Whether you choose to have your hair colored professionally, do it yourself, or have a friend help you, there are a few things you need to know. Hair coloring isn't as easy as the television commercials would lead you to believe. I've been a hairstylist for many years and I'm still learning about the art of color. I know a little about the color wheel and mixing combinations of pigment to get the color I'm looking for to put on a canvas. Putting it on hair is a whole different thing. We hope this Permanent Hair Dye 101 post inspires you.
Image from Depositphotos
Beware of the “gimmicks.” I was at a hair salon show once and a very popular line of hair color products was demonstrating how to put bleach on a rolling pin, apply it to the hair, and make a quick $15- $20. I walked out, totally disgusted and insulted. There are a lot of similar over-the-counter products that are a variation on an old theme. The “root touch-up” product cracks me up, like this is new and innovative? It's pricey and as big a scam as these “You have won the lottery” emails I keep getting.
Another marketing ploy is the “non-peroxide” hair color. Some temporary and semi-permanent hair colors fit that claim, but they wash out or fade out completely after a few weeks. The ones that proclaim non-peroxide still have some sort of chemical oxidizing agent that can be as damaging or even more so than peroxide. If there is any lift to the color is has some sort of developer similar to peroxide.
Then there are the products that instruct you to “put it all over the head,” or “pull the remaining color through the hair” for the last five to ten minutes. I've seen many professionals do the “pulling through the ends” bit. That's when people wind up with darker color at the root area and as you look down the hair shaft it becomes lighter and lighter till you reach the damaged blond ends. This is especially true of the lighter colors with more lift.
If you've already colored the ends why would you keep adding more color? Do the new growth ONLY- do not pull through, period. When the time is up RINSE the color out of the hair and THEN shampoo. The color going through the hair in the rinsing is enough to refresh the color.
There are times when it is necessary to put color on the ends. Sometimes it's appropriate to merely lower the strength of the developer by adding purified water or even adding a darker or lighter color to the ends of the hair to achieve a change of shade. So you see, it CAN get complicated, even for us professionals.
Another little tip- if you have a sensitive scalp, to keep the color from burning add a packet of sweet and low, or any other artificial sweetener. It does the trick! Also remember, the higher the volume of the developer, the more it will burn.
Image from Depositphotos
I care about my profession and my client's hair. When I have a new person in my chair I always ask about her hair color history, especially if I can see the tell-tale damaged ends. If she is coloring herself I inform her about the “don't pull through” rule. If she (or he in many cases) follows my directions they begin to notice a marked improvement in the condition of their hair. If they don't listen, at least I tried. Most of them decide to start having it done professionally and are glad to be out of the hit-or-miss adventures in hair coloring.
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