There’s more than the skill of the colourist in strutting out of the hair salon with your best colour job ever. You can play an active role in finding and keeping a colour you’re happy with — and it includes being flexible and realistic, as well as having smarts and the right hair tools.
A great hair colour job makes you feel like a million bucks, but a bad dye job? You just want to hide from the world. Here’s how to help ensure you’re happy with your hair colour.
Use products designed for your hair
Don’t just use the generic 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner your husband’s using. Your hair needs products created especially for colour-treated hair and your hair type. They’re gentler and will be more acidic in pH levels, which will help prolong your fantastic colour job. Also, since your hair colour (along with any heat styling tools you’re using) can weaken your hair, be sure to use heat-protectant sprays before flat-ironing, and give it some extra TLC with a weekly masque.
Get a colourist who knows how to work with your hair colour and type
Ask friends with great hair colour (or even that stranger on the street) where they go to get their hair done. But don’t let your research stop there. Book a free consultation with a recommended colourist and meet with her or him to find out if she or he has worked with hair such as yours (perhaps they specialize in blondes, and you’re a redhead). Ask what the colourist envisions on you. If you see eye to eye and feel comfortable with the person, then book your appointment.
When choosing a new hair colour, be realistic
If you’re doing a colour job at home on your own, you should only be going two shades lighter or darker (anything more drastic will require the help of a colour pro). And if you’ve fallen in love with a celebrity’s hair colour, remember that their skin tone, hair texture, haircut and attitude all come into play. Be prepared for disappointment when you try the colour on yourself.
Be open to subtle changes even if you love your hair colour
You may have found the hair colour of your dreams and plan to return to it time and time again; but, much like how your makeup colours will change with the seasons, so should your hair colour. This is not the time to be stubborn. Be open to something deeper in the colder months, with brighter shades in the spring and summer. Your expert colourist can help guide you through this and will keep you looking current.
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