Thank you for all the hair compliments and ideas these past few days! I'd like to share some advice and knowledge with you guys about hair coloring.
NEVER USE BOX COLOR......NEVER OR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND YELL AT YOU.
I know how tempting it is to spend 7$ on a box of hair coloring but I promise you that you are doing your hair MUCH more harm than good.
Did you know your hair is made up of 85% protein and only 1% pigment?
Did you know that box color has so much ammonia that it strips away your cuticle in your hair?
Did you know that it will make your hair brittle and cause tons of breakage?
Did you know that it has the same pH level as oven cleaner?
WHAT THE WHAT?!
I know the celebrities on hair color commercials have shiny, rich hair that looks amazing...do you honestly think these stinkin' rich ladies would use box hair color? The answer is no. Never. Would you pay 7$ if you were a millionaire? No sir.
There is no way to get those results using a single shade color that is made to work on every hair type.
Box color is made to work on the coarsest hair to the finest hair, how much do you hate your hair?
If you absolutely must color your hair at home I strongly advise going to your nearest beauty supply store. Its honestly still going to cost you under 20$ and I am going to walk you step by step on what you need in order to do this.
What you will need:
Hair color mixing bowl- $1
Measuring beaker: $1
Coloring brush: $1
Developer: $3 for an 8oz bottle
Color: $5 for a 2oz tube
Reusable gloves: 2 pack for $0.99
Thats $12.00 so far you wont have to buy all the tools after you get them the first time.
However, I suggest buying more than one tube of color so you can get color dimension and create a color thats right for you. I usually use about 3 colors which is still only $15 for the color.
I usually stick to Ion Color Brilliance creme' color as I have never had a time where the color didnt turn out how I wanted it to. There are hair swatches with each color they have you just need to match up the swatch with the tube of color. If you are attempting to go lighter, I would honestly go to a salon as everyone's hair lifts differently and your stylist will know whats best for your hair type.
I suggest only coloring your hair yourself if you are depositing color (staying at the same shade or going darker)
When mixing colors, stay within 2 levels of each other. The swatches/colors are on levels 1-10. If you want an auburn color choose a level 7red with a level 6-8brown. This might sound confusing but its much less intimidating once you are at the store with the swatches in your hand.
Once you choose your color:
Always wait 24 hours after washing your hair to apply color. Your hair needs oil to protect from any coloring products and if you wash it right before you will do lots of damage to your hair.
Put on your gloves before attempting to mix your color
You want to mix your color at a 1:1 ratio(unless your color specifically says otherwise in the directions) which means for every one ounce of color, you will use one ounce of developer. This is where the beaker comes into play.
It takes 4oz or 2 tubes of color to fully saturate all my hair, my hair is shoulder length. So if I mix 4oz of color I would need 4oz of developer. Again, if you are mixing colors, try to stay in the same levels of color. ie: dont mix a 9blonde color with 1black.
Mix the color and developer until the chunks are gone and its a smooth consistancy.
Section your hair into a few segments. Dont try to brush all the color through without sectioning....it wont work as it will not allow the hair to be fully saturated.
Once sectioned, start at your first section and start at the roots. You will want to take smaller sections from the large sections to make sure all the hair is being colored. Brush the color through roots to ends.
Once you get to the front hairline, you can apply conditioner on your skin to make sure the color doesnt stain your skin.
Allow the color to sit for the alotted time that it says in the directions.
Rinse hair until water runs clear.
Apply conditioner and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Rinse with cold water as it closes the cuticle and allows color to not only last longer but reduces frizz and leaves hair super shiny. (when taking showers normally you want to always finish rinsing with cold water!)
I hope this helps alot of you out! If you ever have questions feel free to email me! If you are weary of coloring your own hair you can always start out with a semi-permanent color and when you are more comfortable move to permanent color. Most color brands will come in both semi and permanent, just look for the label!
