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Hair Color Guide

The Process of Dyeing - Step by Step

Hair color guide walks you through the process and techniques of dyeing at home, step by step.

It's here to make sure that you sail safe and flawless through the procedure proper, once you open the box.

It's a handy reference for you if you are a beginner in coloring at home and a refresher for you if you are an avid dyer.

So… you've been working up the courage for months, maybe years, to either try out a new hair color, or try a color for the first time.

It seems so easy to do and you've seen all the commercials on TV. However, you wonder if applying your own hair color really was that simple!

Hair Color Guide and the Bits of the Color Riddle

Colors are exciting… and a tee-hee! The process of coloring your own hair either looks quite simple! But learning how to color to a T is a bit of work.

Also, I must remind you of the fact that reading this guide alone is not enough to avoid the dreaded color mayhem.

And neither was it good enough to teach me how to cook! ;-)

Avoiding color mayhem, demands a more wholesome approach. (Which we will discuss below)

If you ask me… dyeing to a T involves learning at two ends. One end being the art of dyeing and the other, the science of dyeing. (Elaborated in more details in Chapter 1 the Preface)

Yes… you cannot quit the schools yet! There is an art and a science involved in dyeing for good.

And you can say this page of the hair color guide stands midway between the art and science parts of dyeing.

For now however, let us keep focused and proceed with our hair color guide that deals with the process and techniques proper for dyeing.

Note: Steps 1-3 are a quick reminder if you have landed directly on this page. You can omit reading them if you are following our home hair dyeing tutorial in the sequence of chapters as instructed.

Going to Pick Your Color

Hair color guide - step 1

First, you have to have some clarity about a couple of things. You need to know the condition of your hair and you need to know what color hair dye would work for you.

Knowing the condition of your hair makes a difference, because it will determine how well your hair will accept the dye and how well the color will turn out.

Healthy, conditioned hair is the best type of hair to make any chemical changes to.

Now if you have dry and damaged hair, the color might not take correctly. Even worse, your hair could break or fall out! If you have sores on your scalp, your scalp could burn and become permanently damaged, stunting hair growth.

One must never underestimate the fact that coloring your hair is a chemical process.

• In permanent hair dyes, the primary chemicals that are used are ammonia and peroxide.
• With demi-permanent color, there is no ammonia, but peroxide and other chemicals are used.
• Semi-permanent colors and temporary colors use fewer chemicals, but still contain chemicals.

Getting Real

Hair color guide - step 2

Scary stuff aside and considering that your hair is at least pretty healthy, you need to figure out what color would work out best for you.

Just because you like a certain hair color on someone else, doesn't mean that it will work out for you.

Also, just because a certain hair color looks good on the box, doesn't mean that it will turn out exactly the same on you.

So how do you figure out what hair color works for you?

One tip is to go by your eye color. If you have warm flints in your eyes, a warm haircolor would accent this. If you have blue eyes, or cool flints, ashy colors might work for.

You could also determine a great hair color by the undertones of the skin on your face.

People tend to either have warm undertones, like gold, orange, or red. Or they have cool undertones, like pink, olive, or lilac. So again, warm hair color compliments warm undertones. Ashy or neutral hair color compliments cool undertones.

Choose Me!

Hair color guide - step 3

Okay, so you've figured out the range of color that might work for you. Now it's time to hit the store.

You go to the hair care section. Here's something else to keep in mind. Don't go too drastic coloring at home, especially your first time out.

Leave that head-turning, complex color to the professionals. You're just going for a slight lift, or an enrichment of your own color. At least, this should be your goal.

You pick out the brand and color that meets your needs and your level of hair health. You need to also pick out some other items, such as gloves and a good conditioner.

It's that Time

Hair color guide - step 4

Before anything else, make sure that you are all ready with the tools of the trade beside you i.e. bowl, towel, gloves, mirror, Vaseline gel, hair clips and your timer… and here arrives the time to cook and I assume that you know how to? ;-)

So, now you're home in the bathroom in front of the mirror. Wait! Don't make your hair wet and don't irritate or scratch your scalp! The color won't dye wet hair and a scratchy scalp burns. Again, this is a chemical process.

Now, the first thing you need to do is an allergy test. Most allergy test call for you mixing the dye together, putting it on the crook (inside) of your elbow and waiting 24-48 hours to make sure that you don't have an allergic reaction.

Having said this, most people don't want to wait this long. You should do the allergy test, but if you don't… proceed at your own risk!

Let's Get Crackin' - The Technique

Hair color guide - step 5

So finally you've decided to proceed… Well, drum rolls first… and here's what you are supposed to do next.

Take your hair and part it in four parts if you have long hair.

If not, pick it up and in any case, start applying the dye at the roots of your hair.

You should apply the color from the roots and work down to the tips. This is for people with "virgin" hair color. If you already have hair color, only do the roots.

Next, read the instructions carefully to find out how long to leave the color on. DON'T leave the color on longer than instructed, nor should you rinse it off shorter than instructed, unless you are having any irritation, burning, or any reactions. In this case, rinse that stuff out immediately!

OMG! Time to Rinse

Hair color guide - step 6

Now, it's time to rinse your hair. Don't use scalding hot water, because it will hurt your scalp.

Tada… you got your dream color right… Congratulations then!

Sometimes though looking in the mirror you feel like the color you've got isn't the color on the box. There are two main reasons for this.

• One, your hair is always darker when it's wet. You won't see the full benefits of the color until it's dry.
• Second, your hair color is going to be unique to you. While the color will be very similar to what is on the box, there most likely will be some variation.

And Finally

Hair color guide - The final step

Assuming all went well, you just need to leave a nice conditioner on your hair.

Conditioning your hair will soften the hair shaft and offset any chemical damage done during the coloring process.

Now you're all done! Try not to use a blow dryer at first, so that you aren't drying the precious moisture out of your hair. Maybe you can wear it curly, wavy, or back in a pony tail for the day.

And that's it. Go forth and rock that new hair color!

Hope this hair color guide helps you enough to sail safe in your home hair coloring venture. I wish you nothing but the exact look you are craving for!

Click here for more articles, tips and techniques on hair dyeing.

And do not forget to share your good, bad, funny or 'OMG!' experiences while dyeing at home or in a salon. Tell your story and get feedback, kudos or further insights from other coloristas and colorists who visit this page.

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