The variety, colours and techniques that are now available make experimenting with your hair colour easier and more appealing than ever. There were some great tips in our last article on ‘Some Great Ways to Protect Your Colour Treated Hair’ and if you go to an expert hair colourist who uses professional colours (dyes) that protect the natural properties of your hair, then it’s safe to dye your hair quite regularly and still maintain its moisture and vitality.
You should consult at length with your hairdresser on the types of colours and techniques that will retain the moisture and elasticity of your hair and minimise the likelihood of hair damage. Options like low-impact hair colours, and low-ammonia hair colour gloss or hair colour glaze will have the least impact and balayage, ombré highlights and foils are also great because they don’t need to be touched up as frequently. Once you’ve coloured your hair, take your hairdresser’s advice on how best to take care and maintain your hair colour.
Managing your budget
If you are going for a bold new colour then that’s very exciting. There’s no doubt that a new colour can be a new lease on life and one of the benefits can be greater self confidence. But the bigger the change from your existing or natural colour the greater the process and the higher expense.
Many people are not aware that the more radical changes in colour such as dark brown to vanilla blonde for example, will require a number of processes and the new hair growth will require touching up every three to five weeks. That’s going to be more expensive than going a shade or two lighter or darker than your existing or natural hair colour.
Obviously the length of your hair will also have something to do with the amount of maintenance your hair needs. Long hair would require more work than shorter hair. Expense isn’t everything but it is a consideration that you need to factor into your decision making.
Shades and Grey
Grey hair tends to be more coarse and wiry and therefore more resistant to hair colour formulas which can add one or more additional steps to the colouring process. Again, budget is a consideration because some treatments may require more maintenance than others. It’s important to consult on the different options that are available and how much time and money you have to tend to the maintenance of your hair colour. The level of maintenance that you are able to commit to may be a major factor in your choice of colour.
Are you in for the long haul or just experimenting?
Permanent hair colour, demi-permanent hair colour, semi-permanent hair colour— all reflect your commitment to the colour you intend to put into your hair. Often we like the idea of a particular colour or tone but we’re just not completely convinced that it’s the colour we want our hair to be forever. If you aren’t totally committed to your hair colour then it’s best to go with a semi permanent colour to be certain that the colour and the shade of colour is exactly what you want. A demi permanent colour lasts about 24 washes and a semi-permanent colour lasts about eight to 10 washes.
Hair masks and hair protection products
If you often go swimming in saltwater or chlorine or even just have sun exposure of uv rays to your hair you should protect your hair by coating it with a hair mask before you jump in the pool or use a heat protection product before you go out in the sun.
The same applies if you plan on using heat for curling or styling – set your thermal styling tools to the lowest temperature possible for your hair type, and always use heat protection hair products.
Olaplex is a great product that limits the damage to hair during and after colouring.
Choosing a colour that suits your complexion
Every hair colour can be created in a shade or tone that suits your complexion and your personality. We all fall into the categories of either cool, warm or neutral skin tones. To test which one you are there’s a simple test. Look at the veins on the underside of your arm. If they’re predominantly blue, you’re cool. If they’re predominantly green, you’re warm. If they’re blue-green, you’re neutral.
If you want to colour your hair to best suit your skin tone and you have a cool complexion, colours often have the terms ash or platinum in them. For warmer shades it’s golden or mahogany and neutral shades have the luxury of looking great with pretty much any colour.
Elle J is an award winning Sydney hair salon with a combined industry experience of more than 70 years. If you are considering a new colour for your hair then contact us and we’ll talk you through all of the options to ensure your choice of colour reflects both your personality and complexion.