How to dye your hair and get salon results

There are plenty of things to love about home hair-colouring options, starting with the fact that you can achieve gorgeous shades without compromising the health of your hair on your budget.

But whether you’re an experienced hand or a first-timer, it’s easy to be a little wary. Hair is very personal and it’s potentially one of your best assets, so of course you want it to look fabulous. Knowledge is power with DIY colouring, so here is everything you need to know to get it started.

Shopping guidelines

Hair colour is possibly the most dramatic way to change or enhance your appearance. Follow these tips for making the best choices.

Warm or cool

The most important thing you need to know before your choose a shade is whether you’re warm or cool. Why? Because if you choose the wrong toned hair colour for your skin tone, the results will not be as flattering. If in doubt, follow these guidelines. You’re warm if gold or yellow-based colours complement your skin tone. Look for words such as golden, bronze or copper. You’re cool if silver or blue-based colours are the most flattering. Look for words such as ash, platinum and champagne.

Read the label

If you want to blend white hairs or refresh your colour, try a semi-permanent. It will last anywhere from 4-12 shampoos. If you want 100 per cent white coverage you’ll need a permanent hair colour. Every three to four weeks you’ll need to colour the regrowth.

Play it safe

If you’re a first timer don’t be too adventurous. Choose a shade that looks a little lighter on the box than the result you want. Why? It’s not easy to fix a shade that’s too dark for your liking, and you may need to go to a salon.

Condition matters

Dry, coarse hair, chemically processed hair and the ends of longer hair are porous and soak up more colour. To avoid uneven colouring, pre-test results on a small strand of hair, pick a lighter colour or leave the dye on for less time. Also, refer to the starting colour and results grid on the box as a guide.