Virtual Hair Makeover Apps

Anjali specializes in hairstyles and hair and skin care and has written over 200 articles in these domains. Her philosophy about hair and skin care is simple: if you love and care for it, it will be h... more

Choosing the right hair color is like picking the right diamond ring.

If only there were a way you could see how a certain hair color would look on you before you took the plunge! Luckily, thanks to modern technology, many hair makeover apps help you pick the right hair color.

There are many factors to selecting a hair color. Does it match your skin tone? Is it a shade you like? Does it accentuate your facial features? Will it match your regular makeup shades? A makeover app allows you to check all that conveniently.

Website Tools

I’m starting this list with website tools. These are websites with inbuilt virtual makeover tools.

1. StyleCaster’s Virtual Makeover

Check it out here!

A. Does the camera capture your hair automatically?

You can upload your image or pick a model’s image from the site. Tie your hair in a ponytail or bun when you take the picture. The link uses photoshop to crop hairstyles and place them over your photo. You can change the size of the hairstyle based on the size of your face.

B. Do you need to use a brush to map out your hair?

No, that is not required. The website uses photoshopped hairstyles that can be dragged and dropped over your picture.

C. Is it easy?

It is easy to use, though the hairstyles might not be a perfect fit every single time.

D. Is there a wide variety of colors?

It has a pretty good range of colors available.

E. Do the colors look natural?

Yes, all the available colors look natural.

F. Do you need to pay for the app?

No, you don’t need to pay to use the app.

2. Marie Claire’s Virtual Makeover

Check it out here!

A. Does the camera capture your hair automatically?

B. Do you need to use a brush to map out your hair?

No, just make sure to tie your hair up when you take a picture of yourself. The website uses hairstyles cropped from other photos.

C. Is it easy?

You simply need to drag and drop the hairstyle and hair color you want over your picture. You can change the length of the hairstyle to suit your face.

D. Is there a wide variety of colors?

They provide a range of 78 colors to choose from.

E. Do the colors look natural?

Yes, the colors look very natural.

F. Do you need to pay for the app?

No, it is free.

3. Matrix’s Virtual Makeover

Check it out here!

A. Does the camera capture your hair automatically?

You can either upload an image or allow the website to use your camera to see how the hair colors would look on you live. The website automatically detects your hair. So, all you have to do is pick a color!

B. Do you need to use a brush to map out your hair?

Not required.

C. Is it easy?

It is extremely easy and efficient to use.

D. Is there a wide variety of colors?

Yes, there is a good variety of colors ranging from regular to bright and pastel hair colors.

E. Do the colors look natural?

The colors do give off an unnatural glow, but the tech works fine. When I tried the blonde shades, it made my hair look fake and cartoonish. The darker colors seemed more natural, but that depends on your skin tone.

F. Do you need to pay for the app?

No, it is free to use.

4. Seventeen’s Salon Makeover

Check it out here!

A. Does the camera capture your hair automatically?

B. Do you need to use a brush to map out your hair?

The website uses cropped hairstyles from other images. You can drag and drop them over your face. You can also decrease or increase the size of the hairstyle.

C. Is it easy?

It is very simple to use.

D. Is there a wide variety of colors?

There are 78 colors to choose from.

E. Do the colors look natural?

Yes, the colors are very natural-looking.

F. Do you need to pay for the app?

No, the website allows you to use the tool for free.

5. UK Hairdressers Virtual Hairstyler

Check it out here!

A. Does the camera capture your hair automatically?

No, you need to upload your picture onto the website. It would be better if you tied your hair in a ponytail or a low bun. You can also use any of the model images available on the website. You can pick the hairstyle and color of your choice. To place it over your image properly, you can drag the hair with your mouse or keypad.

B. Is it easy?

Yes, it is easy. However, since it is online, some hairstyles may take time to load and appear on your picture.

C. Is there a wide variety of colors?

They only have basic shades available like red, black, blonde, brown, and gray.

D. Do the colors look natural?

The hairstyles are photoshopped from model images, so the colors look pretty natural. However, the hairstyles themselves are not photoshopped well.

E. Do you need to pay for the app?

No payment required.

Mobile Apps

Let’s move on to mobile apps. Here are some apps that you can download on your phone to give yourself an instant virtual makeover! I’ve segregated them into three categories based on the tools they use.

Live Capture Apps

A. Does the camera capture your hair automatically?

Yes! These apps capture your image live. This means that you can see how a hair color will look on you in real time.

B. Do you need to use a brush to map out your hair?

No, the technology used in the app detects your hair and colors it.

C. Are they easy to use?

They are extremely easy to use since all you have to do is allow the apps to use your phone’s camera.

D. Is there a wide variety of colors?

Yes, there is a good variety of colors available on these apps.

E. Do the colors look natural?

Yes, the colors look natural, but they might look a bit off depending on your skin tone. I have moderately fair Indian skin, so the blonde shades gave off an odd glow.

F. Do you need to pay for the apps?

The apps can be downloaded for free, but you need to make in-app purchases to check out all the features.

10. Chouchou: Virtual Hair Try-On

Developer: MotionPortrait, Inc.

Get the app here!

Brush Tool Capture Apps

A. Does the camera capture your hair automatically?

You can upload an image from your phone or connect your camera to the app and allow it to take a picture.

B. Do you need to use a brush to map out your hair, and is it easy to use?

You will need to highlight your hair using the brush in the app. This might not be as easy as it looks. Some of these apps also provide a magnified view of your hair to help make the outlining process simple. However, it is still quite difficult.

C. Is there a wide variety of colors?

The apps listed below have a wide range of colors, but you have to purchase some of their features.

D. Do the colors look natural?

Yes, the colors look natural, provided you use the brush carefully. Otherwise, it colors other parts of the image as well.

Learn more

E. Do you need to pay for the apps?

Some features of the app need to be bought.

25. Hair Color Changer

Developer: Chao Zhang

Get the app here!

Take the guesswork out of your hair coloring adventures by using these handy apps. Try them out and have some makeover fun. What are your favorite apps from this list? Comment below to let us know.

Read more on: hair