15 Hair Color Changing Apps Reviewed (Pros and Cons)

October 4, 2022 (updated May 8, 2023) — Written by

Ever wondered what you will look like with a different hair color? Yeah me too. So I set out to try the most popular hair color changing apps and report back on which ones work the best. Here’s the full review of 15 I tried, including pros and cons for each.

The back of a woman with long wavy gray hair's head.

By: Lisa Fennessy 

IN THIS POST:

Hair color changing apps can help you peek into your future, whether you have blonde hair and want to see what you would look like as a brunette OR if you have brown hair and want to catch a glimpse at what you would look like with platinum blonde hair OR maybe you want to stick with your original color and add in some festive pink or purple or blue. Your wish is a hair color changing apps’ command. 

Except not all hair color changing apps are created equal (obvs). Some are way better at predicting than others and I’m breaking it down with all the pros and cons of each app below. You’ll be FLOORED at the transformations (and my reactions).


Can hair color changing apps predict gray hair color?

More specifically, I wanted to investigate which hair color changing apps did the best at predicting my gray hair color. 

I thought this would be a great question to answer because so many of us who are going gray or thinking of going gray just want to know, “What will I look like with gray hair?” and “Will gray hair look good on me?” 

So I started by digging up a photo of myself when I had brown hair. (This pic is from the 2016 Indie Beauty Expo in Dallas.) My goal was to use this same image on all 15 apps, so I could take a look at the results and compare it to what my hair looks like today and be able to tell you without a doubt which app was the most effective. 👇

Side by side photos of Lisa Fennessy in 2016 (left) and 2022 (right).
Me, 2016 (left) and me, 2022 (right).

General takeaways after conducting this experiment

Here are the overall pros and cons of using hair color changing apps to predict a different hair color…and specifically, gray hair color. 

💈Some apps transformed photos only and some apps transformed video only. But generally speaking, the apps with video capability seem to render a more accurate hair color preview.

💈Several of the apps I tried didn’t work on my dark hair. Meaning the color of my hair was actually stronger than the applied color filter. This is not ideal since this weakness essentially excludes all women who have dark hair from being able to access a preview (including women who have brown hair and who are trying to see what gray hair would look like on them). 

💈Several apps didn’t even have gray hair as a color option, which is grossly ageist

💈It’s possible to get a general idea of what you would look like with gray hair, but these apps can not predict the nuance and uniqueness of gray hair including streaks, patterns and your exact gray hair color (like all-white v a salt and pepper look).

💈I rated each app with a score somewhere between 1-10, with one being the worst and 10 being the best. This rating takes into consideration how easy / intuitive the app is to use, how accurate the results are, the cost and its inclusivity. 


15 hair color changing apps compared
















Have you tried any of these hair color changing apps? Is there one that you like best? 

xo, lisa in cursive

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By Lisa Fennessy

Lisa is the founder of The New Knew. Passionate about clean beauty, organic eats and nontoxic lifestyle, Lisa writes to create awareness. Conscious consumerism and informed decisions will impact the marketplace, our health and THE WORLD!

2 Comments

  1. Reply

    Jen

    Thank you. Did I miss it or did you do this so that as gray comes in, it will look natural? I have blond hair with semi annual highlights but my hair is now all gray/white. I am only 54 and actually look 35 or so…don’t want to age 20 years overnight but would love to stop coloring.

    1. Reply

      Lisa Fennessy

      Hi Jen! Using these apps is to help gain a preview of what your hair might look like if it were gray. Of course there is no way to predict your natural gray hair patterns or unique gray hair coloring but it can be a tool to use for some additional (albeit, basic) insight.

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