Hair Color To Dye For

    Not so long ago, confessing that you colored your hair was a little like admitting you were a loose woman. How times have changed. Today, more than 70 percent of Amencan women do something to modify their natural shade. And you can bet many of the rest have thought about it but are afraid of making a mistake or becoming slaves to their roots.
    The good news is that getting great hair color has become nearly foolproof at home as well as at the salon But you need to know the basics: the right kind of product to use, the best way to pick a shade, the keys to controlling damage and keeping your look fresh. Here, top colorists share plain talk and a few trade secrets. Follow their advice and you'll have nothing to fear. Promise.

decisions, decisions: what do you want?

a whole, new you
    IF YOU'RE A BLONDE who's always wanted to be a redhead, or a mousy brunette who fantasizes about glamorous black, do not stop at the drugstore godirectly to a professional. Radical color changes (more than two shades lighter or darker) are the hardest to pull off at home, experts say. For one thing, selecting a shade that complements your eyes and complexion can be difficult. A trained colorist can steer you toward the most flattering tones. Pros also have lots of experience holding their clients' hands through nerve-racking bouts of uncertainty and regret. "The more sweeping the change, the less likely you are to be happy with the results," says ace colorist Brad Johns, artistic director of the Avon Centre in New York City.
    Equally important, dramatic transformations require powerful chemicals, technical skill, or both. Going significantly lighter can fry hair to a crisp; before the new shade can be applied, the cuticles protecting each strand must be penetrated and the natural pigments inside the shaft "lifted" or bleached out with ammonia and peroxide. The higher the per-centage of peroxide needed to get the color you think you want, the greater the possibility of disaster. Going very dark can also be problematic; the dye can linger for months, and the color can look more garish than gorgeous (think Angelina Jolie at the Oscars). "Black is very susceptible to screwups," Johns warns.
    Finally, a whole new look often requires a new hair care rou-tine (and a new color scheme for your makeup). Wouldn't you rather know what to expect before you take the plunge?


a little perking up
    HAS YOUR COLOR GOTTEN A TRIFLE BORING? Lucky you. Drugstores and beauty supply stores are suddenly teeming with products designed to help you beat the blahs in the comfort of your own bathroom. These include dyes, such as Clairol's Natural Instincts and L'Oreal Casting ColorSpa, that brighten your shade a notch or two while adding ashy, golden, or reddish undertones. They wash out in two weeks to a month, so you can fine-tune the shade if you're not satisfied. An even simpler option: color-enhancing shampoos, conditioners, and styling products with a bit of temporary dye (Aveda and Graham Webb offer a range of hues). But skip henna; though a "natur-al" stain, it's far from gentle, says colorist Gina Khan, of Yosh for Hair/Gina Khan in San Francisco. "It coats the hair, dries it out, and is hard to work over if you get tired of the color."

just the highlights

SURE, BLONDES AND HIGHLIGHTS go together like sun and kissed. But threads of honey, bronze, or copper also give depth and dimension to auburn and brunette. For easy, inexpensive glints, you can stroke a bit of Christian Dior Mascara Flash for Hair on a few strands around your face and blend with a brush. Or you can try an at-home kit such as ColorStay Contrasts by Revlon (enlist a friend to help, and start out conservatively). But remember: There's a reason colorists charge so much for this process. "Highlights are very subtle, vdry carefully placed around your head," says Johns. "You can't just slap them in, like you can with some dyes." Adds Khan: "It's hard to get the lighteners to stay in place." Picking the right shade can be tricky, as can highlighting hair that's already been colored. Bottom line: Leave fancy lighting schemes to the pros.

no more gray
    GRAY IS NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO COLOR. The texture is often coarser than hair that still has its pigment, and the cuticle is harder to penetrate, says Peter Matravers, vice president of research and development for Aveda. In addition, many dyes work by grabbing onto pigment in the hair shaft; with gray, there's little to hold onto. If you have just a smattering of silver, the best do-it-yourself choice is a semi- or demipermanent dye: White hairs will resemble highlights until the color fades, and new growth blends in as it appears. Hiding serious gray at home requires a specially formulated permanent dye, such as Clairol's Revitalique Age-Defying Color System. If you'd rather not use permanent color, head for the salon; professional-strength semipermanent dyes give great coverage.

back to your roots
    SURPRISE! Giving up your color habit and letting your hair revert to gray probably means you'll be seeing a lot more of your colorist, at least for a while (unless, like Sinead O'Conner, you're willing to start from scratch). Permanent dye results in major roots, so find out whether it's possible to switch to a semi-or demipermanent color on your new growth for the next several months. (Do-it-yourselfers should consult an expert before trying this at home.) Also consider getting highlights lots of them."This helps soften up the old dark hair color and prevent the severity of demarcation," Khan says.
    A cute, cropped cut also speeds the process. See your stylist for a trim every month or so until the old, dyed hair is gone. But don't stop there; use a special cleanser, such as Avon Spa Line Anti-Tarnish Shampoo, to prevent yellowing. Or try "coloring" your hair every few weeks with a transluscent semipermanent tint that erases yellow, such as L'Oreal's new Gray Chic.

how to pick the perfect shade

Take your cues from your complexion: Hair color has two parts: the base shade (dark blonde, light brown, medium red)'; and the undertone (the ashy, golden, or reddish glints that give depth and richness). Do-it-yourselfers should stay within two shades of their base color, while selecting undertones that complement their skin. If you're on the pink or ruddy side, cool ashy tones are pretty. If your skin is olive, yellow, or brown, you'll look wonderful with warm, vibrant undertones: gold, auburn, copper. Picking the right red can be tricky: "If you have a lot of red tones in your skin, you're not going to want your shade to be on the pink side," says Mark Garrison of the Mark Garrison Salon in New York. Go for a warmer undertone instead, he suggests. Also make sure you don't select a shade' that's too similar to your complexion for instance, a pale, ashy blond with very skin. You need some contrast or you'll appear washed-out.

Look into your eyes. 

    If you aren't sure about your skin tone, let the flecks in your irises warmgolds and greens or cool blues and grays guide you. "Most importantly, any color should enhance your eyes and make them sparkle," Johns says.

Consider the season.

    "Go richer in fall and brighter for spring," Khan advises. If your hair is medium brown with golden or honey overtones in the warm months, for example, she suggests darkening the brown a bit and adding auburn glimmers as the weather cools. "With hair color, a subtle change can make all the difference." When in doubt, pick the lighter shade. You can always deepen it.

Don't judge a shade by the front of the box.

    "The model on the package is the fantasy the company is selling," says Johns. "The information on the side of the box is real-ity. It will say to you: If your natural hair color is medium brown, you will get this shade; if you have black hair, this is the shade of auburn you will get."

Test the color were it counts-on your locks.
    Select a section of hair that's normally not visible perhaps behind the ear or underneath in back. Mix up the formula and follow the directions for every step including the final sham-pooing. If you don't like the resulting color, throw out the whole kit and start over. (Just be sure to test the new hue on a different patch of hair.)

Consoult of professional.
Even if you plan to color your hair yourself, a pro can tell you what base color and undertones she thinks would be most flattering usuallyat no cost. Before committing to any radical change, ask to try on a wig or two in the new shade.

Tricks of the trade
Let your hair get a little dirty before you (or hairdresser color it). The grime and natural oils will protect your scalp from potentially irritating chemicals.

To prevent satining, smear heavy-duty hair conditioner or Vaseline around your hairline and on your ears. If you're a bit sloppy and get dye on your fingers or face, don't rub it with water; this just sets the pigment. Believe it or not, the best way to remove dye is to dab on a little more and scrub with a dry towel.
 
When touching up roots, "try to be as exact as you can," says David Can nell, senior vice president of research and development at Redken Labs. Otherwise you'll create a line of demar-cation and weaken your hair at the point where the new tint overlaps the old. If using semi- or demipermanent color, work it into the old growth no more than five minutes before rinsing. If applying permanent color, "smoosh it through the rest of hair for about a minute, then rinse," Can nell says. Never use at-home tint to touch up a professional dye job. You'll wreck your colorist's handiwork.

Keep a hair color "diary" (or index card) to ensure consistency. Record information like the brand and shade, the date of each application, the amount of dye used, and where you applied it. If you run into problems or want to rethink your shade, take the card with you to the salon.

Solution for finicky hair

1. african amencan hair
    VERY CURLY HAIR CAN BE extremely dry and fragile. Each point at which a hair shaft bends is intrinsically weak. Hair that's been straightened or relaxed is even more delicate, so coloring is definitely a job for the pros (make sure to wait a week or two after straightening). Other expert advice:
    •Let natural oils build up for at least three or four days be-fore applying color. This protects hair from excessive dryness.
    •Be very cautious about using at-home permanent dyes with peroxide and ammonia. "Black hair has a lot of red in it," says San Francisco colorist Ron Pernell. "And if you use the wrong strength peroxide, you can damage your hair or get an ashy or °rangy color which can be corrected only in a salon."
    •The more moisture you add to overprocessed hair, the stronger and more resilient it will be. Deep-condition several times a week with a product such as Rene Furterer Carthame Oil or Kérastase Masquintense.

2. thinning hair
    Half of all women over 50 suffer from this annoying problem. The most popular tricks for disguising the loss are perming hair to enhance fullness and lightening locks to reduce the contrast with the scalp. The danger, though, is that women can overprocess their hair, says Louis Vie!, a colorist for Revlon and co-owner of the Miano Vie! Salon in New York City. This could lead to weakness and breakage-exactly what you don't want.
    For such a delicate balancing act, you need a pro's touch. A trained colorist can suggest a shade that is both flattering and light enough to blend well with skin, as well as a layered style that has body and bounce. If you've noticed some hair loss but would like to-color it yourself, stick with a semi- or demiper-manent dyesays Miami colorist Scott Alan."They aren't harsh, but they plump up the shaft, which makes hair seem thicker."

3. home color mistakes
    THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS ARE overhighlighting, coloring hair too dark, and trying to go too light on brunette or black hair, resulting in an icky orange tone.
    •If the tint is darker than you expected, wash it immediately with a high-detergent shampoo such as Prell or even dishwashing liquid. If you used a semi- or demipermanent formula, this should remove much of the color. Call the 800 number on the box to find out whether you can apply a new shade.
    •If you used a permanent formula, do not attempt to recolor your hair. Once it's been treated with ammonia and peroxide, it becomes porous and brittle; the new shade will penetrate deeper than you'd wish and look patchy.
    •If you can't stand the shade, see a color-correction specialist as soon as possible. You can expect to pay a heavy price upto several hundred dollars over two or three sessions as the colorist removes the offending dye and establishes a new hue. But new products, like Rusk's ELIMIN8 Color Corrector, can work miracles. Chances are you'll think it's worth every penny.