Colouring at home
1. Before colouring your hair at home, always do a skin allergy test beforehand. The best way to do this is to pierce the top of the tube of colour and take a cotton bud and press it in just until there is a little on the top of the bud. Apply a dot of colour behind the ear and leave 48hrs. If you notice any redness or irritation on the skin do not proceed with any colour as you may have a sensitivity to colour. (Clairol’s new ME+ technology is not suitable for anyone with a PPD or PTD allergy but it’s formula is 60 per cent less likely to cause a colour allergy developing in the future).
2. To make the application as easy as possible, have a comb to hand to help divide the hair into segments and a also mirror helps! Take an old towel and wrap it around your neck and tuck in well to protect your clothes. Add the tube of colour to the applicator bottle, shake well and make sure you have your gloves on.
3. Take a comb and divide the hair straight down the middle from the centre of the forehead to the back of the neck. Apply the colour using the tip of the bottle from the front to the back of your head. Press the colour into the parting, making sure it’s easily distributed. From the top point on the head, part the hair into four, out towards the back of the ear (think hot cross bun) and apply the colour to both sections. Once again pressing the colour. Doing colour application in this way keeps the application even and stops you losing your place.
4. Continue by applying the colour, section by section, starting with the first of the front sections and moving clockwise around the head. Use the tip of the bottle and take diagonal sections. Your sections should be around 1 cm deep and as you apply the colour make sure you’re pressing the colour into the root. (The product is a cream consistency and will transfer evenly once it’s pressed into the sections)
5. When you’re done leave for the development time stated (20 mins with Clairol Nice N Easy) and if you want to freshen the ends, make sure you leave some extra colour to bring through for the last 5-10 minutes. Never bring the colour straight through from roots to ends. If you do this the ends will either be darker than the roots or they will start to become darker over time and this will lead to a heavy colour build. A colour build up is definitely one of the biggest mistake people make when colouring their hair at home. If you colour your hair at home all the time and want it to look like you have it done in the salon, it requires patience and it needs to be done in steps.
6. When the colour is applied, take a cotton pad and some cleansing water and clean all around the hairline. Doing it now will help you avoid that dark colour halo. Before you take the colour off, emulsify the colour around the hairline into itself to help remove any colour stains. This will also ensure nobody will ever know you have coloured your hair! Finally condition with the enclosed conditioner for up to four weeks to help maintain the gloss and shine of your newly coloured hair. Your secret will be safe with you!
7. When choosing what colour shade you are going to use, with Clairol stick with the single numbers for covering grey e.g. 5, 6 or 7. These are the most ideal for covering grey, but it definitely varies from brand to brand. They are the most natural shades and generally give you a true to shade result. If you want it to be warmer go for golds (G) or brunettes (B) i.e. 6B or 6G. (Don’t forget that you can use one colour for covering grey i.e. 6 and the 6G for the ends to make it warmer). If you have a lot of hair or it is your first time colouring, always pick up two boxes especially if you want to freshen or change the ends, you don’t want to be half way through and realise you have run out of colour
8. Colouring hair is a science and if you’re thinking of a big colour change i.e. blond to brown, or black to red, always seek professional advice. As a hairdresser most of the biggest problems I encountered in the salon were from people trying to do big colour changes at home and running into serious problem. It ends up costing the colour they buy from a supermarket or chemist plus the hundreds it costs to fix it.
Maricia Walsh is is a freelance hair stylist and colourist. Check out her Instagram @MariciaWalshHair for hair inspo and advice. Clairol Nice ‘N Easy is available in pharmacies and supermarkets nationwide.