Hair Care: Information, Links and Resources

Hair Coloring and what you need to know

So you want to change the color of your hair?

Hair salons everywhere may big dollars out of coloring hair.

The at home hair dyes can only go so far in coloring your hair to the way you want it. Realistically you may be able to go lighter by only a few shades when using the at home hair coloring products.

Of course, going darker is up to your imagination - it is much easier to darken hair color than it is to lighten it.

The problem of lightening hair color

If you try and lighten hair color too far, the outcome can be horrific if you don't know what you are doing. Hair salons make a fortune out of fixing up hair that their owners have stuffed up. Hence you may see people walking around the street with orange colored hair, even though they were trying for blonde.

Going lighter in hair color is not easy.

What you need to know about coloring to lighter shades is this:

If you are going to try and go much lighter in your hair color, then you need to use a hair bleach first. You can't use this very often, just as you cant dye your hair very often, less it becomes very spongy and comes out.

You also need to follow the directions to the letter, and remember, the chemicals used to bleach hair, can also lead to permanent hair loss and damage if the scalp is burnt by the chemicals in the process.

Even if you go to a professional hair salon to lighten your hair color, which is a good idea, ask the person doing it how many times they have done it before - certainly think very hard before letting even an apprentice try this on your hair.

What you need to know about coloring to darker shades is this:

If you go to dark, it may not be possible to re dye to a lighter hair color for some time. This is because the dye goes into the hair, staining it. If you then try bleaching too soon afterward, your hair may go spongy and fall out from being hit with too many chemicals in too short a time frame.

So, which color of hair dye is best suited to you?

It's actually rather simple, what colors normally flatter you?

Reds / Pinks / Oranges - suggest reds and reddish browns hair coloring.

Greens / Blues - suggest browns or blonde

Blacks / Darks - suggest either black, maybe blonde for contrast, or blonde streaks.

Suggest experiment with the safer wash out coloring first, and see how the hair color matches your look and lifestyle - then when you find the hair color you are after, try the permanent type.

Why be cautious with hair coloring?

Using wash out dyes first to check for color suitability, helps to prevent needless damage to your hair and scalp, and perhaps much embarrassment if the color turns out to be unsuitable. Permanent hair dyes are almost impossible to undo, particularly if going darker.

Remember, each time you use a hair dye of the permanent type, you need to leave a period of time before you re dye, to give your hair a chance to recover. You may be able to get away re dying fairly soon, but the shorter you make the interval, the greater the danger to your hair and scalp.

I run a hair loss treatment and information web site, so believe me, these products are highly toxic - loaded with dangerous chemicals that can burn and disfigure your scalp. They can do extreme damage if used - erring on the side of caution is the better option, and perhaps putting up with a short period of looking not the best, beats the pants off having to use a wig for the rest of your life, because some part of your scalp, or even most of it, has been made irreversibly bald.

How can you tell that you're close to permanently damaging your hair and scalp?

Sometimes you cant, so be warned.

Some examples you can look for though are:

Spongy hair, really dry and brittle hair, cant get the bounce back into, are all examples of hair being over chemicallized.

How to care for your hair while dying it

1... Choose the right hair color that suits you, so that you don't have to re dye it too soon.

2... Don't try going to dark or too light, just go a few shades so that the hair compliments the look you are after.

3... If you make a mistake, just live with a color for a couple of weeks or more, then see a professional about dying it to the color you want, what he risks are and so on.

Hair care and coloring in Conclusion:

Your hair is one of your most valuable assets. Look after it wisely and it will be able to frame your face and compliment your look for decades, if not a life time.

Written and Edited by Donald Urquhart

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