If you've ever watched a hair-color professional at work, it looks so easy. All you do is slop the color on, make sure it's evenly distributed, wait approximately twenty minutes, and voila! Instant gorgeous color. Must be easy to replicate at home, right? Wrong, of course. The color goes all over the bathroom, your ears and forehead end up purple for two days, somehow you miss several patches on the sides and in the back, and the color never looks as good as it does on the box. And that's when you're lucky, and don't end up with, say, orange locks. What to do? Try these steps to brilliant at-home color:
1. What kind of commitment are you looking for? A temporary tint? Color just to cover up some grays? A drastic color change? Subtle highlights? Highlights add texture and color to your hair, but are nearly impossible to do yourself properly.
Semipermanent stains wash out after about 6–12 shampoos, but because no ammonia or peroxide is used, you can only darken your hair, not lighten it. Demi-permanent color is similar, but includes a small level of peroxide, so won't wash out for 24–26 shampoos and will produce a more noticeable color change. Finally, permanent color uses both ammonia and peroxide and can't be washed out. Not good for commitment-phobes.
2. Which shade? If you have a warm complexion and natural hair color, choose a new shade in the same family; ditto for cool. Warm-toned people tend to have reddish/golden tones in their complexions and hair, whereas cooltoned people have bluish tints without any gold. Try avoiding shades from the contrasting color family; if you're cool, your options range from platinum to black; if you're warm, pick a color between strawberry blond to dark auburn.
Regardless of your color choice, never go more than three shades lighter or darker at home; anything more drastic is a recipe for disaster and should be done at a salon. The colors on the box can be misleading, so think of it as a guide rather than fact, and realize that your end result will probably be a few shades darker, or lighter.
3. Even after you have the color narrowed down, it can be difficult to choose between the seemingly millions of different brands. If you have a friend who has successfully dyed her hair, ask what brand she used. Otherwise, make sure to read the boxes, to avoid the easy mistake of buying a line for ethnic hair when you're naturally blond, or, say, permanent color when all you want is a tint that will shampoo out.
4. I know you're eager to get started, but take the time to do an allergy and strand test to ensure you won't get a rash and the color is right. The allergy test should be done at least two days before you dye to give it time to react. After mixing together the dye ingredients, smear a tiny dab on the inside of your elbow and leave it on for twenty-four hours. If nothing happens, you're good to go. The strand test can be done right before you dye your hair: take a small amount of the dye and apply it with a gloved hand to a piece of hair on the underside of your head and follow dying instructions on the box.
5. Make sure everything is all ready to go when you dye; fumbling around for tools and directions is a surefire way to mess up. You'll need:
6. Follow the instructions exactly as written. You'll probably need to mix/shake some bottles together to start.
7. Remember that damaged hair accepts color more quickly than undamaged hair, so you may end up with a more streaky look than you intended. Most products allow you to reuse the dye for spot treatment, but others only last for around a half hour. Be sure which one you pick!
8. Invest in a good shampoo/conditioner set specifically made for colored hair. Most companies that make hair dyes that will also have a shampoo/conditioner line to make the color last. Roots will have to be touched up every 4–6 weeks, and instructions on how to do this are also included in the box.
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