You may think dyeing your hair should be left to the professionals, but at-home hair color isn’t as intimidating as you might think. We asked expert colorists for their best prep and postdye hair care advice and their secrets to applying color evenly and making it last. We’ll walk you through the entire process with these 10 easy tips:
1. Select your shade:
If you’ve decided to use an at-home hair color kit, keep this in mind: “When you’re picking a color, if you’re going lighter, expect the color to be much warmer than what’s on the box,” says Nelson Chan, celebrity colorist. “If you’re going darker, the color is going to show cooler.”
Jet Rhys, owner of Jet Rhys Salons in San Diego, explains, “When using at-home hair color, the pigments are more exaggerated — for example, ash is flat, red is bright, gold is brassy. Your best bet is to pick shades that are neutral or warm. Avoid colors like magenta, cinnamon, sunflower. Instead look for butter rum, brown sugar, spiced topaz. The softer the name, the softer the result.”
Even if you think you’ve found the right shade, test it out before applying to your hair. “The best suggestion is, put it [the dye] on a little section, leave it on, and see if it’s too light, dark, or ashy — we do that at the salon all the time to test the color,” says Chan.
2. Find the right formula:
Now that you’ve found the right color, should you choose a permanent or semipermanent formula? “[It] depends on what you’re looking to do,” says Rita Hazan, celebrity colorist and owner of Rita Hazan Salon in New York City. “To go darker, use a semipermanent; to go lighter, use a permanent.” A semipermanent color will wash out in about 20 shampoos, says Rhys.
3. Deep condition for even color:
Rhys advises using a deep-conditioning treatment two weeks before dyeing your hair, because the strands are porous. “Think of a sponge with the tiny little holes — hair can become porous over time,” she says. Your hair may have been a bit abused from shampooing, heat styling, and daily wear. A mask will fill these little porous holes so that your color will be even, Rhys says.
4. Apply dye to dirty hair
In order for your hair to take color properly, don’t shampoo for one or two days before you dye, advises Chan. “Your hair cannot be too dirty or too clean,” he says. Plus, explains Michael Boychuck, of Color A Michael Boychuck Salon at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, “the natural oils protect your scalp from irritation, which can be caused by the ammonia in many dyes.
5. Avoid a messy situation.
“On your skin, use Vaseline or lotion to protect you from the color,” says Hazan. Apply a thin layer around your hairline and your ears.
Rhys also has strategies for staying mess free while you dye. “I suggest taking garbage bag liners and taping them to the wall behind you and to lay on your countertop,” she says. “Don’t apply color with a shirt on; just drape an old towel around you so you can just jump in the shower.
6. Paint (don’t squeeze) on color:
Rhys shares her step-by-step tips for applying color evenly. She says you should start by dividing your hair into four even quadrants, parting from forehead to nape and from ear to ear, “like a plus sign on your head.” Visit a beauty supply store and grab a color application brush. This allows you to apply the dye closer to the root, and the mixture will go on more evenly.
Work through the hair sections and save the hairline for the last 10 minutes. “This hair is baby fine and has the tendency to grab too dark as well as stain,” she explains. Her trick? Use a mascara wand or baby toothbrush to apply the dye around your hairline. Gently sweep the color around your hairline in an upward motion for the last 10 minutes using the mascara wand or baby brush.
7. Keep your rinse cool:
When you’re rinsing the color out, use cool water, Rhys says. The hair cuticle is lifted and the large color molecules can escape easily if the water is too warm. A cooler temperature will help seal the cuticle and prevent fading.
8. Start color-protecting in the shower:
To ensure your dye job stays vibrant for the longest amount of time possible, start by caring for your hair right after you’ve rinsed out the color. “Once the water runs clear, wash gently with a shampoo designated for color treated hair to remove any excess color from hair and scalp,” says Rhys. “Condition with the deep conditioner that is included with your box color, and leave in for five to 10 minutes to really help seal in color.”
9. Try this touch-up trick:
Boychuck offers this suggestion if you’ve got a lot of gray around the hairline that you want to touch up: Mix a capful of the hair color you’re using with a capful of peroxide. Use a cotton swab to apply this around your hairline. “It makes color last two to three weeks longer,” he says.
10. Make your shade last:
Leave-in conditioners can perform double duty, protecting your hair’s new color as well as protecting your strands from heat and styling damage, Boychuck says. If you’re going out in the sun, he advises wearing a hat or finding a hairspray with UV protection. Hazan suggests getting a trim. “If your ends are healthy, your hair looks shinier,”
1. Select your shade:
If you’ve decided to use an at-home hair color kit, keep this in mind: “When you’re picking a color, if you’re going lighter, expect the color to be much warmer than what’s on the box,” says Nelson Chan, celebrity colorist. “If you’re going darker, the color is going to show cooler.”
Jet Rhys, owner of Jet Rhys Salons in San Diego, explains, “When using at-home hair color, the pigments are more exaggerated — for example, ash is flat, red is bright, gold is brassy. Your best bet is to pick shades that are neutral or warm. Avoid colors like magenta, cinnamon, sunflower. Instead look for butter rum, brown sugar, spiced topaz. The softer the name, the softer the result.”
Even if you think you’ve found the right shade, test it out before applying to your hair. “The best suggestion is, put it [the dye] on a little section, leave it on, and see if it’s too light, dark, or ashy — we do that at the salon all the time to test the color,” says Chan.
2. Find the right formula:
Now that you’ve found the right color, should you choose a permanent or semipermanent formula? “[It] depends on what you’re looking to do,” says Rita Hazan, celebrity colorist and owner of Rita Hazan Salon in New York City. “To go darker, use a semipermanent; to go lighter, use a permanent.” A semipermanent color will wash out in about 20 shampoos, says Rhys.
3. Deep condition for even color:
Rhys advises using a deep-conditioning treatment two weeks before dyeing your hair, because the strands are porous. “Think of a sponge with the tiny little holes — hair can become porous over time,” she says. Your hair may have been a bit abused from shampooing, heat styling, and daily wear. A mask will fill these little porous holes so that your color will be even, Rhys says.
4. Apply dye to dirty hair
In order for your hair to take color properly, don’t shampoo for one or two days before you dye, advises Chan. “Your hair cannot be too dirty or too clean,” he says. Plus, explains Michael Boychuck, of Color A Michael Boychuck Salon at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, “the natural oils protect your scalp from irritation, which can be caused by the ammonia in many dyes.
5. Avoid a messy situation.
“On your skin, use Vaseline or lotion to protect you from the color,” says Hazan. Apply a thin layer around your hairline and your ears.
Rhys also has strategies for staying mess free while you dye. “I suggest taking garbage bag liners and taping them to the wall behind you and to lay on your countertop,” she says. “Don’t apply color with a shirt on; just drape an old towel around you so you can just jump in the shower.
6. Paint (don’t squeeze) on color:
Rhys shares her step-by-step tips for applying color evenly. She says you should start by dividing your hair into four even quadrants, parting from forehead to nape and from ear to ear, “like a plus sign on your head.” Visit a beauty supply store and grab a color application brush. This allows you to apply the dye closer to the root, and the mixture will go on more evenly.
Work through the hair sections and save the hairline for the last 10 minutes. “This hair is baby fine and has the tendency to grab too dark as well as stain,” she explains. Her trick? Use a mascara wand or baby toothbrush to apply the dye around your hairline. Gently sweep the color around your hairline in an upward motion for the last 10 minutes using the mascara wand or baby brush.
7. Keep your rinse cool:
When you’re rinsing the color out, use cool water, Rhys says. The hair cuticle is lifted and the large color molecules can escape easily if the water is too warm. A cooler temperature will help seal the cuticle and prevent fading.
8. Start color-protecting in the shower:
To ensure your dye job stays vibrant for the longest amount of time possible, start by caring for your hair right after you’ve rinsed out the color. “Once the water runs clear, wash gently with a shampoo designated for color treated hair to remove any excess color from hair and scalp,” says Rhys. “Condition with the deep conditioner that is included with your box color, and leave in for five to 10 minutes to really help seal in color.”
9. Try this touch-up trick:
Boychuck offers this suggestion if you’ve got a lot of gray around the hairline that you want to touch up: Mix a capful of the hair color you’re using with a capful of peroxide. Use a cotton swab to apply this around your hairline. “It makes color last two to three weeks longer,” he says.
10. Make your shade last:
Leave-in conditioners can perform double duty, protecting your hair’s new color as well as protecting your strands from heat and styling damage, Boychuck says. If you’re going out in the sun, he advises wearing a hat or finding a hairspray with UV protection. Hazan suggests getting a trim. “If your ends are healthy, your hair looks shinier,”
