How to Choose Hair Colour
Gone are the days when men and women used hair colour to cover up grey hair. In those days, only the basic colours of brown and black were available and were commonly referred t o as ‘hair dye’. This hair dye was used in secrecy as it was used to camouflage white/grey hair.
Today, hair colour has become a beauty product. It is the ‘in thing’ to colour one’s hair irrespective of whether it has started greying or not. There are several hair colouring products available with a variety of shades to choose from, all of which confuses the consumer.
For first-timers, there are several criteria that need to be worked out in order to choose the right colour and whether the application should be from a home pack or at a salon.
Purpose for Hair Colour
The first criterion is whether the hair colour is to be used for covering grey hair or for stylish purposes. If it is the former, then shades closest to the natural colour of the hair should be used. If hair colouring is to be applied for fashion, then it is advisable to go to a professional salon as they can create various colour combinations and even streak the hair to give highlights. In fact, temporary hair colours are often used if a certain shade is required for a short period of time.
Salon Application or a Home Pack
Specialized hair applications at the salon require fixed time commitments, whereas a home pack can be done at anytime. However, it must be noted that any hair colour applied at home may not get 100% coverage as certain sections may get left out when trying to apply the colour on your own. An option would be to get a family member to apply it for you.
Permanent or Temporary
The reason for colouring hair will be the guide for choosing the type of colour. Permanent hair colour is that which stays on the hair shafts and fades very gradually. Basically the hair colour grows out as the hair grows. Temporary hair colour is that which gradually washes out after a stipulated number of shampoos. These temporary products do not contain ammonia and hence the colour is not long-lasting. However, they are less harsh on the hair due to the absence of ammonia.
