Do you want to change your appearance? Dye your hair. You don't have to radically change the shade right away - just darken or lighten it by a few tones. We advise you on how to dye your hair so that the effect is successful.
You can dye your hairin a hairdressing salon or at home. Before you make up your mind, read our tutorial on how to dye your hair step by step.
Hair coloring - which preparation to use
You have a choice of non-permanent, semi-permanent and permanent coloring agents. The first slogan covers preparations that settle on the surface of the hair and leave only very delicate reflections on them. The color is washed off after 6-8 washes. The second group includes preparations that penetrate shallowly under the surface of the hair. The effect is more pronounced, but only lasts for around seven weeks. If you want a lasting effect, buy a hair dye that works in the middle of the hair. Ammonia (or the safer but slightly less effective monoethanolamine) opens the scales that form the protective film widely and thus allows the oxidant and the dye base to penetrate inside. When the base is oxidized, a dye is formed that gives color to the hair.
Hair coloring - choose a color
You have to match it to your complexion, eye color, eyebrows, and your personality. You can judge how you will feel in it by applying colored strands to your face from the palettes provided by the manufacturers of coloring agents. When choosing a paint, be sure to check what starting hair color it is intended for. Usually, it is difficult for us to tell if we have dark blonde or light brown on our head. Therefore, at the earliest opportunity, ask your hairdresser about it or use the samplers at the drugstore again. Remember to use the sampler belonging to the paint you intend to apply.
Purpose of hair dye: darkening
During this treatment, you need to evenly apply the product to the entire length of your hair, otherwise unsightly dark spots will appear. If you want to dye the hair previously lightened to a dark color, first apply the dye to the middle and ends, and leave the roots for the end.
You can only slightly darken the hairstyle yourself. If, on the other handyou are going to dye your light hair a very dark color, better go to the hairdresser. At home, brown over light blonde may become greenish, and mahogany may become very bright.
Or maybe pigmentation …
Remember that gray hair requires special handling. They are resistant to dyeing, so if you have a lot of them, you must also use the services of a professional. He will probably perform a pigmentation procedure. He will apply only the paint - without hydrogen peroxide - and only after a few minutes will apply a mixture of water and oxidizer. A good way to get gray with preparations that restore the original color. A cream containing a synthetically produced melanin precursor is applied to the head. When it penetrates into the cortex, the dye formation process begins under the influence of oxygen in the air. The effect is visible after a few days, and if necessary, the application can be repeated. The preparation should not be applied to dyed hair, as it may change the color unpredictably, but after the treatment, the hairstyle can be dyed as you wish.
Purpose: lightening
Do you want to lighten your hair by 2-3 tones? You just need a lighter paint. But if you expect more spectacular effects, you need to use a bleach, and this type of preparation can do a lot of damage to your hair. When applied to the head, it oxidizes brown-black eumelanin and, unlike paint, it does not offer any artificial dye in return. The hair is therefore almost completely defenseless.
The bleach should be evenly applied along the entire length of the hair and gently lifted with a comb. The point is that they should all have access to air. Otherwise, the ones underneath will be brighter and more damaged. Unfortunately, this type of preparation does not change the color of the hair directly from dark to light. If we apply it to very dark hair, we probably won't get blonde at all. Usually a red-orange tinge appears first, then fades to yellow. The only way out in such a situation is to apply a coloring paint or shampoo.
- In the case of dark hair, you can try two-step bleaching - says Paweł Gromadowski from the Beauty Club hairdressing salon in Warsaw. - After the first lightening, you need to apply a washable color on your hair, because it can have a very ugly color. When two weeks have passed, the lightening treatment can be repeated and after that, a permanent paint can be applied. This way the hair will suffer a little less. But in fact, you need to go to a trusted hairdresser for the bleaching treatment, especially when the hair was already bleached and now there are roots.
Actioncare
After changing the color, the hair needs very careful care. You can make them a compress with yolk, castor oil and a few drops of lemon, but specialized cosmetics - shampoos, conditioners and masks - are much better for them. The most advantageous are those intended separately for lightened or tinted hair, because both have slightly different needs.
- Dark hair is more resistant because it has a lot of pigment in it and is usually less damaged - says hair stylist Maciej Wróblewski. - They need cosmetics that will add shine and also close the cuticles and thus prevent the loss of the dye. On the other hand, hair that is bleached due to the lack of dark pigment is almost transparent, and therefore defenseless against external factors such as the sun. Therefore, they need, for example, preparations with silicone, which can replace the protection provided by the pigment.
Hair needs careful care not only after washing. In summer, you need to protect them from the sun every time you leave the house. Sprinkle them with dedicated mists, which in addition to various nutrients also contain a UV filter. Most often, you need to spray them half an hour before sun exposure and then repeat the application every few hours.
Important rules:
- If you cannot count on someone else's help when coloring, choose a paint with an applicator. You can apply it much more efficiently than with a brush.
- Don't save on the product. Thick and long hair need more paint, otherwise the color will be uneven. So buy two packages.
- Do not wash your hair before applying the dye or bleach. Fat is a protective layer for them.
- Use the gloves included in the package - paints are harsh chemicals that can irritate the skin of your hands.
- Apply a greasy cream or petroleum jelly to the skin on the face along the hairline - it will protect it from discoloration. Put a towel on your shoulders, which you will not regret throwing away.
- Start applying the preparation from the back of the head and move towards the nape of the neck. Later, start your application from the front.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instructions on the packaging. Holding or prematurely washing the product may end up badly. Thick and gray hair are quite difficult to pick up color, so if you have been blessed with it by nature, make sure to use the time limit for dye-resistant hair.
- Rinse the preparation thoroughly. Otherwise, it will still work on the hair and damage it.
- After finishing the treatmentobligatory use the conditioner included in the package.
- If the ends of your hair are unevenly colored, dye them again, but this time do not apply any more dye to the scalp.