Article date: 14/05/2009
Beauty Confidential: Home Hair Colouring
By Elsa Mcalonan
Last updated at 8:22 AM on 14th May 2009
Do try this at home: Follow our advice and you won\'t have a home hair dye disaster
HOME HAIR COLOURING
Thanks to the credit crunch, home hair colouring has never been more popular. Our beauty guru brings you the ultimate guide to the best DIY hair dyes on the market.
THE adverts make it look so effortless and easy. We\'d all love to have shiny, swishy hair like Andie McDowell and Eva Longoria, who advertise some of the world\'s bestselling home colouring kits for a fraction of the cost of a salon colour. And now there are more adverts on TV and in magazines than ever - with big brands such as L\'Oreal and Nice \'n\' Easy launching permanent colourants that claim to work in only ten minutes. When you consider that the national average salon hair colour costs £35 (some London colourists charge ten times that for a full head of highlights), a box of hair dye is a steal at around £5.
So you might wonder why anyone would pay a professional to dye their hair. But can you really get great results from a home colouring kit in ten minutes?
Well, you can . . . if you know what you\'re doing. Get it wrong and it will cost you much more to have it fixed by a professional.
TRY BEFORE YOU DYE
You must do a skin test first. Even though hair colourants are thoroughly tested, with millions of satisfied customers, allergic reactions to hair dyes are on the increase, so the patch test is an unmissable step.
Even the adverts for L\'Oréal\'s Excell 10 carry the \'Test 48 hours before use\' logo - admittedly in small print - so you have been warned. And you should test every time you colour your hair, even if you have been colouring your hair for years. There are two methods of testing; the manufacturers\' test or Colourstart (available only in salons). With around 100 million dye applications in Britain each year, an estimated 12.5 million people regularly colour their hair and expose their skin to PPD (Para-phenylenediamine), a toxic chemical found in the majority of hair dye products.
Sensitivity to PPD can cause skin irritation. \'If you want to get your colour right and avoid any nasty reactions it is essential to do a skin test first,\' says Lisa Shepherd, one of Britain\'s top colourists. \'Stick to the timings on the box - leaving dye on for too long could damage your hair.\' www.becoloursafe.com
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SHADE
The second most important rule of at-home colouring is to remember that the colour you see on the pack isn\'t going to look the same shade on your head.
When choosing a colour, Gary Richardson, Clairol Perfect 10 ambassador and creative director at the Daniel Hersheson salon in Harvey Nichols, recommends putting your hand over the image of the pack. \'If the hair colour on the pack picks up the pinkness in your hand, then it\'s a shade that will
suit you,\' he says. \'From these shades, select the end result you are looking for, then go a shade lighter.\' Richardson has seen a big move in his salon in the past few months towards going red. \'Pale skin tones suit red best. If you\'re darker, it\'s best to choose a brunette with golden tones,\' he says.
Daniel Galvin, who is celebrating 50 years in the hairdressing business, suggests examining the ends of your hair for your natural colour. \'That exact shade is the one you should have throughout your hair. When picking a shade, never go darker or lighter more than three levels above your natural colour.\'
DIY HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights and slices can add definition, warmth and volume. This can look great when the hair is coloured and then layered or feathered for extra definition. Face-framing highlights are also a great way of freshening up a look. Kits are practical and technologically advanced. Practise first on dry hair and without using any product. If you don\'t feel confident, ask a friend for help.
DON\'T TRY THIS AT HOME
Don\'t attempt to colour your hair if it\'s badly damaged, through overuse of heated appliances such as straighteners or excessive blow-drying.
The same applies to hair that\'s had too much sun or if it\'s been badly coloured and you are trying to rectify the mistake. Don\'t expect miracles. If you are a brunette and want to go blonde, or want to go from blonde to black, forget it.
Never put brown dye over blonde hair as it may go green. Always go to the salon if you want a dramatic change. Dyeing at home can be very messy. According to Sheilas\' Wheels insurance, 73 per cent of us admit to having spoiled our carpets with hair dye spillages. I am one of them and it never
comes out.