Do It Yourself (DIY) Hair Color

Whether money is tight or abundant, there are always some of us who like to DIY (Do It Yourself) when it comes to our hair, including hair color. Today DIY hair coloring has been made easy with kits designed for any type of color you’d like (the drugstore hair isles are full) and many are as easy as shampoo-in. Even so, there are some colors and instances that should be left to the professionals. 

Do DIY if:

• You want to cover grey and stay close to your natural color
• You want to add shine and enhance or tone your natural color
• You are going only 1 or 2 shades lighter
• You want to go darker

 Do Not DIY if:

  You have medium brown to dark brown or black hair and you want to go blonde or get blonde highlights

• You want to go lighter and you don’t want any reddish or gold tones in your hair
• You want to go darker after being blonde
• You want to remove or lighten a dark color immediately after coloring your hair dark
• You want to correct a color that turned green or orange.

 
Hair coloring basic rules
 

• Dark hair has undertones of red, orange and yellow that have to be removed before you can get to blonde
• Hair cannot be lightened unless the formula contains peroxide and ammonia
• Overlapping bleach or highlights on previously lightened hair will weaken the hair and cause breakage
• Color glosses can be used over any color to remove brassiness, tone hair, add shine and condition

 Types of Hair Color

Semi-Permanent Color/Color Glaze- Temporary hair color that can enhance your current color or darken your current shade.  Cannot lighten hair, lasts 6-8 shampoos and washes out with no roots. Contains no peroxide or ammonia (which is drying to the hair) and adds conditioning and shine.

For DIY try: John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze

 Demi-Permanent Color- Temporary color rinse that is great for blending grey and moderate grey coverage. Contains low peroxide and little to no ammonia so hair fades with no roots. Cannot lighten hair and lasts 24-26 shampoos

For DIY try: L’Oreal Paris Healthy Look Color Gloss

Permanent Color- Permanent hair colors use peroxide and ammonia to change and deposit color permanently.  It does not wash out and needs to be touched up every 4 to 6 weeks to maintain the roots.  Most color formulations can lighten hair 2-4 levels.  It also permanently darkens hair and fully covers grey.

For DIY try: Garnier Nutrisse Nourshing Color Creme

Bleach- Bleach contains peroxide and ammonia and is used to get light hair colors. 

Not recommended to DIY

Highlights- Pieces of hair are lightened permanently with bleach to get a multi-dimensional look.  Roots can be maintained between 8-12 weeks.

Not recommended to DIY

With these tips, you can visit the pro when needed and easily cover grey, add shine and conditioning and enhance your hair color in between pro visits. Give yourself a spring-time beauty boost with a color glaze.

About the Author
Valerie currently is a freelance hair and make-up artist with over 20 years experience and has worked on many projects including “Deal or No Deal” for NBC and “Ten Years Younger” for TLC. She has magazine editorials from In Style, Malibu, First, Life and Style and many more.  She continues to work on movie press junkets, video shoots, editorial photo shoots, and photo shoots for models, actors and musicians as well as advertising and commercial shoots, doing hair and make-up. She also is the co-founder and beauty editor for RegardMag.com.

©2010 This article was excerpted with permission from Valerie Noble.  Permission to reprint is granted by the author. All reprints must state,  Reprinted with permission by Valerie Noble for www.valerienoble.com. Originally published in www.WomensOnlineMagazineLosAngeles.com, March 2010.

DISCLAIMER: The information and opinions reflected in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect on the publisher, editor, or editorial staff of Women’s Online Magazine Los Angeles. This article has been written and reviewed by the author. Any errors should be brought to the attention of the author.

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