Here’s a complete guide on how to color your hair at home without spending a fortune. But first, let’s get into the basics:
1. Home hair dying for stunning results
From hair chalk, strand mascara and semi-permanent color mousse to colored foams, traditional hair dye powders and easy application liquid formulas, hair color was never easier on so on-trend. Everyone loves a classy salon pamper session but thanks to the latest hair color formulas you can now get the same parlor perfection at home as long as you have the right formula and faithfully follow instructions.
2. High performance at-home colors
The right hair color can transform your looks, warm up your skin tone, cover up grays and add a sparkle to your eyes. Yet most people have suffered a DIY hair dye disaster and ended up with orange strands and dried out tips after using a dodgy formula. Luckily today there's no dearth of reliable home hair color brands such as L'Oreal Paris Casting Creme Gloss Hair Color, L'Oreal Paris Excellence Creme Hair Color, Bigen Speedy Hair Color, Revlon Colorsilk Haircolor and Garnier Color Naturals. In fact these hair colors are so high tech that they rival in-salon tints in terms of performance and finish at super affordable price points.
Check out Gillette All Over Clean Hair + Body Wash, a two-in-one hair and body shower gel, Terrake Anti-fatigue Shower Gel, a quality product for the body and face that cleanses without drying out skin, or Axe Instinct Shower Gel with a refresh fragrance that wakes you up. Opt for Gillette Face + Body Oil Control Body Wash or Nivea Energy Shower Gel For Men if you have excessively oily skin.
3. Gorgeous blends for a beautiful finish
Ahlaan Lo, proprietor Venus Salon, Mumbai says that today, hair colors are not just less damaging but more translucent, with the final hair color being a pleasing blend of natural and created tones. “Newer colors are not dense, monotone shades that look flat.
Also, there are so many ammonia-free brands like L'Oreal Paris Casting Creme Gloss Hair Color and Revlon Top Speed Haircolor that don’t have an acrid, unpleasant smell.” Others like L'Oreal Paris Excellence Creme Hair Color are enriched with pro-keratin, a naturally occurring protein to strengthen and revitalize strands from root to tip for rich, even and long lasting color.
4. Five rules of home dying
If you're ready to dye hair at home, there are five basic rules you should abide by.
- One, be conservative and don't opt for a color more than two shades darker or lighter than your original color.
- Two, position yourself so that you can see the back of your head in the mirror or enlist a friend to help color the hair at the back of your head.
- Three, sit by an open window so that you can gauge the color intensity in natural light. Four, always but always use the conditioner that comes with the formula after coloring. Use it for at least a week after coloring to prolong color and shine.
- Five, when it's time for touch ups only color the roots and comb through the rest of the hair a few minutes before the process time is up.
5. So which hair color is right for you?
Surprisingly it's one of the easiest shades to take from day to night. We'll show you how.
• Fair skinned
If you're very pale, avoid deep, dark colors like brown and black. It makes the contrast between skin and hair very stark. If your hair is already dark, try a lighter auburn or caramel honey shade of L'Oreal Paris Excellence Crème Hair Color(shades Gold Caramel, Chocolate). However, if you want to go dark, try a burgundy or mahogany that brings out deep red undertones and softens the color. Take your pick from L'Oreal Paris Excellence Crème Hair Color (Shades Natural Darkest Brown, Deep Plum and Burgundy)
• Medium/Wheatish complexion
Olive skin tone—the vast majority of Indians—look ghastly in brassy red or copper hues that can make the skin look sallow and jaundiced. Nykaa makeup expert Ojas Rajani suggests a deep mahogany base that warms up the skin tone. Nykaa recommends no-ammonia L'Oreal Paris Casting Crème Gloss for shimmering tones and a glossy shine. Check out Shades Dark Brown, Praline, Mahogany and Plum. Or go with Shades Deep Burgundy or Dark Brown in Revlon Colorsilk Haircolor. Rajani suggests adding some caramel honey highlights to offset the global color.
• Dusky skin tones
Going too light can make your hair color look brassy and unnatural. Ideally your hair color should be just a couple of shades lighter than your natural color to lift your hair tint and put some color into your skin. Some options include Garnier Color Naturals (Shades Black Cherry, Crimson Promise, Darkest Brown and Copper Reds), and Bigen Powder Hair Color (Shade Black Brown). To break the monotony, try weaving in caramel or cinnamon highlights to add sparkle to your looks.
• Gray gray everywhere
Healthy, glossy whites look stunning on all skin tones. Use a gentle clarifying shampoo like Schwarzkopf Essensity Moisture Shampoo or Sebamed Everyday Shampoo and avoid styling products with alcohol because they can dull silver strands. Instead slather in a silicone serum like Paul Mitchell Hair Repair Treatment over dry hair for extra shimmer.
6. Forewarned is forearmed
•Before you set off on your great color job, keep some tools handy to avoid spills and stains.
• Use a paintbrush to apply the formula if you're only touching up roots or if you have short hair. The ideal brush should be two inches wide.
• Keep a mixing ceramic or plastic bowl handy to swirl the dye as well as some plastic clips to hold back hair as you work the dye through each section.
• A rattail comb like Denman D-19 Tail Comb will come in handy too. Use the narrow pointed handle to divide hair into even sections, and the comb to distribute the dye. Surprisingly it's one of the easiest shades to take from day to night. We'll show you how.
7. Keep stains and spills at bay
• Cover your shoulders with a dark towel and keep an alcohol-based facial toner like VLCC Punernava Astringent at hand to wipe off hair color stains from clothes, skin and the floor.
• Smooth Vaseline Germsafe Petroleum Jelly along your hairline, on your ears, and on the back of your neck to create a stain-proof barrier.
• If you're going darker, start applying color on front sections (where it's usually the lightest) first and then tackle the sides. Conversely, if you're lightening up, start at the back.
8. The ultimate strand test
A strand test is highly recommended before you jump in headlong. A strand test helps you decide whether the color looks good on you and how long you need to keep the dye in.
Ahlaan suggests dying a section of hair a quarter to half-an-inch wide just above your ear so that you can see the color against your skin. Pick a section under your top strands. “Wipe off the color in half the time it says on the box and check it against natural light to see if you’re happy with it.” If not, she recommends, reapplying color for another 15 minutes and checking again. “This way you’ll commit your hair to a color that you really like” she explains.
