How to Color Hair

Knowing how to color hair is much more involved than purchasing an over-the-counter hair coloring kit and following the included instructions. The fact is, being able to color hair correctly is an art form that requires knowledge of color composition, coloring technique and a bit of chemistry.

The Chemistry Behind Hair Color

The process of coloring hair consists of three distinct chemical agents: peroxide, hair dye and ammonia. Peroxide is used first to remove the color from your hair -- a necessity for achieving the hair color you‘re looking for. The problem with the home hair color kits, however, is that the peroxide concentrations are much more diluted than those available in professional salons. In fact, they’re often too diluted to work very well at all.

Next, is the dye. These prepackaged dyes consist of a combination of red, blue and yellow dye -- all colors that are already present in your hair. Without a stylist who knows how to color hair and adjust the dye color to match the needs of your hair, this means there’s a good chance that the color hair you achieve may not be precisely what you were expecting.

Finally, is the application of ammonia. This chemical is used as a developer to fix the new color into your hair so that it lasts. Although some kits advertise as being “ammonia free,” this only means that they’re using a synthesized form of the chemical.

Techniques Used to Color Hair

Although attempting a single-process color at home is probably relatively safe, you’ll definitely want to visit a salon for more advanced coloring techniques, such as double-process color, highlights or lowlights.

Double-Process color refers to the process of dying hair twice and is usually done when the hair is being lightened by more than two shades. First, the hair is bleached to remove color from the hair. Next, it is dyed the color of the client’s choosing. Highlights and lowlights are essentially the same technique, executed with opposite results. Lighter-colored highlights add brightness and shine to the hair, while darker-colored lowlights add warmth. Both highlights and lowlights can be done on the entire head, on half of the head or just around the face for framing.

How to Color Hair Correctly

If you want to learn how to color hair like the pros, keep these tips in mind:

1. To get professional results from your at-home hair color, you need to use professional products. Purchase your desired hair color at a beauty supply store and stock up on a few bottles to ensure you don’t run out. When selecting a color, make sure you choose a shade that is within two shades of your natural hair color. More drastic color changes should only be handled in a salon by a color specialist.
2. Always moisturize your locks before you color hair, as the color will take much easier to hydrated hair.
3. Do a strand test prior to coloring your entire head of hair by gathering a section of your hair, applying the hair color and allowing it to set for 15 minutes. When testing the color, make sure you do so in an inconspicuous area, such as on the section of hair above your ear.
4. Learning how to color hair with highlights, lowlights or double-process color takes a beauty school education, so leave these techniques to the pros. Mistakes made when bleaching your hair are often expensive and time-consuming to fix and incorrectly done high/low lights can turn out looking like you have stripes on your head (which is probably not the look you’re going for).