Things to Consider Before Coloring Your Hair
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Thinking of updating your hair color for spring? Maybe it’s something that you’ve been considering for a while, but you are worried about potential hair damage. That’s a valid concern and depending on your current hair color and how dark or light you’d like to go, damage could end up being a reality and not just a possibility.
There are things you can do though to reduce any potential for damage to your hair before you color.
Start with healthy hair
If your hair is not healthy it needs to be so before you submit it to the stress of a chemical process. Coloring your hair will most likely increase its porosity. This is the reason why color-treated hair tends to become dry after coloring. Dryness can be immediately noticeable or it may develop over time. Typically, during the coloring process, the hair’s cuticle is open in order to deposit the new color within the hair. If care isn’t taken to ensure that the cuticle is closed and that it stays that way, the hair will be vulnerable to moisture loss and become chronically dry.
Know also that damaged hair doesn’t accept color the way healthy hair does, so if your hair is not at its best, you may not get the color you are looking for. Get a trim, eat well, drink lots of water, take your Shedavi Hair Growth Vitamins and use your Hair and Scalp Elixir.
Choose your color carefully
Reds
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If you’re a low-maintenance kind of girl, then red is not your color. Reds fade faster than any other color and require a lot more maintenance to remain vibrant. Regardless of the color, you end up choosing, color safe shampoos should be your go-to for cleansing your hair and will help extend the life of your color.
Permanent, semi-permanent, demi-permanent or temporary color?
Here’s a quick overview of the basic features of each of these types of hair color.
Temporary hair color
- Does not require the use of bleach, peroxide or ammonia.
- The color is deposited on the hair instead of inside the hair and so will wash out after a few shampoos.
- If your hair has been previously colored and the cuticles lifted, then temporary colors can get into the hair shaft and therefore will last longer than usual.
Semi-permanent color
- Hair color enters the hair shaft.
- May contain bleach, ammonia or peroxide in very small quantities.
- Lasts longer than temporary color.
- Covers gray hair.
Demi-permanent Color
- Uses a low concentration of bleach, peroxide or ammonia.
- Generally, lightens natural hair by about one shade.
- Covers gray hair very well.
- Washes out after a few months.
Permanent hair color
- Contains the highest level of bleach, ammonia or peroxide of all hair dyes.
- Color fades slightly over time, hence the use of permanent in the name.
- Hair color can be lightened considerably due to the concentration levels of bleach, ammonia or peroxide in the hair color blend.
Highlights or all over color?
Highlighted curls
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Highlights are much easier on the hair and also easier to maintain. As highlights grow out it is less noticeable so you can go longer between touch-ups.
Consider going to a professional
If you are a brunette looking to go blonde it is probably best to seek out professional help. Going from brunette to blonde often requires multiple treatments and this is not something you want to do on your own at home, especially if it’s your first time coloring your hair. For me, I find the sheer numbers of hair of hair colors on the shelves so intimidating when I go into a beauty supply store or walk by the hair color aisle in a supermarket, that I wouldn’t even know where to begin. If you do decide to do your own hair color do not forget to do an allergy test. Allergic reactions to chemicals in hair color dyes are not unheard of, and even people who consistently day their hair can develop allergic reactions down the line.
Ombre
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No matter what you do. You’ll have to get touch ups to your colors about every two months. If that seems too much for you then go for a color that is close to your natural color so you can stretch the time between touch ups or choose an ombre look that requires maintenance only a couple of times each year.
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COMMENTS
I have been coloring my hair for years. I have gone from jet black to blond and everything in between. So, I’m not a newbie and your article taught me a lot. Thank you for the much needed education.