Suddenly I am the Colourist??
We are in the midst of a crisis globally and we are all having to make sacrifices and adjust to new norms for the time being. This includes personal services. Gone are the days of relying on your trusted stylist to ensure you have cool hair for the office, or the technician you saw regularly for your paper-shuffling manicured nails and cutesy painted toes for the strappy summer sandals.
Now we are having to discover ways to deal with these situations all on our own, in our own bathrooms, with our own know-how. There are a lot of videos out there to guide us, and truth be told, it all looks rather easy to do. But is it? Okay, the pedicure we can forego for a bit of time yet, as the strappy sandal season is not quite upon us. The manicures however, well, my attempts make my hands look like globs of colour on the ends of my fingers. More practise is needed there.
When it comes to hair I can help. After working with hair for almost 30 years, and being trained specifically for expert colour applications and resolutions, there are some tips I can share that you may find helpful.
Many of the women I see are concerned with covering up gray hairs, and how we accomplish this many times is with the application of foils. Doing foils on your own is rather tricky and not for the faint of heart, so not something I recommend for anyone to do on their own. Full colour is my answer, but not just any full colour.
Colour technology offers many types of colour for hair and the ones most often used in salon settings are permanent, demi permanent, semi permanent and temporary. To cover gray hairs, permanent is used to ensure opaque coverage, but again, doing a permanent colour on your own can cause some future problems with overlap, potential hair breakage, and dark ends.
The suggestion I make to my clients is the demi-permanent: a great way to cover gray enough, yet not compromise the hair in any way.
Choose a colour that matches your hair and follow the manufacturer's instructions. The application is usually a simple root to end use, and then shampoo and condition.
Before applying however, be sure to shampoo your hair as you normally would, conditioning and gently drying it. The notion that dirty hair is best before a colour is inaccurate: you want your strands of hair to be free of any debris so that it can receive all of that new colour without inhibitions.
When applying the colour, make sure you have prepared your space. You will no doubt splatter colour on the floor, counter, walls or more: this is not unusual for your first attempts. An old bed sheet laid down will work, as will simply applying the colour while sitting in the tub (I have done that!).
Have gloves on hand, and old towels to wipe away any colour you may drop on your forehead or shoulders. Please be very careful to not splash colour in your eyes (ahead of applying colour, read the manufacturer's instructions on how to care for such a moment)!
When I do my own colour I like to make it fun: I have my favourite music playing, and a glass of wine to enjoy. If you have kids still at home, be sure to have them cared for while you are colouring, and lock that bathroom door! It is your time for you!
Once you have accomplished putting the colour on your head, secure a sexy plastic bag over top so that there is no drippage. There is nothing worse that having a brown or red smear stained on to your forehead or neck that stays for a week (dead giveaway!).
Now set a timer, call your girlfriend, and relax with wine in hand while the colour does it magic. When the timer goes off, jump in to that shower, treat your newly coloured hair to a moisturising bath and condition, and wash the colour off of the tub.
Easy peasy! You have successfully coloured your hair to a level that disguises your grays, blends the growing out colour, and keeps your hair safe while waiting for your super-star stylist to work her magic once you get back to your salon!
Phew!
Tips for Hair Kindness:
- only use hair appliances when absolutely necessary ~ heat dries hair out
- choose the correct products for your hair ~ eliminate breakage and buildup
- eat right for healthy hair ~ our diets are reflected in our hair's look and feel
- visit my blog to review more tips for haircare: click on the logo below
To receive a personalized hair and/or scalp skin plan, visit our website and take our Hair Quiz at https://www.manegarnet.ca/