, we tried - this is a change of 'do we can get on board with.

As many of us know, a change of hair colour isn't something to be taken lightly, which is why if you're thinking about taking a trip over to the dark side for winter a la Emma, we've asked Jack Howard, L’Oreal’s UK colour spokesperson, to give us some tips. Jack is the master when it comes to dye jobs: he's worked with Poppy Delevingne, Gillian Anderson and Suki Waterhouse - even changing the latter's hair from light to dark and back again for a film role - so you're in safe hands.

1. Going dark is a commitment

Jack says that the first thing to remember when you're thinking about going dark is that it is much harder to remove the dark than making the hair dark in the first place. So make sure you're committed to going dark, because getting those beachy blonde vibes back once the weather starts warming up isn't going to be as easy as toning it down in the chillier months. Along this vein, Jack also says to consider how long you want the colour to last: if you are fully committed to going dark and staying dark, then permanent may be the way for you, but if you're just thinking about something a little different over Christmas, then a semi-permanent colour is probably more up your street.

2. Take some pictures

Hey, some of us may not be the best at describing things. If you always have trouble recounting conversations to people or describing what your hotel was like on holiday, you might be one of those people. If you are - and hell, even if you're not - make sure you take some pictures of what you want from your hair transformation with you, because there's a million-and-one shades of brown - it's not always easy to describe which one it is that you want.

3. Match the colour to your skin tone

It's all very well looking at pictures of Mila Kunis and deciding that that's the shade of brown that you would like the most, but you must remember that Ms Kunis's skin tone may be very different to yours, so what may suit her might not suit someone with, say, very pale skin. When it comes to hair colour, it's all relative. As Jack says, a consultation with a hairdresser will allow you to run through some options: "they'll be able to tell you if it'll suit your skin tone, there are so many great shades out there, some warm some cool, so always have a consultation to ensure the colour suits you."

4. Add dimention

So you've decided that the dark side is for you, but you don't want it to be a solid block of colour. You want your hair to represent you: beautiful, but with layers. It's simple: just break up a blocky colour by adding a bit of dimension to your new look. There are a number of ways you can do this. "If you do head to the dark side, make sure your hairline is a 1/2 shade lighter for softness," Jack says. "Add dimension by adding in darker lowlights with micro balayage or fine foils."

5. Don't forget the aftercare

Congratulations! You've now got your dream dark hair colour. And whether you're sticking with it in the long term or just playin' with it for a while, you need to look after your newly dyed 'do. Don't worry, the aftercare of dark hair doesn't carry the perils of, say, bleached hair, but jack suggests that it might be worth investing in a great colour shampoo and conditioner as well as thermal protection and a UVA protector to keep that freshly dyed feeling to your locks.