by Nancy Faizabadi

Some hair professionals may try to discourage you from doing your own home hair colour, saying that chemist hair colour products are harsh and the results can be uncertain.

But the truth is that you can achieve excellent results and save a lot of money by colouring your hair at home as long as you know a few basics about choosing the right colour and applying it correctly.

Here are seven of the most common questions and my advice on hair colouring at home.

Advice on Hair colour at Home

1. How do I know whether I should colour my hair at home or go to a salon?

Most people can successfully colour their hair at home but there are exceptions. You should get a professional colour job if your hair is in poor condition - colouring dry damaged hair at home can result in uneven colour. Also, if your hair has different shades and you want one even tone, a hairdresser can apply different formulas to the different areas. Finally, it's best to leave it to the experts if you want to make a drastic change to your hair colour, say dark brown to platinum blonde, or you want special colour effects like highlights.

2. Are chemist hair colours just as good as salon hair colour products?

In general, salon products use higher quality ingredients that do a better job of cleansing, moisturizing and conditioning than the drugstore brands. But home colouring kits are getting better all the time and can deliver good results if used properly.

3. How do I pick a colour that will look natural on me?

When choosing a hair colour, your skin tone and natural hair colour are the two most important factors. Whether you're going lighter or darker, stay within two or three shades of your natural hair colour. Here is a guideline for selecting a compatible hair colour for your skin tone:

* Dark/olive skin: Stay with darker hair colours.
* Yellow skin: Dark, rich colours like deep auburn.
* Pale skin: Almost any colour.
* Pink skin: Neutral tones like sandy or beige blonde or chocolate brown are best. Avoid reds or golden tones.

If you know what clothing colours suit you, you can also use that to help in choosing hair colour:

* If you look good in warm shades like red, orange, golden yellow, cinnamon brown, olive green, and rust, then warm hair tones like golden blonde, golden brown, strawberry blonde, and auburn will suit you best.
* Cool colour favorites like bluish red, fuschia, black, royal blue, and pine green indicate that cool hair tones are best for you: platinum, ash blonde, ash brown, burgundy, and jet black.
* If you look good in true red, purple, charcoal grey, periwinkle, and teal, then neutral tones like sandy or beige blonde, chocolate brown or mahogany will suit you.

4. How do I get ready to colour my hair the first time?

It's a good idea to gather a few materials together before starting: an old T-shirt, a few old towels and a washcloth that you don't mind getting stained, some hair clips for sectioning your hair, a timer, and a hand mirror to see the back of your head.

5. If I colour my hair at home and hate it, what can I do?

There are some home hair colour products you can use to repair the damage, but it isn't easy. The problem is that if you used a home hair colour kit to obtain a lighter colour, your hair has been bleached and coloured in a single process. So the colour needs to be added back in a process called "filling" before using the final colour formula. Whatever you do, don't simply buy a box of your original colour and try to cover over a bad dye job... it won't work. Fixing hair colour gone wrong is a multi-stage process so a trip to the salon may be in order.

6. I already have permed hair. Can I colour it without damaging it?

If your hair has been permed or relaxed, colour has to be applied carefully or it can weaken the structure of your hair. Salons have colours specially formulated for treated hair. But if you insist on home hair colouring, choose a shade darker than you want since processed hair may come out lighter than expected. Then do a strand test to make sure your hair can handle the chemical stress.

7. I love my new colour... now how do I keep it looking good?

You'll probably want to recolour every four to six weeks. Make a record of the hair colour product and shade you used, and how long you left it on the ends and the regrowth. Use shampoos and conditioners formulated for colour-treated hair to prevent fading. Stay out of the sun and chlorinated pools to prevent dry damaged hair. Don't use heavy conditioners and oil treatments after colouring... they can lift the colour.

Now go out and enjoy your new look and all the money you saved by doing it yourself!

 

 

About The Author

Nancy Faizabadi is a professional hair stylist and the founder of www.short-hair-style.com
where you can find free tips on short hair style and color ideas, hair color trends, hair products and much more.
Whether your hair is fine, thick, curly, straight, processed, colored or in need of a new style, short-hair-style.com has a section for you.

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