When time or money doesn’t allow you the pampering of salon color, you’ll find that at home hair coloring preparations are both affordable and easy to use.
Be prepared.
- Start healthy: Deep condition your hair. Then wait a couple of days after shampooing to give the natural oils in your scalp time to resurface. They’ll help protect your skin from chemical reactions, help your hair color to set better, and give you more uniform results overall.
- Put your toolkit together. Wear an old t-shirt and gather up some older towels and washcloths that you won’t miss if they get stained. Include some hair clips for sectioning your hair, have a timer handy and find a hand mirror so that you can see the back of your head.
- While you wait, take some time to getting to know the density of your hair. Practice sectioning before you have to handle your hair in one hand and an applicator bottle in the other!
Hair Color Espresso – Perk up black or brown hair with a strong cup of dark grind coffee or espresso. Brew, cool and add it to your dry hair. Shampoo after 30 minutes.
Nuts about Hair Color – Add sparkle to dark hair with walnuts. Boil one cup of chopped walnuts with one cup of water. Cool, strain, and pour it on! Shampoo after 30 minutes.
Hair Color to a Tea – To add highlights to dark hair, brew a cup of strong dark tea and use it as a final rinse after shampooing.
Spray or comb a cup of strong chamomile tea into blond or light brown hair. Leave on for twenty minutes, shampoo and rinse.
Put Some Punch in Your Hair Color with Fruit Juices – Of course, you probably know that lemon juice lightens, but did you know that using ½ cup of cranberry juice as a final rinse will give a lift to red hair and add subtle red highlights to dark hair?
Special Hair Coloring Tips for Long Hair, Gray Hair, Natural Curls and Waves
Long hair: Four hands are better than two when coloring long hair. Get a friend to help you with at home hair color.
The ends of long hair are more porous than the rest of the hair shaft. In addition, because your body’s natural heat works to speed up the process of hair coloring, start color application in the mid-lengths of long hair and work the color up to the roots and down to ends.
If your hair is thick as well as long, because of process time, it may be best to color it in sections.
Natural curls and waves: Experts generally advise against using permanent hair color on naturally curly or wavy hair. Any type of chemical treatment can impact natural curly or wavy hair. If your hair is already dry because of straightening or relaxing, the addition of more chemicals can result in worse damage. In addition, semi-permanent colors give you richer color that won’t fade like permanent color does.
Gray Hair: Hair turns gray or white when the hair shafts lose pigment. These shafts tend to be coarser and less porous, making it more difficult to set hair color. Before coloring, soften gray hair with a special softening shampoo or developer. Choose a color at least one shade darker than your expected result. Keep the hair color on your hair for at least 35 minutes.
Healthy Hair – Hair Coloring Tips
Shampoo that’s made for color treated hair keeps your hair color soft and natural looking. Regular shampoos can strip color and natural moisture from your hair.
Install a water filter for your shower or bath. Besides frequently being treated with chemicals, tap water coming through old plumbing contains undesirable elements like rust that leave your new hair color flat and dull looking.
Deep condition regularly – at least every two weeks – to restore moisture and shine to color treated hair. As roots grow out, a color enhancing conditioner will help your natural hair color blend with your color treated hair.
After shampooing, always blot your hair dry. Don’t rub hair dry or wrap it in a tight turban. When using a blow dryer, dry your head– not your hair. Over drying hair strips it of moisture and also results in static.
Never use a brush on wet hair. Work through tangles with a wide tooth comb, starting with the ends and moving to your scalp.
Conditioners that you leave in your hair often contain sunscreen and help protect your hair color from fading.
Wetting your hair with bottled spring water helps to shield it from the harsh swimming pool chemicals.
