Do it yourself hair color is a snap with these tips

Coloring your hair at home can be a challenge, but ending up with a beautiful shade is easy if you follow these tips.

For home hair coloring success, you have to pick the right shade for you-in the correct hair color category. But the biggest challenge is the application. It’s here where home hair coloring users make the most mistakes by over-or under-processing, creating horrible looking high lights, overlapping hair color when doing a root retouch, failing to consider gray or simply not being able to reach the back of their heads. Here are some tips for getting the perfect home hair color.

Shade Selection

First, understand what you’ve got and where you want to go. If you have dark brown hair, you can’t go blonde with box hair color. If you’re a redhead who wants to be a cool or ash blonde, you’ll never be able to get out all the red under-tones. But if you want to go from mousey brown to a rich red or a deep sable hair color, no problem.

To choose a specific hair color, decide if your skin tone is warm or cool. Hold a pink, then an orange scarf against your face. It’ll be obvious which hair color looks best with your skin tone and which clashes with it. If the pink looks best on you, you have cool skin tones in your skin; if you look best in orange, your tones are warm. (for more information on skin tones visit my article “What Color are You?”) Always choose a hair coloring product that’s compatible with your skin tone. For warm shades, look for words like “warm” or “golden” on the box. For cool colors, look for “cool” or “ash” shades. When you see a box with a hair color you like on the front, always check the back of the box to see how the color will look when put over your existing hair color.

Ready to commit?

“DIY Home Hair Coloring Done Right”Home hair coloring products are either temporary, semi-permanent, tone-on-tone or permanent hair color. If you’re a blonde, avoid bright temporary hair colors; they won’t wash out. Semi-permanent hair color lasts 6 to 12 shampoos, tone-on-tone shades last 12 to 24 shampoos, while permanent hair color lasts for months and months, although it will fade. However, these are not strict guidelines that are true all of the time. If your hair is very light in color or very porous, semi-permanent hair color will last lots longer. In fact, it may never entirely fade away. If you’re in the sun a great deal, shampoo frequently, work out daily and perspire, or if you choose a red hair color shade, tone-on-tone colors won’t last as long, and permanent hair color will lose its original luster faster.

More than commitment comes into play when choosing the correct hair color category; intent matters, too. If you want to go lighter, only a permanent hair color can give you what you want. In general, home permanent hair coloring only lightens a few shades. If you want to go darker, it’s lots easier, but keep in mind that if your hair is permed, chemically straightened or damaged, the hair color will take fast and last longer.

Easy Application

Don’t try home hair coloring when you’re in a hurry. Take time to gather all your tools, including combs, clips and a timer. Do a test strand first on a one-inch piece of hair that’s hidden under your nape. If you like the result, go ahead, following the directions on the box and using the same timing you did for the test strand.

Apply hair color systematically, working from the bottom up, taking fine sections and thoroughly saturating them. When the timer goes off, rinse thoroughly, then shampoo and condition.

Root retouches give most women trouble. The keys to success:

• Part your hair in four sections, from the front hairline to the nape and from ear-to-ear, across the top of the head. Clip the sections in place.
• Mix the hair coloring product according to the manufacturer’s directions.
• Apply the applicator nozzle to your scalp and squeeze the hair color onto the roots. Work through each section in very small sub-sections, using your glove-covered fingers to massage the hair color up to where roots end and the old hair color begins. Color all the sections in the same systematic manner.
• If you have product left, work it through the rest of your hair just five minutes before the timer goes off.

If you chose the right shade for you and applied hair color carefully, chances are you’ll be thrilled with your DIY home hair coloring. If you don’t like the results, don’t try to fix the color on your own. Now, you’re getting into complex chemistry that only a professional hair colorist can control.

Don’t miss our complete guide to hair coloring for more in-depth information.

Make sure you check out my other hair skin tone articles:

• Tips for Finding Your Best Hair Colors for Your Skin Tone
• What hair color skin tone?
• The Right Hair Colors for Your Skin Tone
• Best Hair Colors for Your Skin Tone
• How to Match Skin Tones and Hair Colors
• What Hair Color is Best for My Skin Tone?

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Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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Make Up and Hair

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Match your make up and your hair

“Make Up and
Hair Match up”No matter what cut, hair color or length they’ve got, most women are dying to discover the best way to do their make up and hair! Dara Klein, a NYC-based freelance make up and design artist (visit her website at daramascara.com), explains how to use make up and complement-not compete with your hair.

• Make Up and Hair Match up Tip~~“When you’ve got long hair that’s usually pulled back off the face-with or without bangs” Klein says that really clean brows and skin are a must.

• Make Up and Hair Match up Tip~~“Women with short hair tend to find accessorizing with make up much easier,” says the make up and hair pro. “Now that there’s not as much hair to overtake the face, try wearing a brighter fuchsia or red lipstick to add ultra femininity to your look.”

• Make Up and Hair Match up Tip~~“Women with bangs should rock dark, sexy eye make up. “It’s all about the smoky eye, a  a La Chrissie Hynde. Eye-skimming bangs take on a rock and roll edge-emphasize this with a dark charcoal or black-rimmed eye,” advises Klein. “Make sure to smudge and blend at the lash line to keep the look modern and not dated.”

This Make up and Hair article courtesy of Harris Publications

Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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Stay Fresh Secrets to Avoid Hair Color Fade

Whether you have your hair color done professionally or you do it at home, a fresh new hair color can be such a boost! But unfortunately, all hair color fades with time. Here, celebrity hairdresser Marc Anthony of Toronto, founder of the Marc Anthony Brilliant Color line of products, provides tips on keeping your hair color fade to a minimum.“Tips to Avoid
Hair Color Fade”

• Hair Color Fade Tip~~Use warm water when shampooing to open the hair cuticle. Then, rinse with cool water, which closes the cuticle down again. This helps seal in color and shine.

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• Hair Color Fade Tip~~Take precautions when you’re in the sun. Always wear a hat to help prevent sun damage, and use hair care products with UV protectants to further protect your hair color fading from dangerous rays.

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• Hair Color Fade Tip~~When choosing a hair color, keep in mind that red hair colors fade the fastest

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• Hair Color Fade Tip~~Use products that are tailor-made for color-treated hair, like Brilliant Color Color Lock Shampoo & Conditioner, Moisture Gloss Shampoo & Conditioner, Daily Drops and Diamond Shine.

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• Hair Color Fade Tip~~When having your roots re-touched, don’t run the hair dye through your ends. Instead, during the last five minutes, add water and “shampoo” the hair color through your hair. “Too much hair color on the ends will create build-up, which reduces shine,” says Anthony.

Visit marcanthony.com for information on Anthony’s Brilliant Color and True Professional products.

Hair color fade article courtesy of Harris Publications

Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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