At Home Hair Color
At Home Hair Color
Author: Jenna White | San Francisco Hairstylist
December 16th, 2020
December 16th, 2020
If you're looking to change your hair color, you'll need a personalized formula, and it's often best to leave this to hair professionals. Stylists take your hair's health, starting color, tone, density, texture, plus desired result into consideration to come up with the perfect color formula for your hair. However, if you're considering a DIY drug store solution, here are some things to think about.
IS IT A GOOD IDEA?
1. Keeping Your Hair Healthy
Box color is notorious for having more ammonia than professional brands, and not all hair types need this. For those that don't, hair can become lackluster and dried out after using DIY color. It's not easy to tell what's in the box based on the information provided. If you've tried box color in the past, and are noticing these effects, it may be more risky to try another box color brand versus going to a professional stylist.
2. Saving Money
Most people see box color as a way of saving money, but remember that fixing box color can be more expensive than if you had gone to the hairdresser in the first place. If your DIY hair project needs to be fixed, professional color can have unpredictable reactions with drug store hair colors. If this happens, and the stylist needs to fix it, you end up paying for the extra time and color needed to do so. Drug store products marketed as Henna hair color can have the most unpredictable results with professional color (see section #8 below). In addition, if you have long thick hair, you'll need extra box color to cover all of it (some individuals need 2 - 4 boxes). If this is you, remember that the same rule will apply if you need to go to a stylist to fix it - the extra color will cost more money.
3. Direct-to-Consumer Options
Direct-to-consumer hair color options use questionnaires to build a more personalized formula for your hair type, which can help hair stay healthier and attain a more targeted result. However, these color services can become trickier to use when you go beyond "all over" color services. Color techniques like foiling and block coloring add dimension to artificial hair color, which makes it appear more natural (see this post by Product Club for visuals on hair with and without dimension). The direct-to-consumer solutions for these color techniques can be tricky to master, especially for someone doing it for the first time.
Box color is notorious for having more ammonia than professional brands, and not all hair types need this. For those that don't, hair can become lackluster and dried out after using DIY color. It's not easy to tell what's in the box based on the information provided. If you've tried box color in the past, and are noticing these effects, it may be more risky to try another box color brand versus going to a professional stylist.
2. Saving Money
Most people see box color as a way of saving money, but remember that fixing box color can be more expensive than if you had gone to the hairdresser in the first place. If your DIY hair project needs to be fixed, professional color can have unpredictable reactions with drug store hair colors. If this happens, and the stylist needs to fix it, you end up paying for the extra time and color needed to do so. Drug store products marketed as Henna hair color can have the most unpredictable results with professional color (see section #8 below). In addition, if you have long thick hair, you'll need extra box color to cover all of it (some individuals need 2 - 4 boxes). If this is you, remember that the same rule will apply if you need to go to a stylist to fix it - the extra color will cost more money.
3. Direct-to-Consumer Options
Direct-to-consumer hair color options use questionnaires to build a more personalized formula for your hair type, which can help hair stay healthier and attain a more targeted result. However, these color services can become trickier to use when you go beyond "all over" color services. Color techniques like foiling and block coloring add dimension to artificial hair color, which makes it appear more natural (see this post by Product Club for visuals on hair with and without dimension). The direct-to-consumer solutions for these color techniques can be tricky to master, especially for someone doing it for the first time.
THE FORMULA
4. Formulating Can Be Difficult
Every person's hair color, texture and strand density is very different. Without the proper knowledge and experience with hair coloring, your intended results are not guaranteed. Celebrity stylist Brad Mondo created a guide to try and help non-professionals formulate their own color. You can check it out here.
5. Previously Colored Hair
Have you colored your hair in the past? Due to its chemical composition, hair color can only be used to lighten strands that have never been touched by color before. Once color has been used on your hair (whether to darken or lighten it) you'll need bleach to make the hair any lighter. Bleach is more damaging and often requires a second coloring step, a toner (see section #13 below), to achieve your desired result. Most people agree that once you need bleach to color your hair, it's best to consult a professional. Don't underestimate the impact your past hair color decisions can have on your future ones. On long hair, it can take up to five years for past color applications to be trimmed from your ends.
6. Only Small Changes Are Possible When Lightening
If you're lightening your hair with box color, it will need to be on "virgin hair", or hair that has never been colored before. It will likely only shift your color by two or three shades. Anything brighter then that will require bleach. Lightening your hair will almost always result in some brassy or orange/yellow colors. Toners (see section #13 below) are what offset this type of coloring on lightened hair. Bluish or ashy colors offset orange, and violet or purple colors offset yellow. See my blog post on Purple Shampoo for more insights. Some colors have these tones built in so that your hair will change color and tone in one step.
7. Big Changes Are Possible When Darkening (This Can Be a Bad Thing)
Referring back to section #5, whether you've applied color to your hair before can make a big difference. Applying box color even just two or three times in one year can change the health of your hair, and make it more likely to soak up color faster (i.e. darker) in areas that are drier and more damaged. A worst case scenario example is brown box color turning black-brown, which may not be what you want. When in doubt about what box color shade to use when darkening, always opt for the lighter shade. With DIY, it's easier to make hair a bit darker if you don't like the result. If you go too dark and need to make hair lighter, you'll likely need bleach and a professional's help.
8. Henna Hair Color, Proceed with Caution
The allure of "natural" hair color is appealing to many modern consumers. Henna is one of these options, and typically contains metallic salts. Metallic salts on their own are not an issue, but when you mix them with hair color products containing ammonia, things get dicey. Both drug store box colors and professional colors commonly contain ammonia, and reactions, such as smoking and breakage, can occur wherever Henna color has touched your hair (shampooing your hair or waiting several months after using it does not change this). You can read more about these reactions here. As a rule of thumb, hair touched by Henna color can only be made darker, not lighter, and sometimes even that is difficult. Some people opt for cutting all of their hair off to get rid of any trace of Henna color to broaden their future hair coloring options.
Every person's hair color, texture and strand density is very different. Without the proper knowledge and experience with hair coloring, your intended results are not guaranteed. Celebrity stylist Brad Mondo created a guide to try and help non-professionals formulate their own color. You can check it out here.
5. Previously Colored Hair
Have you colored your hair in the past? Due to its chemical composition, hair color can only be used to lighten strands that have never been touched by color before. Once color has been used on your hair (whether to darken or lighten it) you'll need bleach to make the hair any lighter. Bleach is more damaging and often requires a second coloring step, a toner (see section #13 below), to achieve your desired result. Most people agree that once you need bleach to color your hair, it's best to consult a professional. Don't underestimate the impact your past hair color decisions can have on your future ones. On long hair, it can take up to five years for past color applications to be trimmed from your ends.
6. Only Small Changes Are Possible When Lightening
If you're lightening your hair with box color, it will need to be on "virgin hair", or hair that has never been colored before. It will likely only shift your color by two or three shades. Anything brighter then that will require bleach. Lightening your hair will almost always result in some brassy or orange/yellow colors. Toners (see section #13 below) are what offset this type of coloring on lightened hair. Bluish or ashy colors offset orange, and violet or purple colors offset yellow. See my blog post on Purple Shampoo for more insights. Some colors have these tones built in so that your hair will change color and tone in one step.
7. Big Changes Are Possible When Darkening (This Can Be a Bad Thing)
Referring back to section #5, whether you've applied color to your hair before can make a big difference. Applying box color even just two or three times in one year can change the health of your hair, and make it more likely to soak up color faster (i.e. darker) in areas that are drier and more damaged. A worst case scenario example is brown box color turning black-brown, which may not be what you want. When in doubt about what box color shade to use when darkening, always opt for the lighter shade. With DIY, it's easier to make hair a bit darker if you don't like the result. If you go too dark and need to make hair lighter, you'll likely need bleach and a professional's help.
8. Henna Hair Color, Proceed with Caution
The allure of "natural" hair color is appealing to many modern consumers. Henna is one of these options, and typically contains metallic salts. Metallic salts on their own are not an issue, but when you mix them with hair color products containing ammonia, things get dicey. Both drug store box colors and professional colors commonly contain ammonia, and reactions, such as smoking and breakage, can occur wherever Henna color has touched your hair (shampooing your hair or waiting several months after using it does not change this). You can read more about these reactions here. As a rule of thumb, hair touched by Henna color can only be made darker, not lighter, and sometimes even that is difficult. Some people opt for cutting all of their hair off to get rid of any trace of Henna color to broaden their future hair coloring options.
THE APPLICATION
9. Ask For Help
It’s a good idea to find a second pair of hands to help with applying your color. Even someone who’s never done it before can see the back of your head better than you can. Missing a section can be noticeable, and tends to happen in the back of the head.
10. When Lightening All Over
When lightening "virgin hair", always color your ends first, leaving about three inches away from your root. Apply the color to your roots last. The heat from your head can make your root area turn lighter faster than the rest of your hair, which you don't want. Waiting until the end will allow your color to sit there for the least amount of time compared to the rest of your hair.
11. When Darkening All Over
When darkening, always color your roots first. Apply at your scalp and down the hair shaft around two inches. Then cover the rest of your hair afterwards, starting in the back. Even healthy hair is commonly less porous at the root/scalp, and more porous on the ends. When darkening, you want to apply color to the most porous parts of your hair last, as these can soak up the color faster and turn darker than the rest of your hair.
12. Root Touch Ups (Darkening, Lightening or Covering Grey)
Try to only apply the color to your regrowth to avoid "overlap", or coating areas of the hair that have already been colored. When lightening hair, these areas tend to become weak and prone to breakage. When darkening hair or covering grey, these areas can turn into dark bands, where color has been applied twice. Over time, these bands can become more noticeable and give your hair a muddy or dull look. Apply color sparingly around your ears, where it's easiest to create overlap.
13. "Refreshing" Your Ends
This is usually more applicable to people who darken their hair. Section #11 mentioned that your hair is more porous at the ends. This same phenomenon also makes your hair color more likely to fade at your ends over time. You can try one of the following products to combat this.
It’s a good idea to find a second pair of hands to help with applying your color. Even someone who’s never done it before can see the back of your head better than you can. Missing a section can be noticeable, and tends to happen in the back of the head.
10. When Lightening All Over
When lightening "virgin hair", always color your ends first, leaving about three inches away from your root. Apply the color to your roots last. The heat from your head can make your root area turn lighter faster than the rest of your hair, which you don't want. Waiting until the end will allow your color to sit there for the least amount of time compared to the rest of your hair.
11. When Darkening All Over
When darkening, always color your roots first. Apply at your scalp and down the hair shaft around two inches. Then cover the rest of your hair afterwards, starting in the back. Even healthy hair is commonly less porous at the root/scalp, and more porous on the ends. When darkening, you want to apply color to the most porous parts of your hair last, as these can soak up the color faster and turn darker than the rest of your hair.
12. Root Touch Ups (Darkening, Lightening or Covering Grey)
Try to only apply the color to your regrowth to avoid "overlap", or coating areas of the hair that have already been colored. When lightening hair, these areas tend to become weak and prone to breakage. When darkening hair or covering grey, these areas can turn into dark bands, where color has been applied twice. Over time, these bands can become more noticeable and give your hair a muddy or dull look. Apply color sparingly around your ears, where it's easiest to create overlap.
13. "Refreshing" Your Ends
This is usually more applicable to people who darken their hair. Section #11 mentioned that your hair is more porous at the ends. This same phenomenon also makes your hair color more likely to fade at your ends over time. You can try one of the following products to combat this.
- Colored Shampoos: Use when regularly washing your hair a few times a week. This is the gentlest way to refresh your ends, but because the shampoo is only coating the outside of your hair with color, it may not come out as dark. Using the product several days in a row often fixes this, but take a break once you reach the desired shade to avoid turning your ends darker than your roots.
- Semi-permanent or Demi-permanent Color: Also known as a "toner" or "gloss" at the salon. This type of color uses a less concentrated version of the chemicals needed to deposit color onto your hair. Consider it a step up above colored shampoos because it does contain chemicals that open your hair's cuticle, allowing color to be deposited into the shaft versus just coating the outside of it. Semi-permanent is supposed to be gentler than demi-permanent, but demi-permanent lasts longer. Some hair professionals think there isn't much difference between the two. Demi-permanent has a higher concentration of chemicals, and may add an extra week or so of protection against fading.
- Permanent Color: The highest concentration of chemicals is found in permanent hair color. It's best to use this color at the root once, and then refresh that part of the hair with colored shampoos or semi/demi-permanent colors. The exception to this rule is when dealing with grey hair, which may require a second or third application of permanent color over time. If you do not have grey hair, and are only refreshing the color on your ends, using a permanent, demi-permanent or semi-permanent color will likely all have the same results, with the only difference being damage.
VIDEOS WITH MORE TIPS
- Types of Hair Color! Permanent, Semi/Demi? What Does It All Mean? Brittney Gray on semi, demi and permanent hair colors (YouTube).
- I Put Box Dye To The Test (Is It Really That Bad?) Brad Mondo compares box dye and professional hair color that he bought from a beauty supply store (YouTube).
- How to Colour Hair: Permanent Hair Colour A quick tutorial on applying permanent hair color (YouTube).
- How to Tone Brunette Hair at Home/ How I'm Growing My Hair Out Ela Bobak on DIY at home toning (YouTube).