Hair Coloring

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Need to touch up your roots?  Want to give your hair color a boost with a color glaze?  Looking for some subtle highlights?  Or are you ready to go for an all over permanent hair color  change? This guide will tell you everything you need to know about coloring your hair, whether you want to do something drastic or just do a mini home hair makeover.

Before You Begin

Coloring your hair can be fun and inexpensive to do at home with a home hair coloring kit  if you follow the right precautions and procedures. If you rush into changing your hair color without thinking it through from root to tip, you may just end up with a mess that will cost you more than double to get it fixed in a salon. So before you even think about which color you want or what brands are best, first give yourself an honest diagnostic test.

  • Have you colored your hair in the last six months?
    • Was it semi-permanent?  If the color hasn't faded out yet, wait a little longer until your hair is back to its natural color before attempting a second color job. Dying over old color can cause bizarre and sometimes damaging results. Then you'll have more trouble getting it all to match again in the future.
    • Was it permanent?  If you have roots showing and that's all you want to color then you should look into special "touch up" kits. If you want to recolor it, chances are that going darker will be easier than going lighter. Take caution when going this route. You may end up very strange colors; black to blonde can turn orange and blonde to black can turn blue, for example.
  • Is your hair dry or damaged?
    • Get the broken or dead ends cut before coloring your hair.
    • Always invest in a deep mask conditioner  to use before AND after coloring your hair. Continue using for at least a month after coloring dry hair to keep it looking healthy. Try this award winning Treatment Damage Therapy Masque  by Bumble and Bumble  or any one of the products listed in the guide to Deep Conditioners.
    • Consider if it's a safe idea to color your hair, especially if you use heat styling products  every day. Sometimes a level 3 permanent dye can be very stressful to the hair follicle and could cause frizz, split ends and brittleness. You may be better opting for highlights or lowlights on only half your head, a color glaze  or a less damaging semi-permanent dye.
    • Severely damaged hair probably shouldn't be colored at home since you can risk causing even more damage. Consult a salon for the best results.

Choosing Hair Coloring Products

The next step once you have decided that it is safe to color your hair is to choose the color and the level.

Coloring Levels

  • Color Glaze for a Color Boost 
    • While they have been popular for a number of years in the salons, glazes are somewhat new to the land of home hair color. What do they do? Very simply, these are very mild dyes that add a little color boost to faded strands in addition to an all over sheen.
    • It will not change the shade of your hair (think of it like translucent color) and it is not meant to touch up your roots in any way.
    • One product to try is Shine Happy by Clairol. 
  • 1 Temporary Color to Test the Waters 
    • This level of dye is mild and only lasts for a few washings. Manufacturers usually claim that they last 10-12 washes, however, these dyes often have little staying power and the color they produce is not as bright as a semi-permanent or permanent.
    • The best reason to use a temporary dye is if you are looking to get a quick idea of what a shade might look like without having to commit. Keep in mind though that there is always a chance that a drastic shade might not show up the right way. For example, going blonde to black might give you an ashy look and going black or brown to blonde may not yield any results at all. Always check the back of the box to see what will work with your natural color.
    • For drastic color changes, you'll probably need to go to a salon to ensure that the process is done correctly.
  • 2 Semi-Permanent for the Semi-Committed  
    • If you want to test out a shade close to your own or even something more drastic, then this is a great way to go. If you dye your hair and see that you hate the color you can wash your hair immediately and try to reduce the effect. Also, manufacturers claim that they will last from 24-28 washes but if you wash your hair infrequently, say two or three times a week, then the color will have a better chance of sticking around longer.
    • Keep in mind that certain color changes, such as blonde to black might last for much longer than you expect. Be prepared to live with dark hair until it grows out. Going lighter is harder, but easier to fade, which means less visible roots as your hair grows out.
    • These are less harsh than permanent dyes making them a good choice for those with damaged hair.
  • 3 Permanent 
    • Choose this level when you know that you want to change your color for good. This means it won't come out once it's done.
    • Always take the manufacturers recommendations about doing a "strand test". It's much better to snip a lock and test out the dye than to turn your whole head pink by a lack of attention to precaution.

Major Brands

Choosing a Color

This is perhaps the most difficult decision to make. It has to do with your current hair color, natural color and your skin's undertones.

  • Skin Tone
    • Is your skin pale, rosy or dark brown or black? Are your eyes blue or green? Most likely you have cool tones.
    • If your skin yellow, golden, tan or olive? Do you have green, hazel or brown eyes? Chances are you have warm tones.
    • If you have a blend of warm and cool tones, your skin is usually considered to have neutral tones.
  • Natural/Current Hair Color
    • Are you blonde, brunette, a red head or do you have black hair? Each color shade has a range of light, medium and dark shades.
    • Most stylists would recommend that if you want to change your hair more than two shades in any direction (like from medium brown to light blond or dark black to dark blonde), then you should go directly to the salon.
  • Covering Gray Hair
    • Gray hair can be difficult to cover because the texture is less permeable to hair dyes. For coverage of gray hair, go to a salon. Colormark is a great product that you can use to cover gray roots between colorings. It works well, washes out, and will extend the time frame between salon appointments.

Want to find the best natural shades for your eye color, skin tone and hair color? Check out Styles 101.

Getting the Look

Make sure that when it comes time to color that you outfit yourself with all the necessary tools to make the process a flawless one. It all starts with an old shirt or towel that you don't mind getting stains on. Also be sure to have some moist paper towels lying around. You can use them to wipe up any spills or any dye that gets on your skin. Once you have these necessary items, brush out your hair (do not wash it) and start dividing it into sections for dying. Here are some useful products for doing an excellent dye job.

Hair Color Brush 

A great tool for doing touch ups, highlights and just about any home hair coloring process. It will help you get a more professional look by giving more even coverage.

Hair Color Foils 

You can use aluminum foil that you pre-cut at home, or you can order pre-cut, properly sized foil sheets. These are essential if you plan to highlight your hair.

Hair Clips 

Having a good assortment of hair clips will help make dividing the hair up and keeping it in place so much easier.

Hair Color Cap 

Yes, they look ridiculous, however, they are essential for highlighting short hair.

Shower Caps 

A plastic shower cap is very useful for covering the hair after you've dyed it. It simply allows you to relax and not worry about getting dye on anything while you wait for it to develop.

Important to Remember

  • Always use the back of the hair color box to get an idea of what natural color hair the dye will work best with. Remember that natural hair will achieve better, closer results to the guides and this may also mean that the color will wind up brighter and more saturated than on someone who has already dyed their hair. Previously colored hair can end up any number of colors if you are not careful, so be cautious when choosing any "drastic" color.
  • When in doubt always do a strand test before touching the rest of your head with dye.
  • Those with more than 50% of their hair being gray should choose a product specifically designed for covering gray. These products have a better neutral base to blend with the gray. Regular dyes will turn gray hair funny colors.
  • Long hair usually needs at least two boxes of color to get good coverage.
  • Do NOT use hair color on eyebrows or eyelashes. They will fall out.
  • Want to color down under? Check out Betty Beauty.

Want to Keep Your Color?

Here are some products that are meant to retard fading and the onslaught of brassy blonde showing up.

Related Buying Guides

Shampoo

Conditioner

Styling Products

Flat Irons

Curling Irons

External Links

International Resources

For this resource in your home country, please see:
DE: Tipps zum Haarefärben

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