If you've been shopping with us for a while, you'll probably have noticed that as well as a name, each of the Water Colour dyes also has a colour number - 9/0, 7/44 or 5/3 are just a few. But what do the numbers mean?

The simplest part to work out is the base colour - this is the number before the slash (or dot in some systems). 1 is black through to 10, which is the lightest blonde. Water Colour base shades range from 2 (super dark brown) to 9 (pale soft blonde).

As you know, the lack of harsh chemicals in Water Colour means it cannot lighten your hair, so you do need to choose a base shade that is as dark or darker than your natural colour, unless you want a highlighted effect. If you have grey hair, you can choose a colour that is lighter, or with more gold or copper than your natural colour, to create a highlighted effect.

These base shades, as well as shades 018 and 019 (which fall midway between 4 and 5 or 5 and 6) are our most effective shades for stubborn grey hair.

After the slash, you will have one or two further numbers - these are the primary and secondary tones in the colour.

In the water colour ranges, we have these tones:

0 = Natural
The base shade of your chosen colour - best for covering grey

1 = Ash
Our ash shades tone down coppers, reds or gold - ash shades give a more subtle grey coverage, but may not be suitable if your hair is resistant.

3 = Golden
Adds a richer, golden hint to some of our blonde and brown shades.

4 = Copper
The warmer side of red, sharing the warmth of gold whilst building redder shades.

5 = Mahogany
Red with a hint of violet added as the secondary tone in some of our dyes.

6 = Red
A cooler red tone in paler base shades, which builds to a rich wine red in darker shades.

7 = Violet
Adds a radiance and depth to our dark blonde.

Armed with this information, one can go on to build a wide range of colour options...here are a few of our more complex ones decoded:

Shade 8/03 - Mid Soft Golden Blonde
8 is our second palest blonde base, and we can tell that the primary tone is natural - however, the secondary gold will give a subtle warmth to this dye.

Shade 5/45 - Mahogany - Radiant Red Brown
This is a mid brown base, with a copper primary shade. Mahogany works as the secondary shade to give a hint of reddish violet.

Shade 6/66 - Radiant Copper Red
Light brown depth, with violet red primary and secondary tones. These tones mixed with the lightest brown base result in a radiant coppery red/brown, with a hint of purple.

Our gentle hair dyes don't contain harsh chemicals so won't strip your existing colour - the final result will depend on your initial hair colour.

Feel spurred on to try something new but want an expert opinion? Our team have years of experience helping customers find the best shade for them, and would love to help!

Simply contact us and we'll help you find the perfect shade for you.