So you want tips for coloring your hair at home?

Here are some lessons learned (the hard way) that can make your home hair coloring experience a successful one. Giving you hair that looks like it was done by the best colorists money can buy! Even if it wasn’t.

The first lesson deals with how permanent you want the color to be. It’s really best to go with a semi or demi color your first time. Some dyes like this have no ammonia and others next to none so you’re less likely to wreak havoc on your tresses. Besides test driving a more temporary color, if you don’t like it, the color will wash out in a matter of weeks. Just be sure the product inside the box matches what you’re looking for in terms of permanence.

Try not wash your hair right before coloring it. But don’t go several days without washing it either. Washing right before might leave the shaft with moisture that would dilute the color. Not washing your hair risks product buildup with might inhibit color penetration.

The next lesson says do not go wild when picking colors if you want a natural look. Which you can ignore if you have blue, green or purple hues in mind. Colorists will tell you not to stray more than two shades darker or lighter than your natural shade. Keep in mind that while color tastes and styles vary the coloring product agents themselves do not.

Unfortunately we weren’t born with the ability to color our hair. So painful as it may be – read the instructions. Every word. You must understand to apply the product properly. You also need to know how long to leave it in your hair.

If you’re trying one of the new coloring products or one you haven’t used before, you want to be sure to find out how you’ll react, if at all, before you slather it all over your head. That’s right you want to do a sensitivity test just like the box says. Nothing like an adverse reaction to spoil an otherwise fun experience.

When coloring hair newspaper is your friend. Use it to cover the floor, countertops, anywhere that the dye can land. It’s also smart to add a touch of corn starch to the coloring to thicken it. That way it’s not flying everywhere.

And be careful when you rinse your hair. If not you’ll find dye on shower walls the ceiling even if it’s low enough. It’s shocking how far this stuff flies.

Perfect. Oh wait. Dab some petroleum jelly on the back of your neck, your ears and at your hairline. You’re forming a barrier to avoid staining your skin with the dye. I’ve learned dazzling hair color can’t make up for obviously hair dye stained skin.

And should you get some dye on an unprotected patch of skin, wipe it off right away using a damp paper towel and a bit of baking powder.

Changing the color of your hair is exciting. Just don’t get excited too often. If you color your hair too much your risk creating brittle dry hair from excessive exposure to chemicals like peroxide. This mistake isn’t easily recovered from. Then too you want to moisturize and condition properly after coloring to offset any chemical dryness.

What if you’ve make a major coloring mistake? Do not try to fix it yourself. Do not ask a friend for help. Now is not the time for amateur hour. Or a henna make over. Plus most home remedies will only damage your hair further. At this point you definitely need to make an appointment with your salon stylist.

Yes you absolutely can get celebrity gorgeous hair color from a box. As long as you take the advice shared here you can get a new look in no time. And faster and for much less than if professionally done.

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