Choosing Hair Color

CHOOSING HAIR COLOR:

If you want to change your appearance the easiest way to do it, is to do something to your hair. Adding color to your hair is one of the quickest and most dramatic ways of changing the way you look. But choosing the right hair color can be a difficult task. Given below is information about different types of hair color and information about what color would suit you best.

Types of Hair Color or Dyes:

Permanent Tints:

• Is mixed with hydrogen peroxide to lift hair color. The peroxide opens the hair cuticle to allow the color to reach the cortex and form the color. The greater the concentrations of peroxide the quicker and lighter the result.
• Semi-Permanent Colors: They do not lift color. They only vary the tone of your natural hair color or can be made darker. It has very little peroxide, which opens the cuticles slightly. Hence the color will last up to about 20 washes and will fade slowly as you shampoo your hair.

Semi-Permanent Vegetable Colors:

It has only vegetable extracts and natural ingredients. Therefore no color is removed from your hair. The color is superficially on the surface of the hair and will be washed away after about 8 shampoos.

Hair Color Tip:

The hair color you choose should suit your skin color. Light complexioned people do not look good with very dark hair as it draws color out of their skin. Dark complexioned people look best with four or five tones of blonde; chestnut or honey tones also will look great.

• When you are coloring your hairs for the first time don’t do it by yourself. Get it done by a professional.
• Blonde hair color is easy to get on dark brown hair. But your hair has been permanently colored then this process can become very tedious.
• Red hair color is the sexiest shade and attracts most attention. Most hair is suitable for red hair color. If you are a blonde you will have to go two or three shades darker than your natural color to achieve a rich red hair color and this color is not easy to reverse.
• Brown hair color suits almost everybody. By varying a shade of brown with highlights you can achieve a huge range of colors.
• Black hair color is easy to apply and is easy to apply on all types of hair. But this color looks good only on people with dark or olive skin color. It is best to consult a beautician and a professional before you color your hair for the first time. As they will give the best advise as to what color is best for your skin tone and for your hair texture.
  

Highlighting the Hair

HIGHLIGHTING THE HAIR:

Highlighting, finger painting or streaking your hair is meant to add depth to your hair and lighten up your overall look. The color must compliment your natural hair color or the color with which your cover your hair fully.

Choose the color for highlight that is at least 2 shades lighter than the rest of your hair to bring it to notice but do not go for colors more than 3 shades lighter as it might actually give an odd contrast and look unnatural. Here are some tips to keep in mind, while adding the highlights to your hair:

• Two days before coloring, wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo but never use shampoo on the day, you want to color your hair.


• Never use hair color whose expiry date has already crossed and never store the left away mixture for later use.


• For better natural looking results, use flat ½ and ¼ inch acrylic brushes, easily available at all art supply stores.


• Use good pair of tight-fitting latex gloves while coloring your hair.


• It is advisable to start coloring hair from the back of the head to the front side to avoid smearing the color in front accidentally.


• Only top layer of the hair needs to color for highlighting.


• Finger painting is good for creating a subtle effect. You can simply do it by wearing thin gloves and dipping four fingers of each hand in the bleach solution and run them through the hair from the hairline to the back of your head. Leave for the specified time, rinse, shampoo and condition your hair.


• Streaking is bolder and glossier and needs touch-up every six to eight weeks. Half-head streaking is done by bleaching selected strands of hair and wrapping them up in foil paper. They should be placed close to the hairline. Whole head streaking gives a blonde effect and means that all your hairs are bleached and colored. Here darker streaks are placed close to the hairline.
  

Hair Shine

HAIR SHINE:

Dull and dreary hair takes away half the beauty of the face. Healthy, glossy, manageable hair that reflects light and falls around the face beautifully, is the dream of every woman that is not so difficult to attain after all.

Here are a few tips to make your hair shine:

• Bring instant shine to your hair by lightly beating two eggs in milk and massaging them in your hair thoroughly. Rinse after five minutes.
• A little vodka in your shampoo, if used occasionally, can make your thick hair shine instantly.
• Yet another way to make your hair shine for blondes is to add two tablespoons of lemon juice in your rinse water after shampooing, while brunettes and redheads can add apple cider vinegar to their rinse water.
• Everybody can get a vibrant hair color by wisely using his or her garden products! Brunettes can use handful of fresh rosemary sprigs, blondes can use dried chamomile, orange-tone redheads can use chopped up carrot while berry-tone redheads can use chopped up beet. Boil one quart of water. Tie the suitable ingredient according to your hair color in a piece of doubled cheesecloth and toss it into the boiling water. Remove them from heat and let the water soak the color for about 10 minutes. Then, remove the cheesecloth bag. Shampoo and rinse your hair thoroughly. Pour the color enhancer you have prepared over your hair, while it is warm. Be sure it is not hot. Rinse it finally with a quart of cold water. Do this once a month for that lustrous hair posed by models.
• Honey is good for skin and hair. Take 4 cups of warm water and stir 1 teaspoon of honey in it. Pour it into your hair after shampooing and let the hair dry as normal. You don't need to rinse it.
• Over-processed hair lose their shine too so be careful nor to overuse all those chemical hair products in the market. Silicone products add shine to hair momentarily but are difficult to wash out causing a buildup that make your hair dull. Vinegar rinse should be used sparingly too or it may dry out your hair.
• Cold water rinsing makes your hair look shinier as it closes and smoothens the hair cuticle. To further enhance the shine, you can use a finishing crème during and after blow-drying your hair.
• Adding shine to gray hair and keeping them from getting that yellow tint can be difficult. However a professional gloss treatment at the salon seals the cuticle and makes the hair look shinier than ever. It lasts for five weeks.
• Heat activated shampoos and weekly deep conditioning for your hair keep them glossy.