Ace the South Dakota Cosmetology Test 2026 – Style Your Future with Confidence!

The term for the natural color of hair is "base color." This refers to the predominant color that a person naturally has in their hair. It is the foundational shade that can be altered with treatments like dyeing or highlighting, but it remains the underlying color when no changes are made.

Understanding base color is essential for cosmetologists, as it guides them in making decisions about complementary colors and achieving desired outcomes in hair coloring processes. For instance, when a stylist is considering highlights, they will often take into account the base color to ensure that the highlights blend well and enhance the overall appearance.

In contrast, highlights are lighter strands added to the base color, dimensional color refers to techniques that add depth and texture to the hair, and shadow color is often used in color correction to create depth by using darker shades. However, none of these terms describe the natural color itself, which solidifies "base color" as the correct answer.