Colour Your Hair Like A Pro (And Avoid A Disaster) With These Simple Tips

The one thing most women avoid doing at home is colouring their hair. First, it looks complicated and second, colouring your own hair requires basic know-how. However, you may not always want to shell out money for this expensive salon service, especially when all you need is a quick root touch-up. Follow these easy tips to colour your hair at home like a pro.

1. Choose the right shade: Avoid changing your hair colour entirely or combining two or more colours when you’re going the DIY route. You may end up looking more like the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. It’s best to stay within two shades, lighter or darker, of your current hair colour so that it looks most natural and seamless. To find a suitable shade, hold a section of your hair against the colour displayed on the dye box and match it with your hair. Remember, going darker is always safer as a lighter shade may not cover the greys.

2. Protect your skin: Most DIY hair colour jobs end up with stripes and smudges of colour on the forehead, ear tips, sideburns, and so on. They not only spoil your look but are also hard to get rid of, and the colour can be harmful for your skin too. Protect your skin from dye stains by applying oil or a thick coating of petroleum jelly along the hairline, including around your ears. Remember to wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.

3. Trial is safe: Follow the directions on the product’s packaging. If you’re trying a new colour or colouring for the first time at home, do a strand test first—apply it on a small section of your hair to see if it suits you. This will also help you decide how long you need to keep it on to achieve the right shade of dark or light.

4. How to get it right: Using the back of a styling comb, part a thin section of your hair, blow-dry style. To get an even colour from root to tip, start applying the colour from the top. Dye your roots first because they need to spend the maximum time with the colour (due to the greys), then apply the dye down through the mid-section and the ends. Go section by section slowly until you have covered your entire head and hair length.

Colouring the back of the head can be difficult; if you are standing with your wall against a mirror, you can use a handheld mirror to check if you have done it right at the back. Don’t forget to properly cover fine baby hair at the nape of the neck, on the forehead and under the ears. Let the dye sit for the recommended amount of time (as mentioned on the pack). You can use a comb to evenly distribute the colour. Once done, wash it off with a shampoo for colour-treated hair. Finish it off with a colour-protecting conditioner.

5. After-colour care: Most semi-permanent hair colours last up to 12 washes, depending on how you take care of your mane. To make the hair colour last longer and for healthier and shiner tresses, stick to sulphate-free colour-protecting shampoo and conditioner. You can use an ultra-hydrating sulphate-free mask at least once a week to prevent dryness and repair damage. Apply a nourishing hair serum after every wash. Avoid exposing your hair to the sun, especially the day you have coloured your hair as it may have a bleaching effect. If it is too hot outside and you must step out, cover your hair with a hat or a scarf.