Hair color 101

2014 resolution: update the blog more regularly! So here it is my first post in 2014, I would like to discuss about lighten your hair color. But! Before doing so, there a few things you should consider, especially if you're coloring your hair for the first time.

Commitment

Temporary / Permanent?

Temporary color is less harmful for the hair too since it coats the strands and will wash out over time(from five to seven weeks). It is best for people who is afraid with the commitment and looking for subtle change from light to dark color. So yeah, not recommended for lightening your hair, it wont work.

So if you love the color will be permanent until your root grows(around four to six weeks), choose the permanent one! Permanent coloring usually contain amonia that open up the strands then deposit the color in, some of them also contain bleach(peroxide) that take off natural hair color. Since it's more damaging to the hair (scalps too!), it require more love to maintain the healthiness and the color brightness.

Choosing the color that suit you best

Quick selection guide

Whether the reason is to compliment your skin tone, subtle natural change or for extreme makeover, you should read this and this. Another thing they didn't mention but I find quite important; you should adjust the change with your make-up regime. The more natural color you choose, the less makeup you can put, or else you will look pale and not so presentable-looking. Also, opt to change the color gradually if you want it to extreme; from black, to brunette, then blond, or else it will very very damaging to your hair.

(side note; I'm super sad that the fact ash tone color that I love most make me pale)

Check for allergies and rash

I cannot emphasize enough why you should not skip this. First things first, health over beauty! Not that I've experienced it myself but my friend got a really bad rash that made her whole face swollen and she need to be admitted to hospital. And you know what, she did the coloring in a top notch salon! So yeah, make sure you test with the product you're going to use, wait for 48 hours and if everything is okay, then you're good to go! Since every products has different formula, its better to always do the test when you change the brands/series. Click here on how to test.

(side note: I actually want to show on how the rashes look like but it's quite scary, so if you're that curious please take it on your own risk with search words: "hair dye allergy")

Commit the coloring!

Depending on your budget and preferred convenient, you can choose to color it yourself at home or with professional at salon.

Choosing home-dyed products is costing you less fortune and less time to develop the color but if you pick the wrong products, the color won't show up, can be stressful to apply, and most likely will turn up uneven. Home boxed products also only limit you to certain shades. I'm personally would love to have ash brown but it's not possible to do it without the professional *sigh*

Salon? You get to sit down and relax, choose whatever color you like and consultation with the professional. However, some color need a pre-bleached hair thus you can end up hours in salon and it's rather expensive.

Tips; Dont wash your hair 24 hours before coloring. The natural oils can act as a barrier that protect your scalp from the harsh chemical you're putting.

Post-Color thought

Maintaining the color

Even with the permanent one, the color you got once its done colored will fade over time, unlike the temporary one, the permanent color will turn brassy and not nice if you dont attend it right. So, you might want to change your hair treatment at home too; from color-specific products (shampoo matter most in this topic!), conditioner, and additional serum or mask. The first 2 weeks after coloring is the most crucial time to determine if the color will last long depending how you treat them. Even if the color last with just any shampoo or conditioner, you still want to get a healthy looking dyed hair right? Damaged hair will get you into trouble in future when you want to recolor it, the color wont sip in and just worsen the hair condition. Another thing to think about commitment and budget for future treatment (beside just coloring your hair).

( FYI; I use Redken All Soft if you're that curious, since I love it so much since late 2011 up until now, I think it deserve a review post ;D )  

Matching the eyebrow

Especially if you went for extreme change, you should adjust the color of your eyebrow to the new hair color too. The rule of thumbs is 2 shades lighter for dark tone and 2 shades darker for light color. If you want to lighten the hair just a bit (your new hair color still in dark tone but your eyebrow just too black), I'd recommend to use lighter color eyebrow mascara on topped eyebrow pencil/shadow rather bleaching your eyebrow. I'd say that eyebrow bleaching will helps if you have blond hair. I personally tried to put less chemical to eyebrow, since once you get older you will have less and for the fact if you over-plucked them, some aren't going back to regrow.

It does turn brassy, what do i do?

Another option beside re-color the hair is, to find a color-enhancing shampoo and conditioner that has blue or purple color. The lighter hair you have, the more brassy-prone it will, so if your hair is still quite dark, don't worry about purchasing the products.

Regretting the color and would like to turn back

I have to emphasize it that you should wait at least 3 days(a week will be better) to recolor to minimize the damage. If budget isn't your problem, please do seek the professional. 

Much love,

Mel