Get in the shade with Pure Beauty’s home hair colouring masterclass
Before Colouring
The key to gorgeous, natural-looking hair colour is to select the right shade to suit your natural features. Legendary hair colourist Jo Hansford, known as ‘the first lady of colour’, says: “You must consider your skin tone and eye colour when deciding to change your shade. The wrong hair colour can make skin look dull and washed out. As a general rule, blonde hair looks best on fair skin with blue or green eyes, but not if your skin has a pink undertone. Red hair suits fair, porcelain skin; do not go red if you have a highly coloured complexion. For cream, olive and darker skin, brunette hair is a perfect fit. I also recommend trying on a wig in your chosen colour before deciding on a dramatic change.” Celebrity hairdresser, co-founder of Lockonego and nice ’n easy colour adviser, Jonathan Long, adds: “I would always recommend staying within one to three shades of your current base colour when colouring hair at home. For more drastic results, it’s best to visit a salon.”
Deciding on the shade is only one part of the pre-colouring process; choosing the right variant is equally important. Temporary, semi-permanent and permanent colourants perform in different ways and require varying levels of colour commitment. Anita Cox-McMillan, Schwarzkopf global colour ambassador, explains: “Temporary colours lie on top of the hair and wash out instantly. They do not cover grey brilliantly and are normally used for refreshing colour. Semi-permanent colours last about seven to ten washes. They will cover grey a little but they wash out quickly. These colours can darken and add tone but will not usually lighten the hair. Tone-on-tone colours last up to 28 washes and are great for subtle colour changes They blend away grey hairs but are not as long lasting or vibrant as permanent colours. Permanent colours are best for those who are looking for a long-lasting hair colour with more colour intensity. They are great for covering greys, going darker and adding shine.” Heidi Gammon, lead colourist at Josh Wood Atelier, adds: “If clients do not have much or any white or grey hair, then a semi-permanent is best for enhancing shine and condition, or a tint if they feel they need more condition. I feel it’s always best to go lighter if you are covering grey, as the re-growth is less noticeable.” Along with the type of colouring formula they need, customers also have a choice when it comes to how they apply it; the latest colourants are in the form of non-drip foams, while wash-in and cream formulas are also available. Cox-McMillan says: “There is a wide choice of formulas available; however, the colour results are normally very similar, so it’s more a case of personal choice – the application method you find the easiest is the best one for you. New Schwarzkopf LIVE Color XXL Shake it Up Colour Foam combines the colour expertise and permanent vibrant colours of LIVE Color XXL with the simplicity of a non-drip foam in an ingenious shaker style tub. For vibrant, long-lasting colour simply shake, scoop and apply. Traditional cream formulas are great if you want to be creative and do streaks or have a two-tone effect on the hair.”
With colour and variant selected, it’s time for customers to turn their attention to the condition of the hair, as this is key to ensuring the best results. Hansford says: “Hair must be healthy and in great condition. Regular trims and the use of intensive conditioning treatments such as the Jo Hansford Intensive Masque are essential for nourished, glossy coloured hair.” On the day of colouring, hair should not be washed as according to Heidi Gammon: “The natural oils will protect the scalp.” With hair primed, the final part of the preparation should always include a patch test, even if you’ve used the exact same formula before, as sensitivities or allergies can flare up at any time. Cox-McMillan says: “It is so important to conduct an allergy test 48 hours before you colour your hair, even if you have used colouring products before. If you experience any sort of reaction, do not use the product. Full instructions of how to do this can be found on the in-pack instruction leaflet. If you have decided to go for a new colour shade then you should always do a strand test too, so there are no surprises when the colour is washed off.”
During Colouring
Concentration is crucial to avoid any dyeing disasters. Maeve McCrossan, Herbatint technical director, advises: “Give yourself time to apply carefully – preferably not while watching TV! And always start timings after you’ve finished applying the product.” Anita Cox-McMillan offers the following fail safe technique for ensuring even coverage and great results: “Start at the back of the neck to avoid colour running forward onto your face. To apply, take a straight line from the front to the back of your head, and another line from ear to ear through the crown, separating your hair into four sections. Begin at the back with the left section and take small ‘slices’ from each section. When you take the next section, ensure that it is fine enough for some of the applied colour to be seen; this enables complete and even coverage.” One of the most common colouring mistakes is applying colour to the skin while coating the hair, leaving tell-tale dye on the forehead, face and ears. To avoid this, Cox-McMillan suggests: “Apply moisturiser or Vaseline around the hairline and ears before application to avoid staining of the skin, making sure not to touch the hair. If colourant does dye the skin, most are easy to remove with warm water and soap, or toner.” Dry and porous hair absorbs more colourant than more oily parts so to avoid an uneven result, McCrossan advises: “If hair is porous on the ends, apply colour to roots first, then mix some shampoo to the remaining mix to apply to the ends – or damp down the ends with a water spray first if really porous.” For an even result on grey hair, Cox-McMillan says: “To ensure full coverage of grey hairs, make sure you colour these areas first. Grey hair is much more resistant that natural hair so it can take longer for the colourant to penetrate.”
After Colouring
Once the colourant has been rinsed off, show off your new shade by giving hair some TLC. Jonathan Long says: “All hair colourants will slightly dry out hair due to the ingredients in the dye, so it’s all about conditioning; it’s important to nourish the hair straight after colouring with something like nice ’n easy ColourSeal Gloss that will help to close the cuticle, locking in colour and leaving a smooth surface to offer extra shine and colour intensity.”
If your customers are not happy with their colour result, there are steps they can take as well as some to avoid. McCrossan suggests: “If permanent colour comes out too dark initially, do not reach for a lighter colour to apply on top – tint cannot lift tint. Instead seek to shift the colour pigments by washing hair with washing up liquid or an anti-dandruff shampoo until the tone visibly lightens, and wait a couple of weeks before applying more colour.” Alternatively, home-use colour removal products such as Colour B4, which claims to shrink colour molecules so they can be washed away, may help to restore natural colour. If customers are happy with the new colour, however, they will want to keep it looking vibrant for as long as possible. Several factors can exacerbate colour fade, according to Jo Hansford: “Colour fade is caused by using the incorrect aftercare products, as well as exposure to the sun and chlorine in swimming pools. When in the sun or swimming, always cover your hair and use a leave-in conditioner to protect your hair, such as Jo Hansford Protect & Shine, which contains UV filters, to protect your hair and preserve colour. Colour care-specific shampoos and conditioners contain enhanced ingredients that protect against colour fade and do not strip the colour.” Jonathan Long adds: “Colour fade is one of the biggest problems with porous hair, which is why generally the ends are the parts that fade first due to being coloured the most, so regular trims are essential to the general condition of coloured hair. Excessive blow drying or heat styling will also increase the chances of faded colour.” Applying a heat protection spray is therefore crucial before using electrical styling appliances, while colour care products combined with weekly intensive conditioning treatments will help keep hair smooth, shiny
Hot hues for Spring/Summer
Jonathan Long shares his top hair colour trends for the coming season
Hollywood Sizzle: This look is all about intensifying what you naturally have and going uber-shiny and sleek. If you’re a blonde, go for honey and soft shades for warmth, and avoid ash hues. Go one to three shades lighter to bring out your inner Monroe with a more platinum blonde colour. If you’re a brunette, go one to three shades darker to bring out your inner Rita Hayworth with a darker, sultrier brown. Keep your locks warm and rich with chocolate and hazelnut tones and avoid going too ‘block’ by ensuring the colour brings out lots of high and low lights.
Beauty Graffiti: This look is all about playing with colour and having fun. It’s about being spontaneous and using your hair to bring to life your creativity. Bring alive the essence of the look at home by either going for a slightly different tone to your usual colour – if you’re dark brunette or black, go for a blue-black shade or tint a few strands of hair with a colour one to three shades lighter or darker than your current hair colour, giving a subtle yet distinguished difference to your look.
Tone on Tone: This is my personal favourite – a sun-kissed, reflective look that is all about embracing golden, sandy warm shades, rather than cool tones. For the summer, this means bringing out lots of high and low lights to look as though the sun has kissed your hair. It’s about natural-looking, healthy colours, tone on tone and keeping it simple.