Hair salons are slowly getting back to business, and many of us have decided to do as much hair care at home as possible. Even before this pandemic-driven trend, an estimated 65% of women who dye their hair do so at home.
I don't like putting chemicals in my hair, so I favor natural hair dyes. However, if you need extra coverage and want to dye your hair yourself, here are some tips to help you do it safely.
- Some things should be left to the professionals! The best solution is to aim for a neutral color that will be more forgiving in the event of an accident. As a general rule, avoid choosing two shades darker or one shade lighter than your current color.
- This advice is crucial. If you overlap the colors, you'll get a dark band in that area. No one wants this look! Be sure not to overlap the new color over the old one.
- No matter what it says on the box, the hair color is ruining it. Minimize damage and leave color on for less time than recommended in instructions, and NEVER leave color on longer than directed.
- Semi-permanent (or demi-permanent) hair dyes are the best hair color treatments to use at home. If you make a mistake in your application, it will eventually wash out and these treatments are generally easier to use. The main reason I recommend at-home semi-permanent hair color is that you get great color, coverage, and shine, but you won't have all of the hair damage that permanent hair color treatments cause.
- Lighting makes all the difference and the fluorescent lights we have around the house often don't do your hair color justice. Natural light outdoors will give you a truer reading of your hair color. Go out with a mirror or your phone and judge your hair color by the sunlight.
- Applying a light color over a dark color will not lighten your hair. Lightening your hair can only be achieved through a color removal (bleaching) process. This is best left to a professional colorist and it will undoubtedly damage your hair.
- If your hair normally has a wave or curl and looks straighter after being dyed, that's a bad sign. Your hair has been damaged, either because you left the color on too long or because the color was reapplied to previously colored hair and not just the roots that have grown out.
So there you have it, ladies! It is possible to dye your hair at home safely, but it should not be taken lightly as it is a chemical procedure that can permanently damage your hair. Have you ever tried to dye your hair at home in the past? If yes, how did it happen? Are you going to dye your hair more often because of your social distancing?
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