A SleekShop Editorial
The Hair Color Alphabet.
All those numbers and letters on the box can feel like reading a foreign language. Consider this your translation guide — from A for Ash to V for Violet — so you can choose your perfect shade with total confidence.
Level with yourself
The first part of the equation is simple to solve: 1 is your darkest shade (black) and 10 is your lightest (blonde). Slide through the levels to find where your hair falls in the range — then the letters tell the rest of the story.
Once you know your level, the letter after it describes the tone — cool, warm, or neutral. That's where the alphabet comes in.
A to V, decoded
A is for Ash
A cool tone that contains blue. Reach for ash when you want to cancel out warmth and achieve a cool result — no orange tones in sight.
Take it a step further with extra ash (AA) for the smoky, silvery effect that's everywhere right now.
Shop the Tone: All Ash Shades →B is for Brown or Beige
Brown lives in the darker levels and adds a little warmth to a brunette — usually a whisper of yellow or red. It's a great way to refresh darker color and add serious shine and reflection.
Beige appears in the lighter levels: golden and ash tones together, creating that neutral, "sandy" blonde.
You may also see W in some color lines — it means warm, with a similar effect.
Shop the tone: all brown shades → Shop the tone: all beige shades →C is for Copper
A warm tone containing orange — and it gives you exactly what it says. Copper is perfect for creating natural-looking redheads. Think Amy Adams or Emma Stone.
K can also stand for copper in some color lines!
Shop the tone: all copper shades →G is for Gold
A warm tone containing yellow or yellow-orange. Gold delivers beautiful summer blondes à la Blake Lively and rich, glowing brunettes.
Gold is very reflective — expect tons of shine.
Shop the tone: all gold shades →M is for Matte or Mahogany
Matte means the shade contains green — which neutralizes the red found in darker shades for a neutral-to-cool brown. Perfect for brunettes who are sensitive to seeing warmth in their hair.
Mahogany, also found in darker shades, carries small amounts of red and violet for those beautiful mahogany brunettes.
Shop the tone: all matte shades → Shop the tone: all mahogany shades →N is for Natural
Natural means the shade contains a combination of the primaries — blue, red and yellow — for a balanced, true-to-life result. Naturals are essential for gray coverage: they properly fill unpigmented hair and last longer.
See NN on the box? That's double natural — formulated for resistant gray hair.
Shop the tone: all natural shades →P is for Pearl
Blue-violet based, and usually found only in the lighter levels (7–10). Pearl creates neutral or beige tones on blondes, because blue and violet get rid of orange and yellow.
Shop the tone: all pearl shades →R is for Red
An easy one to remember! Red makes cooler redheads because it usually contains a tiny amount of blue.
RR means extra red — for a truly vibrant redhead.
Shop the tone: all red shades →V is for Violet
Another easy one! You'll often see V paired with R on the box — red-violet makes those really pretty burgundy tones on brunettes.
In lighter shades, violet cancels out yellow — it's the backbone of most blonde toners.
Shop the tone: all violet shades →Decode your shade
Pick your level, pick your letter — and read your color like a pro.
Blue-based cool tone — cancels out warmth so you never see orange.
"Once you can read the box, you can choose the perfect color — every single time."
The At-Home Hair Color Edit
Pro tips, hacks and the full kit for salon-level color at your bathroom sink.
Read the story → No. 03Hot Roots & Other Color Mishaps
Diagnose hot roots, splotchy color and too-dark endings — and the pro fixes for each.
Read the story → No. 04Is Your Hair Color Achievable?
Lighter, darker or full pastel: find out if your dream shade is a DIY or a salon day.
Read the story →The whole alphabet, narrated — levels, letters, and the 6A decoder example.