Colouring your hair
Colouring your hair needs a lot of care and more importantly knowledge about hair colours, your hair types etc. With the increase in the availability of hair colour brands, all claiming to be equally good, it becomes a bit confusing to select the right one which will suit you and at the same time not damage your hair. Colouring the hair consists of three main stages. The first step is selecting the right shade of colour. The second step is the application of the hair colour and the third is the post colour care for your hair. This article discusses all the three stages.
Selecting the right hair colour
This can be easily considered to be the most important stage of colouring your hair. If the right hair colour is not chosen, things can go horribly wrong. This means, even if the application was right, the wrong colour can give a bad reflection of your face in the mirror. So take your time in choosing the colour. Professionals recommend that you choose a colour which is at the most two shades different from your natural hair colour. Another scale to choose the hair colour can be the matching of the eye colour with your hair colour shade. Opt for a hair colour which is almost the shade of your eye or the lens that you are using. This produces best results.
Another important matter of concern is the amount of chemicals present in the hair colour. If you plan to change the colour of your hair within a month, then you must go for the peroxide free semi permanent hair colour. This will add a smooth glazed look to your hair. It is very mild on the hair. It disappears after four or five weeks after which you can go for the next application of the hair colour. Permanent colours last longer and contain peroxides. Hence they must be avoided when considering frequent application. Permanent hair colour is however more effective in hiding the grey hairs if any.
If hiding grey hairs is the main reason behind colouring, you can choose to use henna. Henna not only colours your hair, it also conditions it. Henna doesn’t rob the hair of its natural oils and moisture. In fact, henna besides conditioning and cooling is also known to cool the body. It is being touted as a good stress buster. It is absolutely safe to use henna while colouring your hair.
Applying the hair colour
Application of hair colour needs to be done accurately and with good speed. This is to obtain a uniform colour of the hair. If you are applying hair colour for the first time, it is better you get it done from a professional hair dresser. Colouring your hair is a laborious process and you may not get it right the first time. Go to a trusted beautician and ask her to colour your hair. Before applying the hair colour, ensure that the hair is in the best state in terms of health. Colouring causes a considerable amount of damage to the hair. If your hair is already not in a great condition, it is advisable to stay away from hair colours till it is healthy again. Colouring the hair causes the hair to lose all its moisture. So remember to apply sufficient amounts of moisturiser before you start with colouring. Make sure the moisturiser is an effective one. This will prevent damage to a certain extent.
Caring for the hair after application of hair colour
Hair colouring doesn’t stop with the application alone. The hair needs to be constantly cared for if you want the colour to be retained. Avoid washing your hair with hot water. Hot water is known to be a good agent to wash away artificial colours and chemicals from the hair. So avoid hot water at all costs. Using shampoos and conditioners designed specially for coloured hair is a good way to maintain coloured hair.
