Thursday

The Gray That Started The Quest for Hair Color Ideas


I never considered hair color ideas until I finally found one. Actually my sister found it while I knelt down to tighten my roller blade.

"What's that in your hair?", she asked.

"I don't know. I don't have eyes up there," I said, "Get it out....Ouch! I said get it out - not yank out my hair!"

"You said 'get it out' so I did. And look what it is!" she said with a bit too much glee. "A gray hair! You've got gray hair!"

Are you kidding me? I'm not old enough for gray hair. I was getting ready to roller blade 12 miles and people with gray hair are too old for that. AND - I don't have kids so I really can't have gray hair.

Once I admitted they were there, they had to be dealt with - immediately. I thought this would be a simple trip to the store for a box of dye close to my natural color, but that was not to be. First I had to figure out what brand to go with. I could rule out the one just for men. But then what? Do I go with the one that's nice and easy or the one that makes me feel like I'm worth it? Once I got that sorted out I had to find a shade.

There are unlimited shades of brunette. Am I Natural Golden Brown, Natural Auburn Brown, and exactly what is Natural Medium Neutral Brown? It sounds so "average." I decided to find a color by holding my hair against the picture on the box. That worked until I noticed the pictures on some of the Medium Spice boxes didn't match. I finally decided I wasn't ready for a commitment and bought a "glaze"(or semi-permanent color) that would only last about a week. After coloring, my hair was a kind of muddy reddish brown, so I wasn't thrilled with the results. I can't prove it, but I suspect someone switched the colors in the box.

After this debacle, I wanted information before another attempt at coloring. As you read this blog, you'll see there's lot of information to think about (types of dyes, how long they last, how much they change your color, benefits or drawbacks, coloring techniques, etc). We've all seen botched dye jobs, so you need to know this before thinking about hair color ideas.

Did you know permanent dye is the only way to completely change color or lighten hair? If you want to go lighter, cover grays or dye your hair purple, now you know you need a permanent dye. Once you know how things work, you can think about hair color ideas and techniques. I never knew about lowlights and then learned they're good for blending grays and great for brunettes!

As the saying goes - knowledge is power, so you can make informed decisions. Also, the more you know, the better chance of getting results you want whether you color at home or go to a professional. An even better solution - try hair colors on before you make any decisions.

Hopefully you'll find this information useful and avoid wasting an hour and a half of your life standing in a drug store perplexed by hair dye.

Sunday

Temporary Hair Color Ideas - For the Commitment-phobe


One of the easiest hair color ideas is temporary colors. These usually come in rinses, gels, mousses or sprays. They usually wash out in 2-3 shampoos, so there's even less of a commitment than with the semi-permanent colors.

The main reasons to use a temporary hair color are to restore hair to it's natural color if it's fading, neutralize a yellowish tinge in gray or white hair, tone down hair that's been over-highlighted so you don't have to do another chemical process or to boost your natural color. Results on gray or graying hair will be very subtle, so this is probably a good option if you have the few random gray hairs to disguise. Temporary color is not the way to go for big changes or to really cover/color gray.

The good thing is that you can really play with temporary colors. A lot of temporary colors come in sprays, gels and even hair mascara in some really funky colors. Some of them even work well on really dark hair. However, these products don't look remotely close to natural but are a lot of fun to play with!

The bad thing about temporary colors is they may not evenly cover your hair. They can also rub off on pillows or clothes and can also start to run if you get caught in the rain. (This happened to me in high-school when I was experimenting with blue hair. I ruined my favorite shirt, so that was the end of that.) Temporary color doesn't have much impact on dark hair but it can stain your natural color if you use it on light hair. The best bet is to stick to something close to your natural color if you use a temporary color.

If you're looking for temporary, fun hair color ideas, you'll find a lot of options in your local drug store. You can easily do these on your own and if you don't like it - just wash and rinse!

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Semi-Permanent Hair Color Ideas Are A Good Way to Test the Waters


If you're looking for hair color ideas that aren't as permanent or you're just starting to explore hair color ideas, semi-permanent may be for you. These are also knowns as "glazes." Most semi-permanent colors last 6-12 shampoos (depending on what type you use), so if you don't like it it will be gone in a few days. In addition, you won't have to deal with the root problem since the color will just fade away.

Semi-permanent color basically justs coats the hair shaft with color. Since semi-permanent color doesn't have to strip your hair to deposit color, it's less damaging than permanent color. However, since it doesn't remove the original color, you won't get a dramatic change if your hair is dark and you want to go lighter. (Remember - only permanent dye can lighten your hair or drastically change the color.) Semi-permanent colors don't use ammonia or peroxides, and those are the agents you need to lighten your hair.

If you want to deepen your natural color or add a layer of color to make it "pop," semi-permanent color will do that for you. I used a semi-permanent color for my first (and only) attempt to color my hair on my own. My hair was redder than I wanted, but I was impressed that it really did boost my natural color. I was also very glad that it was gone in about 2 weeks and I could go back to square one!

Semi-permanent also doesn't really cover gray hairs. What it does do is coat them with color so they blend with your hair and don't stand out as much. If you have only a few grays popping up, semi-permanent may work for you. As a rule of thumb, if a third of your hair (or less) is gray, you'll still get good results with a semi-permanent color. In fact, since the grays are lighter than your natural color, they may actually look like highlights once a color/glaze is added to them.

Semi-permanent is an easy and low risk dye process that you can do at home since it doesn't last long. There are still tips and information to help with the coloring and maintenance. You can also have a "glaze" done at a salon to add shine and pump up your color.

So What the Heck is Demi-Permanent Color?!


In my quest for hair color ideas, I finally ended up at my salon. I came to the conclusion that it was just better for everyone (especially myself) if I left this to the professionals. This was my first encounter with demi-permanent hair color.

So what is it exactly? It's sort of like a semi-permanent color but lasts 4-6 weeks instead of a few shampoos. It does have hydrogen peroxide in it (like a permanent dye) to deposit color, but at lower levels. That means it's not as damaging to your hair. Demi-permament colors adds shine, blends grays like a semi-permanent color and enriches the color overall.

Even though demi-permanent dyes have the hydrogen peroxide, they don't really lighten your hair. Once again, these dyes will boost your color or darken it only.

After a lot of discussion and going through several hair color ideas with my colorist, I ended up using a demi-permanent color. It perfectly disguises the few little pesky grays that have sprouted up on the top of my head. My colorist blended 2-3 colors with my natural color, which I never would have been able to do on my own in a million years. It gives me wonderful depth and shine.
Here's another bonus feature if you color your hair - more volume and fullness. Who knew?!
Even though I went to a professional, it's easy to work with demi colors at home. The key is having try colors and get information to get the results that you want and be able to maintain them.

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Permanent Hair Color Ideas - Are You Ready for A Commitment?


One of the first things you'll have to decide when considering hair color ideas is the results you want. Based on that, you can figure out what type of hair dye to use.

To start, there is permanent dye. The advantage of permanent dye is that it gives you 100% coverage and will take care of the nasty grays. It is also the only way to lighten you hair if you have dark hair. The other types of hair dyes can only darken your hair.

If you're considering dramatic hair color ideas, you'll need to use a permanent dye - especially if your hair is dark. The most common method is a "2 step process" that removes color in the first step and deposits the new color in the second step. The first step completely removes the natural (or previously dyed) color so the hair is white or very light blonde. The second step then deposits an entirely new color into the hair to get the desired results.

Since permanent color gives you 100% color, this is also the best option for creative hair color ideas or the most dramatic change. If you want purple hair, this is the way to go.

The bad news is that is that stripping your color can leave your hair dry and damaged. You'll want to use a shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair or something with extra moisture.

In addition, with permanent color, you'll have the problem of roots showing after about 6-8 weeks. If you're working with your natural color to cover grays, there won't be as much contrast between your roots unless you're really gray. You may be able to stretch more than a month before touch-ups are needed. Major changes are going to require major maintenance unless you don't mind your roots showing. This leads me to another downside of permanent hair color - if you don't like it, you have to grow it out or re-color it with another round of permanent dye/color remover.

Very important - since permanent hair color is such a commitment and involves a chemical process, it should ideally be done by a professional. Otherwise you could literally fry your hair with the chemicals. If you do decide to try this on your own, make sure you use a "single step" process and you really understand the how it needs to work. The original color is removed and the new color is added in one step making this easier for a novice.

If you're just starting to explore hair color ideas, permanent color may not be for you unless you're really sure about what you want to do.

What's the Difference Between Highlights and Lowlights?

Highlights basically brighten your hair by adding colors that are 2-3 shades lighter than your natural color. Colors used for highlights are gold, amber, red and honey shades. You need to look at your hair and skin tone to determine what color to use to highlight.

Lowlights do the opposite by adding slightly darker colors that blend with your hair's tone. Lowlights will deepen your hair color and are usually deep reds, coppers and plum shades. Most of the time 2-3 colors are used throughout to add dimension and shimmer.

Lowlights make highlights look more natural if you're brunette. When brown hair starts to lighten, it goes through red shades first so using red, copper or tortoise lowlights will add dimension and depth to dark hair. Ideally you should use 3 shades for darker hair.

After my own feeble attempt at coloring and mad dash to a professional, I ended up with highlights and lowlights in my hair. My hair is naturally a dark walnut color so we mixed ash blonde, caramel and copper for highlights and lowlights. I get tons of compliments on it and it looks stunning if i do say so myself!

Blondes have more options for highlights and don't necessarily have to follow the 3 color rule. Gold and copper lowlights are best to avoid washing out your complexion or making your hair look brassy.

When working with highlight and lowlight hair color ideas, keep the season in mind. Go a little darker in the winter when skin is often paler. For the summer, try a shade or 2 lighter.

Since highlights and lowlights can get complicated, it's best to consult a professional for these hair color ideas or learn as much as you can about hair coloring before trying this on your own. This is particularly true if you're going more than 2-3 shades lighter than your natural color.

Saturday

Even More Hair Color Ideas - Highlights vs Chunking


Highlights can be a stunning hair color option but can be tricky since you really need to pay attention to your hair's shade and tone.

Most colorists agree that it's easier to color your hair one shade at home and highlighting should be done by a professional. It's very easy for highlights to look bleached or too yellow. If you have really dark hair, it can also be difficult to achieve a color that blends well with your natural color and skin tone.

Traditional highlights involve separating very small sections of hair to be colored. This can be done using a frosting cap, foiling or just applying color to the tips. When you use foil, you paint the hair with the dye and fold it in the foil. This technique is time consuming and requires precision, so it's best to do this in a salon.

Chunking is the same thing using larger sections of hair. Chunking can be done around the face or all over. You can also use subtle colors that blend with your hair or go with a stronger contrasting color for a bolder look.

Again, these techniques and hair color ideas can get complicated. A professional colorists will give your best results. If you want to try these techniques on your own, do some research before picking up a bottle.