A recent poll conducted by ShopSmart discovered that “Women pay on average $39 for a haircut and $65 on salon color, although nearly two-thirds of women have taken steps to save money on their hair in the last 12 months.” While their poll also found that the majority of women feel happy or neutral about their hair, the statistics above proves that we ladies are willing to shell out significant 
money each year to keep our hair looking fresh. The majority of women (53% from the ShopSmart consumer report) dye their hair, but at what cost?
Here are some tips and tricks to make sure that you get the color you want, without the large expenditures. Many of us are terrified to dye our hair at home, fearing we will pick the wrong color or do a poor job. But follow these tips below, provided by ShopSmart consumer reports, and you will be ready to go!
Color To Dye For: Top Colorists Share the Best Tips to Get Great Color at Home
- Choose the right color. If you’re a first-timer looking for the right hue, ask your hairdresser’s opinion, browse hair color websites, and choose a semi-permanent color.
- Avoid allergic reactions. Hair color contains chemicals, so in addition to a strand test to check color, it’ important to perform a patch test to make sure you’re not allergic to an ingredient.
- Prep yourself. Before you jump in and do the dye job, you should take a few important prep steps. Read and reread package directions.
- Glop it on. Apply the dye according to directions, making sure to aim the applicator at your head and away from the shower curtain, bath mat, and walls. And set a timer.
- Fix mistakes. If your results aren’t what you expected, call the hotline number on the box or check the company site. If that doesn’t help, don’t be shy about turning to a pro.
Now you should feel confident to try out your favorite colors, maybe take a little risk and freshen up your look for the summertime, without the big expense. Good luck!
Check out hair color at Smarter.
What do you think? Is at-home dying too risky? Who do you trust to color your hair?
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/foxtongue/499083693
About colleen
One of the best things to do when choosing a color is to look at hair swatches: the little strips of dyed hair that correspond to the box of dye you’re looking at. Those are definitely the MOST helpful reference when choosing the right color for your hair. Do NOT go by the color of the model’s hair (you can bet your britches their hair color didn’t come from a box). Hair swatches can be hard to find at convenience/drug stores, so go to a Beauty Supply Store. That’s where you should be purchasing your dye, anyway; they have the right stuff, and the staff usually know how to advise you.
Also, if you can, get someone else to brush the stuff on for you. You can’t see the majority of your hair in the mirror, so having someone else do it for you can help to prevent a lot of missed spots. (also note: using a squeeze bottle of dye when going DIY is way easier than using a brush. However, a brush feels way fancier.
It also seems like a smart idea (in my opinion) to go with a semi-permanent or demi-permanent dye when dying at home (if you don’t know the differences between these dyes, or between them and permanent dyes, google it). That way, you’re not “ruining your hair” by dying it black, the unfriendliest of unfriendly hair colors. I find that Demis last about as long as you need them to before you would need to re-dye with permanent dye, anyways. This seems quite a bit more hair-health-friendly to me, and also leaves you with more options. That’s why most of us dye our hair, isn’t it? To have lots and lots of options!
Helpful hint: like dissolves like. That is to say, if you have a big ol’ smudge of hair dye on your face, take some wet dye and rub it off (immediately followed by a damp washcloth to get the traces of wet dye off, as well). Trust me, it works! My old stylist used to do it all the time. Coolest thing ever.
Clear, infrotamive, simple. Could I send you some e-hugs?