What does 5N mean in hair color?

Author: Prof. Lorenz Satterfield  |  Last update: Sunday, September 7, 2025

A: According to a rep at Clairol, "5 Medium Brown is a neutral shade while 5N is also neutral, but contains more yellow. 5N is designed to help with gray coverage more as that yellow fills in needed pigment."

What is 5N in hair color?

5N Light Brown Hair Color provides excellent gray coverage.

What does n mean in hair color?

Natural. Natural tones (N) are neutral in color, which means they contain a balance of warm and cool tones. They are best for covering gray hair. PRO-TIP: N is best for covering gray hair and giving a natural-looking result. Since gray hairs have lost their natural pigment, they soak up dyes more readily.

Which is darker, hair color 4 or 5?

What is the difference between hair color number 4 and 5? Number 4 is darker and number 5 is lighter.

What's the difference between 5N and 5NN hair color?

A: 5NN is double Pigment for grey coverage. It is NOT lighter than 5N. They are the same level but NN may appear slightly darker because of the extra pigment.

Hair Color Levels (Numbers) Explained + Start A Formulation

Is 5N a medium brown?

A: According to a rep at Clairol, "5 Medium Brown is a neutral shade while 5N is also neutral, but contains more yellow. 5N is designed to help with gray coverage more as that yellow fills in needed pigment."

What volume to cover grey?

The standard developer for gray coverage is 20 Volume; however, 30 Volume and 40 Volume can also be used if the percentage of gray is low and additional lift is needed to achieve the desired result.

Should I go darker or lighter hair color?

Your skin colour has a great say on what hair colour suits you. You can see the skin colour chart to find the closest colour to your skin. In general, darker skin tones are well-suited for dark hair colours, and lighter skin tones are best suited for lighter hair colours.

What is the rule in hair coloring?

A basic rule of haircolor is that cool (ash) tones neutralize warm (red or gold) tones and warm tones neutralize cool tones. Decide if it is too red, orange or yellow, then just choose the complementary tone that is opposite on the color wheel.

What two hair colors look good together?

Two-Tone Hair Color Ideas for a Bold and Beautiful Look
  • Black-and-Blonde Hair. Be a brunette and a blonde at the same time with this hair color combo. ...
  • Black-and-Gray, Two-Tone Hair. ...
  • Green-and-Brown Hair. ...
  • Purple and Pink. ...
  • Monochromatic Purple. ...
  • Pastel Pink and Green. ...
  • Red and Moss Green. ...
  • Red Orange Underlayer Hair Color.

What does V stand for in hair color?

The letter V indicates Violet. A V toner is violet {purple} based - we use the terms violet and purple interchangeably. The letter B indicates Blue. A B toner is blue based.

What color neutralizes orange?

The key to fixing orange hair is usually to neutralise the orange with its opposite colour – blue.

What shade is 5N?

5N Light Brown Permanent Creme Hair Color.

What color is Joico 5N?

5N - Medium Brown - Joico | CosmoProf.

What color is Clairol 5N?

Clairol Nice'n Easy 5N Medium Neutral Brown. Permanent natural looking color with 100% gray coverage.

Should hair be wet or dry when coloring?

"Semi-permanent and demi-permanent hair color can be applied to wet or dry hair, but wet hair application in not recommended for permanent hair color." Meanwhile, permanent color changes require a dry hair application. This could mean going lighter, or darker.

Can you put a lighter hair color over a darker one?

There are two things you should be mindful of while considering your next hair dye: - Using a lighter color over your last hair color will not work and will create unnecessary stress to your hair. - You cannot inflict hair color over hair color on your hair or it may just break.

Does darker or lighter hair look younger?

There's no defined hair color that is more youthful, but darker colors can look harsher over time. Consider going for a more multi-dimensional hair color with lighter and darker pieces overall. Typically, a safe bet is to ask for balayage highlights that are around two shades lighter than your natural hue.

What is the healthiest hair dye for your hair?

What Is the Best Natural Hair Dye?
  • Hally Color Cloud*
  • IROIRO Premium Natural Semi-Permanent Hair Color*
  • ARCTIC FOX's Vegan Semi-Permanent Dyes*
  • MANIC PANIC SuperNatural Hair Dyes*
  • Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask*
  • Lime Crime Unicorn Semi-Permanent Hair*
  • Khadi Natural Hair Color*
  • Surya Brasil Henné Color*

Is it better to go darker or lighter with grey hair?

Is it better to go lighter or darker to cover grey hair? As for your permanent colour kit choice, for the best grey coverage, Josh recommends choosing a shade close to your natural root colour (that's the colour between the greys.) "Make sure to never stray more than two shades away from this,” says Josh.

What is the 50 50 50 rule for gray hair?

The mean age of senile graying for Caucasians (whites) is mid-30s; for Asians of the late 30's; and for Africans of mid-40s. There is a practical declaration which states that at the age of 50, 50% of the population has 50% gray hair (rule of thumb) [4] . The gray of age varies according to race and ethnicity. ...

Why won't my gray hair take color?

Gray hair tends to be resistant and typically takes longer to grab hold of the hair. Since there is no pigment, there is no need to lift. You just need to open the cuticle enough to deposit the color.

What color covers grey hair best?

Brown hair colors for gray hair are the sweet spot for gray coverage if your natural shade is medium blonde to dark brown. They are also ideal if you're gray all over.

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