Hair Coloring (Dyeing Hair): How to Achieve The Perfect Hair Shade
Hair coloring (dyeing hair) – which tone is just the right one? Dye it yourself or go to a professional? We clarify the most important questions and give the best tips on the subject of coloration.
Once you have decided that you want to change or refresh your initial hair color, the question remains whether you want to color your hair yourself or have it colored. We give you the best tips on how to get the perfect hair color!
1. Decide – which hair color should it be?
You want to refresh your natural hair color? Foam tints (often marked “Level 1” on the packaging) are ideal for this purpose – and best suited for beginners and rare dyers, as the foam tints can be easily applied. And in case the result should not be to your liking: After three to six hair washes, the tint is out again. Care tints can also be washed out easily. This way the dandruff layer remains intact and is not attacked.
You want natural, but durable results? You’re on the right track with intensive shades (the packaging says “Level 2”): An intensive shampoo is a less concentrated hair color that only becomes paler after weeks and grows out with an approach – just right for gray hair. However, an intensive tint roughens the cuticle layer and makes the hair surface less shiny. Therefore: Always take good care of your hair with a mask or cure!
What about natural hair colors?
Vegetable dyes, which use bark or henna extracts to color hair warmly brown or reddish, accumulate in the outer layer of the hair and have a very long shelf life. Hooks: The more often henna etc. are used, the darker the tone turns out with time. And: If the shade does not turn out well, this color unfortunately has to grow out completely – overcoloring or lightening with conventional colors usually does not work.
Which color suits me?
Take a close look at the skin on the inside of your forearms: The warmer it appears, the warmer the hair color should be. If your eye and skin color is cool, your hair color should be too.
You want to do highlights?
If you are inexperienced, it is best to get a friend to help you, so that the whitening mass gets evenly on the hair. Tip: Apply a lot of cream to the first quarter of the strand from the roots, spread out towards the end – the tips are usually bleached by the sun anyway.
You want an extreme color change?
If you want to get darker from a light color, stick to warm or reddish tones. From dark to very light still applies: It is better to go to a hairdresser for coloring, so that the result at home does not turn orange.
2. Preparation – dye yourself without danger
This is how to prevent stains: Rub the facial contours and ears well with a fat cream before coloring, this prevents the skin from being stained. Should something go wrong later: Spots on the skin should be rubbed away immediately with water and also color stains on ceramics should be removed with a damp cloth. Color can only be removed from clothing at temperatures above 60 degrees – and stains from bleaching unfortunately bleach the textiles forever and ever.
Do not wash your hair: Dye and bleaching agents are always applied to dry, unwashed hair, as the light film of sebum protects the scalp. In the days before, also use styling sparingly with strong firming styling, so that the hair color is always even. It is also advisable to pamper the hair a few days before coloring with care treatments, so that the color is evenly adopted.
3. Apply the hair color
If the hair is colored lighter start coloring in the neck and back of the head, in many women these areas are slightly darker than the sun-bleached top coat.
If you want to get darker, brush the fine hair around the face last with the coloring lotion. It absorbs color very quickly and could become too dark if left on for a long time. Also broken or lightened hair takes color more strongly, the result can be irregular in the end.
If you want to contour your hair, we have so far only known the technique of contouring for make-up: The facial features are perfectly modeled through the targeted placement of shadows and highlights. A principle that is now also causing a sensation when it comes to hair coloring – Hollywood stars are already diligently displaying the trend. Sarah Jessica Parker makes her face look fuller with lighter highlights, Jessica Alba makes her forehead look thinner with highlights on the top of her head. Even those who don’t want to conceal a problem zone will enjoy the contouring: If the colorist adds only minimal highlights to the original hair color around the face, it looks much more radiant. The freehand coloring technique Balayage can also bring out the face so well and give it the right contour.
There are also conditioning colorations Silky, all-round healthy hair – despite coloration. The coloring innovation “Olaplex” is now offered in a similar version in many salons, for example as “Fibreplex” in Schwarzkopf salons and “Ecoplex” at Douglas. Like Olaplex, they should not only dye, but at the same time care for them to such an extent that even more extreme color changes should be possible without hesitation.
“Fibreplex” promises up to 94 percent less hair breakage, “Ecoplex” wants to be particularly gentle to the scalp with its primarily natural active ingredients. The treatment à la Olaplex at the hairdresser’s works like this: The first “Plex” product penetrates the hair together with the color and does its repair work there; the second closes the roughened hair structure after washing out. Number three is intended as a cure for home use.
If you want to re-color approaches use the same shade of the same brand as the previous shade – then you will definitely not see the transitions. The most accurate way to work is with a dye brush, which you can buy at the drugstore. You can also use the handle to separate the individual sections. Using one color only to re-dye the base and combing through lengths and tips before washing them out with the color makes the result especially natural.
Preparation sprays, which place a fine pigment film on the hair and thus cover certain areas until the next coloration appointment, also help. They are available in various shades, can be washed out – and do not even stain the hair on the pillow. Also a solution for in between: Preparation powder. They look like eye shadow and are applied by brush or dabbing. Colored dry shampoos, on the other hand, not only drown out the roots, they also absorb excess fat.
If you want to reblonde the bleached areas, use enough of the product and try to apply it as evenly as possible. Leave out the lengths, otherwise the hair can break off. This all requires a lot of sensitivity. And if you are not a professional, it is often difficult to find the right blonde tone. Honestly: The professional in the salon can usually do it better.
If you want to color gray hair usually, gray hair can be colored with an intensive tint. However, you should make sure that gray hair takes on the tint more than non-gray hair. Therefore it is better to start with a lighter tint and slowly move towards darker tones.
What you should avoid to spread the color mass completely in the hair every time you re-color it, it puts enormous strain on the hair. If you just want to refresh the color, try a washable tint – it cares and gives shine. Quick help is also promised by color refreshers – they are designed to bridge the time between two colorations. They are available for different hair colors or – brand new – in dispenser systems where you can determine the intensity of the color yourself.
4. Small breakdown assistance – yellow cast etc.
The hair has not taken on the color?
This may be due to styling residues – in this case an exfoliating shampoo will help. But maybe the hair is too damaged? Then it is best to go to the hairdresser. But it could also be that you didn’t use enough color when you dyed your hair: thick or over-shouldered hair always needs two packs. In this case you have to go back to the hairdresser or even better: let the hairdresser save you.
The color has become too dark?
Instead of experimenting with decolorizing lotions, first make a hair treatment and let it work for a long time. This will sneak some pigments out of the hair. Repeat the whole procedure if necessary.
The bleaching has really gone wrong?
Either call the hotline number on the packaging – professionals are on the other end of the line. Or go to the hairdresser with the product packaging.
Interview – Roberto Gruber, color expert at Schwarzkopf
Would you prefer to be a professional right away? We spoke to Roberto Gruber, who has been a Schwarzkopf Professional color expert at the ASK Schwarzkopf Academy in Hamburg for eight years, and asked how you can find the right colorist for your hair. Roberto and his team train thousands of hairdressers every year – his specialty: coloring hair.
What makes a good dyeing expert?
The colorist should initially take a close look at the client’s hair and perform a hair analysis. This definitely includes touching the hair and asking the customer about her care and styling routine. The colorist should have a clear idea of what the final result will look like. During the consultation it is not only important to pay attention to the hair, but also to the skin, eye color and clothing style.
The hairdresser should be aware of what effect hair colors can have: For example, cool colors take away the redness from the face, while warm tones tend to emphasize it. Blonde hairstyles optically give hair more volume, while dark tones can make the face look narrower.
Do I already notice when I make an appointment whether I have found the right coloring professional?
The colorist should find out in advance which direction the new hair color should go. If it is a new customer appointment and it is a major change, the hairdresser should offer a consultation appointment. In addition, the hairdresser should clarify in advance what the hair coloring costs overall – so you are spared unpleasant surprises.
Should I bring a picture to the hairdressing appointment?
Yes, absolutely! To speak a common language is very important, because the color interpretations of customer and hairdresser can often differ greatly.
Is the colorist also responsible for my cut?
Many hairdressers are basically trained for cut and color. However, there are more and more salon concepts with specialized hairdressers: For example, you can have your hair dyed by one colorist and cut by another professional. However, the consultation beforehand should be done together, because the colorist should know how the cut will be later to achieve the best possible result.
How important are the care products recommended by the hairdresser?
If you invest in a good hairdresser and want to keep some of your results for a long time, you also rely on the right care products that the hairdresser recommends. Color care should be the basis for this. Of course, there are also special products that have been specially developed for warm or cool colors, for example. So the color simply lasts longer and the hair is intensively cared for.
Are there rules for coloring hair or is everything allowed?
In general, the basic rule is that re-coloring the natural hair color of up to two shades lighter or darker emphasizes the type best. Also natural color trends such as Balayage suit almost everyone. However, age, for example, also plays an important role: If you are young, you can wear almost anything, but later on, the hair color should be skin-flattering and therefore softer.