Don’t be afraid to dye

With hundreds of colouring products out there, and virtually any colour to take your fancy, right now is the best time for change. Whether you’re gradually lightening your hair, or plunging into the deep end and going for a completely different colour, there are enough routes to go down to satisfy even the most particular of us.

The main argument in all of this is whether to dye your hair at home or not. The colouring products are actually the same quality as in salons, so the possible damage to your hair from home products isn’t any more. The only outstanding issue is the lack of salon expertise, the dreaded meant-to-be-blonde that somehow turned out green, everyone’s biggest fear when taking the plastic bottle in their hands. However, if you follow the instructions to every last detail, and possibly have a helper when doing it, the product will do the rest.

There are many home products that you can use, but for natural tones use Nice’n Easy three-tone hair dye, to get a natural look. For a strong block colour, use Schwarzkopf Live XXL for strong HD colour. If ombre takes your fancy then you can achieve that at home also, use L’Oreal preference wild ombre, gradually but loudly colouring your hair, so it isn’t just dark-light, there is a shift in colour. For lightening your hair, use John Frieda Sheer Blonde spray; this is a gradual treatment that you use every time you wash your hair, you can see the results after one usage, but they really kick in at around the five mark.

If you want to go down the salon route for the “safer” option, then be prepared to fork out £40 plus, however for this money you do get the quality you need for your hair. There is an array of options that you can choose from, for example, going for just the T-zone being lightened to give the impression that your whole head is lighter. You could also get highlights or lowlights, the method of not dying all of your hair, but will still change the overall colour of it, the more tonal method. Finally, you can get the whole head dyed, yes more expensive, but if change is what you want then change is what you will get. You can also get consultations with your salon which would definitely be recommended so you and your hairdresser can really figure out what you want.  

Once you have coloured your hair, then maintenance is the next hurdle, however, there are so many methods of doing this so it’s no big problem. A more expensive option but high on quality is the KMS California Colour Vitality range, for fresh coloured and luxurious hair this is the one for you. A more affordable option would be John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss, maintaining the salon’s colour even when you’ve left.

If you need any more help then talking to workers from stores that you can buy home dye from would help you, and by going to your salon you can figure out which route is best for you.

With so many options, which one will you choose?

Tamara Massey