AT HOME HAIR COLOR ADVICE

Hair color can be used to cover gray, revive natural color or create a bold new look. Hair color can improve luster, add texture, and increase volume. Today, phenomenal color effects can be achieved in the salon, but if you just need to cover gray or change your natural color by a few shades, coloring your hair at home may be the right choice for you. Drug store hair color kits deliver excellent single processing results for minimal cost. The following information covers all the basics and will help you make an informed decision.

Professional Hair Colorist: Consistently better results will be achieved by leaving the application of color to a salon professional. Color specialists have extensive knowledge and training in hair color chemistry. Technicians mix and apply haircolor in a manner that is compatible with the client's existing hair: structure, texture, porosity, and damage.

Remember to take into consideration the expense and upkeep of color-treated hair. We've all seen the bleached blonde with dark roots effect... not an attractive look! Roots should be touched up every 4-6 weeks. And that doesn't mean re-dying, which will damage your hair over time. Retouching is the application of color to new growth at the roots only! The closer you stay within range of your natural hair color the better - if you don't want to retouch.

DIY Rules for Home Colorists: Keep it simple. Whether you just want to cover the gray, go a few shades darker or lighter, or apply a few highlights, today's advancement in drug store color kits makes at-home hair coloring one of the easiest and least expensive ways to change your look. In fact, for the sake of convenience and cost, most women choose to color their hair at home.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is only a guide. BossHairstyles.com assumes no responsibility or liability for the way this information is interpreted or used.

DIY or Salon Hair Color? It really depends upon the degree of complexity you hope to achieve as well as the health of your hair. Hair highlighting is a bit tricky and should be done in the salon. That said, the brave among you can experiment with highlighting kits sold through your local drug store.

DO NOT COLOR YOUR HAIR AT HOME IF...
•	You want drastic color effects that require the use of peroxide or special application techniques. Complex color combinations require real expertise to appear natural. These high maintenance styles also demand frequent touchups and tweaking.
•	You have permed or relaxed hair. Chemically treated hair is especially vulnerable to structural damage and drug store colorants can reek havoc on processed hair. So dyeing your hair at home is at best, risky. Instead trust your fragile follicles to salon hair color formulas specifically created for stressed hair.
•	Your hair has been damaged by sun and/or chlorine which can result in weird color effects when the hair is tinted or bleached - like green hair. This too is a risky situation that should be dealt with by a professional.
•	If your hair has multiple colors or hues. Be aware that they will absorb and reflect color differently which may result in uneven color and shading. In a salon setting each color can be treated differently to achieve hair tones that appear more uniform and complementary.

AT-HOME HAIR COLORING:  READY-SET-GO

Color Basics: Hair color mixing is based on the color wheel. Color mixing is a complex topic with many subtle nuances that we won't delve into here. This is a refresher course for beginners on the rudimentaries of color composition.

Artificial pigments are created by mixing the three primary colors of yellow, red and blue... you learned this in school, right? Before you start playing with hair colors do your homework! Study the color charts below.

Hair Color Chemistry is Based on the Color Wheel
Primary Colors	Secondary Colors	Tertiary Colors

Analogous Colors are any three colors which are side by side on a 12 part color wheel. While complementary colors are any two opposing colors. Opposing colors can either contrast or neutralize each other. Mixed in the right proportions they provide the colorist with a means to maximize or minimize hair undertones.

Black in color theory is the absence of all color, while white is the union of all colors. Black and white are used to darken and lighten other colors.

Neutral colors are obtained by mixing pure colors with either white or black, or by mixing two complementary colors. Black, white, grays, browns, and tans are neutrals that can be either warm or cool.

Hue distinguishes one color from another, saturation is the purity of a hue, and tone is the lightness or darkness of a hue. Hues can be diluted by adding black to darken or white to lighten. This process does not change the hue but does reduce its saturation. Darkening gives color a shade - lightening gives color a tint.

HAIR COLOR WHEEL

First things first. Select the level of color you want to achieve. Then choose a shade of color that compliments your natural hair color and skin tone.

Hair Color Level: Hair color is assigned a level number from 1 to 10, with 10 being the lightest and 1 being black. Black reflects the least light - platinum reflects the most.

Color Levels: 1-Black 2-Darkest Brown 3-Dark Brown 4-Brown 5-Medium Brown 6-Lightest Brown 7-Darkest Blonde 8-Medium Blonde 9-Light Blonde 10-Platinum Undertones: 1-Red 2-Red-Orange 3-Orange 4-Orange-Yellow 5-Yellow-Orange 6-Yellow 7-Light Yellow

Hair Color Undertone refers to whether a color is warm, cool, or neutral. Every color has a basic bias toward either warm or cool tones. The warm colors are red, orange and yellow. The cool colors are blue, green, and violet. 

Hair Pigment called melanin is responsible for hair color. There are two types of melanin found in hair. Eumelanin is the most common type, it gives hair brown and black shades. Phaeomelanin gives hair yellow and red colors. The total absence of pigment causes white hair.

Hair Color Saturation refers to the degree of concentration or amount of pigment in the color.

Hair Color Shade defines the level value of darkness or brightness. Basically, there are four levels: very light, medium light, dark, and black.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HAIR COLOR

The color your hair will become after using haircolor is actually a blend of your current color and the color you add. Use the color chart on the back panel of the hair color box to view the actual color that will be achieved by the mix.

Pay attention to the basic key words for hair color on the manufacturer's box: blonde, red, brown, or black. Then take note of the key words that describe the tone of that color: light, medium, dark, golden or ash. The tone or shade of a color will fall into one of the categories below.

Check the box for haircolor tone keys A=Ash B=Blue G=Gold R=Red RO=Red Orange RV=Red Violet V=Violet N=Neutral

Hair Color Tip: Pay a visit to your local wig shop and try on wigs with different hair colors. This should give you an idea of what colors look best with your skin tone. This exercise can also help you to choose a new hairstyle.

WHAT'S YOUR SKIN TONE?

In some areas of the country, "getting your colors done" is a must. What about the rest of us who don't have access to something like that? Avon Certified Beauty Advisor, Jenifer Nipps shares a simple method for determining your skin tone.

•	Warm Skin Tone: You have yellow-red undertones usually referred to as pale or ivory (light), peachy or beige (medium), tan or tawny (dark) complexion with blue, blue-green, hazel, green, amber or brown eyes.
	If your natural hair color is golden or strawberry blonde, auburn, reddish or golden brown, or black the tones that are best for you are: golden or blondes, copper or auburn reds, honey gold or chestnut browns, and mahogany. For highlights go with golden or red.
	Women with light or pale skin tones should try burgundies or deep browns. Avoid bright primary colors and ash tones.
•	Cool Skin Tone: You have blue-red or no undertones usually referred to as fair (light), rosy pink, or beige (medium), and olive, brown, or ebony (dark) skin with blue, gray, blue-green, dark green, or brown eyes.
	If your natural hair color is ash blonde, light to dark ash brown, or bluish-black the tones that are best for you are: ash to platinum blondes, ash to dark browns, slate or salt and pepper gray, and blue-black. For highlights go with plum or burgundy.
	Women with pink skin tones should first choose neutral undertones to neutralize and complement their coloring. Although ash undertones are usually suggested for cool complexions use ash blonde shades with caution because they can look very unnatural. Always do a strand test! Avoid bright red, gold, yellow, and bronze tones.
•	Neutral: You are fortunate to have a balanced skin tone. You may have any eye color, and can wear just about any hair color.

How to Select the Type of Color: Single processing dyes can be temporary, semi-permanent, demi-permanent, or permanent. They all boost the hair's color, shine and texture. As the level of color permanence increases so does the degree of damage. But the harmful effects can be minimized with proper after-color hair care.

HOW LONG DO YOU WANT THE COLOR TO LAST?

•	Temporary Hair Color: These colors, sometimes called glazing, color stains, washes, or rinses work by coating the hair with a non-peroxide color that gradually washes out and can help smooth the frizzies. Those of you with virgin hair (never colored or chemically altered) should start with temporary colors that are water-based mousses, gels, hair crayons, and color sprays which wash away with shampoo and are ideal to experiment with. Temporary color typically covers 20% of gray. The color lasts from one shampoo to the next. Although some last through 6-12 shampoos or even longer - so read labels!
•	Level 1 - Semi-Permanent Hair Color: This type of hair color can only darken your hair. It may or may not be mixed with a developer that contains a small amount of peroxide but no ammonia. Without a developer it acts on hair like temporary hair color and will last through 6-12 shampoos. With a developer it behaves like demi-permanent hair color (below) and lasts through 24-28 shampoos. Again, read the labels.
•	Level 2 - Demi-Permanent Hair Color: This type of hair color can only darken your hair. It is mixed with a developer that contains peroxide but no ammonia. May cover up to 50% of gray. The color typically lasts through 24-28 shampoos.
•	Level 3 - Permanent Hair Color: This type of hair color can either lighten or darken hair by 3-5 shades. It is mixed with a developer that contains peroxide and ammonia. Generally covers gray 100%. The color is permanent but will dull over time. New growth at the roots requires retouching after 4-8 weeks.

Now that you've done your homework: GO FOR COLOR!

GET SALON RESULTS AT HOME...
1.	Apply deep condition treatment a few days before
2.	Go just 1-2 shades lighter or darker than natural
3.	Hair should be clean and free of all product residue
4.	Make time, then make ready by gathering tools*
5.	Read directions completely, before you start
6.	Follow the instructions, don't skip or alter steps
7.	Wear the gloves provided, dye will stain skin
8.	Strand test to avoid a mishap or allergic reaction
9.	Use a kitchen timer to prevent overprocessing
10.	Record the color and shade for later retouching
11.	Never store or use leftover hair color, throw it away
12.	Use hair care products created for color-treated hair

*Tools to have ready include: old t-shirt to wear, old towel, comb, 5 plastic clips, timer, and hand mirror for back and side viewing.

Uh Oh! If the unexpected does occur, don't panic. All hair color kits have a help line. Find that phone number and ask for assistance. If that fails, don't add to your dilemma by attempting to recolor or fix the problem yourself. Call a salon, explain your situation, and ask them to recommend or schedule an appointment for you with a color specialist.

Home Hair Color Retouch: About four to eight weeks after coloring your hair it will become apparent that new growth needs to be tinted - a more tedious task than the original process. Use plastic duckbill or jaw clips to divide hair into four or five (for bangs) manageable sections.

Now unclip one section and with a comb or the applicator tip horizontally slice off a 1-inch layer of hair from the bottom and reclip the rest. Deposit color along the length of new growth and work the cream into the root area with your index finger on one side and thumb on the other. Then repeat the process slice by slice. When you finish a section reclip it and proceed to the next.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions for processing time. Some hair coloring kits come with retouch instructions or tips. Follow them for best results.

About five minutes before processing time is complete,
blend and revive hair color by combing the applied color down through the hair to the ends. Then add the unused portion of color to the rest of your hair. At the end of the five minutes rinse hair thoroughly until water runs clear.

After Color Hair Care: Use shampoos, conditioners, hair treatments, and styling products created especially for color-treated hair to maintain the color and shine for as long as possible. During the summer months protect hair from ultraviolet rays and chlorinated pools. It's best to use tepid (room temperature) water when shampooing color-treated hair. Hot water opens the cuticle and may cause hair color to fade faster.

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