Seven Home Hair Color Tips for Great Results

By: Nancy Faizabadi

Some hair professionals may try to discourage you from doing your own home hair color, saying that drugstore hair color 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 coloring your hair at home as long as you know a few basics about choosing the right color and applying it correctly.

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

Advice on Hair Color at Home

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

Most people can successfully color their hair at home but there are exceptions. You should get a professional color job if your hair is in poor condition - coloring dry damaged hair at home can result in uneven color. 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 color, say dark brown to platinum blonde, or you want special color effects like highlights.

2. Are drugstore hair colors just as good as salon hair color 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 coloring kits are getting better all the time and can deliver good results if used properly.

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

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

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

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

• 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 color 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 color 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 color my hair at home and hate it, what can I do? There are some home hair color products you can use to repair the damage, but it isn't easy. The problem is that if you used a home hair color kit to obtain a lighter color, your hair has been bleached and colored in a single process. So the color needs to be added back in a process called "filling" before using the final color formula. Whatever you do, don't simply buy a box of your original color and try to cover over a bad dye job... it won't work. Fixing hair color 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 color it without damaging it? If your hair has been permed or relaxed, color has to be applied carefully or it can weaken the structure of your hair. Salons have colors specially formulated for treated hair. But if you insist on home hair coloring, 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 color... now how do I keep it looking good?

You'll probably want to recolor every four to six weeks. Make a record of the hair color product and shade you used, and how long you left it on the ends and the regrowth. Use shampoos and conditioners formulated for color-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 coloring... they can lift the color.

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 http://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.

MORE ARTICLES :
Should You Get Hair Extensions
Hair Extensions GuideGet Instant Long Full and Highlighted
2005 Prom Hairstyles
Sedu Hair Styles Legend True or False
Sedu Hairstyles Howto
Sleek Hair Sedu Style
Human Hair Extensions Create Beautiful Long Hair Styles ...
Jennifer Lopez Sedu Hairstyles Icon
Synthetic Hair Extensions Create Choice Hair Styles for Fash
prom hair style 2005 formal prom hair style 2004 picture
Sedu Hairstyles Why the Sedu hair straightener is the late
Prom Hair Styles
Sedu Hair Styles Are they for real
Hair Salon Nightmares Here s How To Choose A Good One
A Guide to Hair Salon Equipment
Creating A Compelling And Useful Hair Salon Business Plan
Making the Most of Your Hair Salon Visit
Producing A Successful And Complete Hair Salon Business Plan

Index Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

MORE RESOURCES :

How To Start A Hair Salon.
Find out how easy it is to start your own hair salon with this outstanding guide. This eBook contains the greatest gold mine of easy start your own hair salon advice ever crammed into one product.

How To Stop Hair Loss Regrow Your Hair.
Unique information for men and women on how to stop hair loss and regrow hair easily naturally. Free audio download included.

The Top Twenty Five Updos For Hair You Can Do.
To show you pictures of updo hair styles ideas that will inspire you and help you find a glamorous formal updo for your special occasion.
These formal updo hairstyles can be worn at weddings, proms, elegant parties or any occasion where you want to look and feel special.

The Ultimate Hair Loss Solution.
Men - Stop hair loss, revive thinning hair, and regrow lost hair starting Now! Powerful insider secrets to restoring hair loss.

Hair Loss No More, Natural Hair Loss Treatment
You could stop and prevent male and female hair loss and strengthen, revitalize and restore thinning hair, without involving cost, treatments, products or drugs.

The Herbal Hair Regrowth Solution
An Ancient Indian Herbal Recipe. Massaged Into The Scalp Twice A Day This Amazing Tonic Promotes The Re-growth Of Lost Hair.

Healthy Hair Tips
The three stages of hair growth - You need to understand this before you can get stronger hair. What are androgens and how they affect the health of your hair.

Now We Know: The Hair Salons You Trust Patch.com By Jennifer Fisher Cut, Color, Extensions and Style by Andreas of Andreas Hogue Salon. Makeup by Marta. Photo by Nicole Thomas Photography. Last week, we asked you to tell us who you trust when it comes to local hair salons in Northbrook.

Folsom Telegraph

Hair stylist Morrow keeps locals looking good at Hoshall's Folsom Telegraph By Laura Newell, Telegraph staff writer With a cut and color, one stylist can turn a person's day from groggy to glamorous. Devon Morrow, 27, has worked at Hoshall's Salon and Spa, 6608 Folsom Auburn Road, Suite 4, Folsom, for close to six years and ...

Vanity fare Malaysia Star One can become a hair chameleon in a matter of minutes. Elite have worked with the hair salon Peek-a-Boo to come up with five variations of fibre, clay, mud and wax. With Spiky Web Fibre you can have a more defined eye-catching head of hair with ...

Ozark salon exceeds expectations Springfield News-Leader The salon opened on April 3, 2007, with Boggs as its only staffer. Since then, the salon has doubled in size and now has 10 stylists on staff. The salon and barber shop specializes in curly hair, color, cuts and nails. They also offer off-site styling ...

Sh*t Hair Stylists Say: The Video ModernSalon.com (blog) Well, folks, now there's a more recent video: "Sh*t Hair Stylists Say." Though, we have to admit, we definitely smirked and related (and maybe LOL'd a bit) to some of the racier comments (which unfortunately we do sometimes hear on the salon floor), ... and more »

1st Look Loves: Celebrity Colorist Carol Benn NBC Connecticut (blog) I got into this line of work because of my absolute love for chemistry, art, fashion and beauty. What is the best way to work with a colorist at a salon? The best way for a client to work with a colorist is to bring in photos of the hair color that she ... and more »

Who Do You Trust? Hair Salons Patch.com By Collin Czarnecki Time for a new 'do? Let your friends and neighbors recommend a great spot or sound off on your own favorite salon destinations. Getty If you need a trim, cut or even a color, who do you trust to handle your hair?

Salon La Bell sets grand opening Enumclaw Courier-Herald Patsy Bolson, Katie Pogany and Chance Nolin, along with Bell, a stylist and makeup artist, have stations at the salon. All are Gene Juarez graduates and Bolson is a colorist specialist. The salon offers cut, color, lash and hair extensions, ...

PHOTOS: Hair Cuttery Opens Salon in Lexington Center Patch.com The large chain salon has landed in Lexington looking to attract a following with the promise of walk-in convenience, name-salon quality and customer service the local leader describes as Nordstrom-like. By Patrick Ball Hair Cuttery, located at 1686 ...

Bedazzled Salon & Day Spa Rockford Register Star Located in the heart of the Roscoe area, Bedazzled Salon and Day Spa specializes in full service hair care, color service, cosmetics, and more. Our Spa also offers revitalizing Spa Treatments such as massage, facials, waxing, manicures, pedicures, ...