Before you Color: Hair Color Tips

Whether dying your own hair or getting it done by a professional, there are essential tips to note before dabbing on that color— for a whole new you. Achieving the perfect shade requires the right tools and knowledge.

Avoid DIY Disasters

DIY kits, though convenient and fairly easy, can be very tricky when it comes to color selection. If you are going for a drastic change—light to dark or vice versa—go to a professional! If you plan to dye your hair at home, go no more than one or two shades lighter/darker. What you see on the box may not necessarily appear on your locks. To be safe, test the color. Collect hair from your hairbrush and test it, prior to dying your whole head.

Maintain Your Shade

Before choosing your color, there is an important factor you may not consider—maintenance. Going more than a few shades lighter/darker? If so, plan to spend time and money maintaining your locks. Coloring may need to be touched up every three to eight weeks, depending on hair growth. Since it is hard to hide those roots, if you can’t afford the time and costs, try highlighting your hair a shade lighter giving it a natural look even when your roots begins to grow out. Apparent roots are a big hair color no-no!

Color Control

Correcting a bad dye job should be left to the professionals. If you have not achieved the results expected with a DIY kit, drop that box! Do not try to correct the problem yourself. Dabbing another color on top can lead to an even bigger mistake and worse—lead to damaged hair. When in doubt, seek professional help. A professional has the experience and knowledge to quickly fix your hair. Trying to save money could actually end up costing you more.

Safe Products

You have the perfect summer blonde locks. To keep it that way, avoid using spray-on/leave-in products that further lighten your hair. They may cause damage and discoloration. Do not use products containing bleach. Also, be sure to cover your hair in the sun to protect your locks. Opt for a cute hat or scarf to keep your color lasting longer.

Consider Skin Tone

Take recommendations from the expert when it comes to getting your hair professionally dyed. A professional colorist will assist you in choosing the best shade for your coloring. How can you determine your tone? If you have fair skin, with pink or blue skin undertones, you most likely have a cool shade. If you are olive or dark, with yellow or golden skin undertones, you most likely have a warm shade.

Information courtesy of Barbara Abbasi, Professional Hair Stylist, www.abhairla.com, and the Founder of the Ferrum Professional Styler, www.ferrumiron.com.

Color Questions to ask your Hair Stylist

Sometimes our biggest fears can create the most exciting changes, and for most women, a change of hair color can be dramatic and scary. Rebecca Friedman, celebrity colorist expert at Goodform Salon in Hollywood (Kim Kardashian’s exclusive colorist) gives her tips on the best questions to ask your stylist before you color, and how to find the right tone for your hair’s texture.

6 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR STYLIST BEFORE A COLOR CHANGE:
1. What is a realistic level of lightness for me to achieve given my current hair color?
2. I've had previous chemical treatments on my hair; will this effect how light I can go?
3. What tones will best suit my complexion?
4. Will the texture of my hair change after I lighten it?
5. How often will I have to come it for touch ups?
6. Do styling products for color treated hair really work?

Hair Issue: Slow Growth

So many women complain of slow hair growth, so I've turned to Will Williams, Director of Education for Sofn'free to help shed some light on the situation and provide a trick to help speed up the growth.

Will says, "If there is life in the follicle, kick-start it to grow strong and healthy."

Here's how to do it!

Step 1:

· Select a small, soft brush to massage and treat the scalp. A silver-dollar size saddle soap brush used for polishing shoes is perfect, since the bristles are malleable and the surface area is small enough to concentrate on specific parts of the scalp. These brushes are sold at most any shoe shop.

· Saturate the brush with Sofn'free GroHealthy Really Deep Conditioning Treatment, which contains stimulating menthol. With circular motions, gently scrub the scalp in affected areas. Let the treatment set for 10 minutes, then wipe it away with a soft cloth.

· Clean the brush with water only for the next step.

Step 2:

· Apply a few drops of rosemary oil to the scalp, and massage it in with the brush using gentle, circular motions. Let the oil set for 10 minutes, then rinse the hair and scalp with warm water.


Step 3:

· Apply a dime-size amount of Sofn'free GroHealthy Three-Layer Growth Oil to entire scalp.


Why this works: The menthol ingredient in this Sofn'free GroHealthy conditioner stimulates circulation of the scalp, while the complete formula serves as a co-wash to cleanse away excess buildup, dirt and sebum. Rosemary oil stimulates healthy hair follicles, encouraging further hair grow. Triple-Layer Growth Oil applied to a clean scalp helps to regulate and prevent the overproduction of sebum.

Protect Your Highlights This Summer

Highlights are hands down one of the prettiest ways to update your look. Zoe Kravitz stepped out at the New York premiere of X-Men with some of the most summery highlights ever. I think her hair color looked amazing, but I know it must take some serious up-keep and protection during the summer months.  To help you guys get the most of your highlights this summer, I've asked Natasha Sunshine, Pureology Colour Ambassador and owner of Byu-ti Hair Therapy, Pureology’s flagship salon to share a few tips for protecting your highlights from the two biggest threats, the sun and the pool this summer!

Natasha says, "Prevent your hair from fading by using products that have sunscreen UVA an UVB protection like Pureology's EssentialRepair ColourMax spray. Use it before every blowdry or even spray on before hitting the beach. And just a hot tip, every Pureology product, even their stylers have a special AntiFade Complex for longer lasting hair color in them so the more Pureology you use the better the protection."

Planning on spending a lot of time in the water this summer?  Natasha gives us a tip on how to protect your hair color from the pool.  "Protect your color in the pool by loading your hair up with a heavy conditioner before getting in and pull hair back into a low bun. This will help create a barrier against the chlorine. The tight bun prevents the chlorine from getting to your ends, the most porous part of the hair. Follow up by using Purify shampoo by Pureology to pull any chlorine residue out."

Have that dreaded green tint to your hair?   Natasha has a remedy for that!  "Put six Aspirin in a bowl filled with two cups of water and soak for 15 minutes. It'll pull the green right out of the hair."