Whether you want to liven up dull hair color or you want to hide gray hair, hair coloring is a perfect solution to both. It gives hair that extra shine and perk no ordinary shampoo can ever offer. However, there are important things you should remember in hair coloring, as some hair dyes can damage and dry out your hair. You can even be left with a horrible color that you want to wear a hat every time you go out. It can literally make or break you.

- The Basics -

1. Pick a pigment that is one shade darker than the desired color

The color from the bottle won't necessarily look the same under fluorescent and natural light because a particular pigment is made up of various combinations. Color has tones - warm or cool. Warm colors, composed of red, orange and yellow are used for highlighting and cool or ash colors are blue, violet and green.

2. Consult a color wheel

Selecting a color opposite on the color wheel to your natural color will cancel out each other, giving you a more subdued hair color. This can be useful if you have a naturally bright hair color like blonde or red. Oppositely, if you wish to liven up your color, pick a color that is similar to your current hair pigment to enhance your color. As an added benefit, when the color comes out, the new hair coming in won't be as noticably different in color.

3. Determine your hair level

Before buying, you can fine tune your appropriate hair color by using a color swatch that lets you see your hair’s level. Identify your hair level. Consider your skin tone, eye color and what color you want to change your hair into.

There are different types of hair colors available:

• Gels
   
• Tubes
   
• Creams
   
• Shampoos

The following is a guide in choosing what type is appropriate for you and your needs:

Permanent hair color

Permanant hair color specifically cannot be removed easily, although it will fade eventually. Your hair’snatural color pigments will be chemically altered once you have applied this, so be careful in doing so. It is recommended that you leave this one to the pros as it may take a trip or two to the saloon to perfect this job. With the growth of new hair, however, the delineation between the colored and gray hair is very noticeable.

In comparison, single process color involves a single step in depositing the color in your hair. It is also the best type for those who want to try hair coloring at home.

Lastly, semi-permanent is most appropriate for amateur’s who have gray hair because the colors can only darken the hair. It can boost shine and volume, plus it will help tame frizz and split ends. It is the safest type for people who want to have a new do.

Tips:

• Make sure you apply conditioner a week before hair coloring. This will make your hair more manageable when parting your hair into thin parts depending on the volume and density of your hair.
   
• Do a strand test first! Apply the color on a few strands. Remember to let it dry thoroughly to see the actual color. It will give you a sample of what color your hair will look like. If you don’t like what you see, at least you see it on only one strand, not your whole head! You can do alterations - add warm or cool colors depending on what color you want to achieve. A couple of strand tests will do the trick.
   
• Apply color to the mid lengths from about 1 inch from the scalp and then the ends. Follow this procedure because the scalp will process faster due to the heat of the body and the insulating effect of long hair on the scalp.
   
• Follow the instructions if you bought a hair coloring kit. The ends of your hair are porous, which can make it darker than the rest of your colored hair. Apply color mixture after letting the rest of the parts dry.
   
• If the color is fading too quickly, apply a clear filler to decrease the porosity of your hair. After coloring, using cold water to shampoo and condition your hair will preserve its color.

When in doubt or if the color change you want to achieve is drastic (from black to blonde hair), consult a professional or you might end up a walking disaster.

By John Morris

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