With so many hair colors, which one is the best for you? Are the highlights of Jen Aniston? Is it the beautiful red that Rene Russo wore in The Thomas Crown Affair? How about the bright, almost black shade of Courtney Cox’s long locks?
When deciding on the right hair color for you, there are a number of options to consider. As a professional stylist since (yikes!) 1984, I can help you, even without seeing your hair. While choosing the right color may have a practical, emotional, and financial basis, you actually need to consider all of these factors when making the right decision. Let us begin!
Let me start by saying that I am a current working stylist, behind the chair five days a week. Most of my clientele pay me to color their hair, while some dye their hair themselves at home. I’ll cover both options here and help you ask the right questions to get the best option for you.
I think it’s best to have your hair dyed by a professional. You’re not surprised, are you? Here’s why: I’ve seen a lot of “homemade” hair dye go wrong, and I assure you, it’s more profitable for someone like me to get it right the first time. Corrective color can be very expensive, not to mention the damage that having to color more than once in a short period of time can cause. If you absolutely must color at home, I recommend using a deposit color (which is ammonia-free and will not lighten the hair) and choosing a color that is at least one shade lighter than you think you want the first time. Don’t trust the picture on the box! It’s not what it seems most of the time. It’s much easier to darken the color if it’s too light than the other way around.
Ok, so you’ve decided to have your hair colored by your stylist. If you’re changing your hair color at home, keep in mind that it may take a couple of salon visits to make the change. Depending on what you’ve been coloring with, your stylist may need to make some adjustments to the color that won’t be completely transformed on the first visit. If they are like me, they will protect the integrity of your hair even if it means more than one visit to perfect it.
No matter who does the color, whether it’s your regular stylist or someone new, you must first be prepared to ask and answer a few questions. The first question to ask yourself is not what color, but how often. You won’t be happy having a color that requires monthly salon visits if you and/or your budget allow for one visit, say, every eight weeks. It’s four weeks of thinking why did I do this? There are color options for every time frame, and going a little longer between visits can change the equation from budget-busting to affordable just like that. If your hair is naturally dark, platinum highlights are not the right option if you don’t want to be in the salon a minimum of every four weeks. Perhaps highlights in a softer caramel or beige color would work better for you. (Though if you’re into the latest “Ombre” highlighted look, the overgrown roots might be just what you’ve been dreaming of.) You see? There is a color for everyone!
If you want to remove gray hair, there are many options, but again we must consider the time factor. How fast does your hair grow? How many gray hairs do you have? If you’re starting to get gray, highlights may be the answer until your gray reaches 50% or more of your hair volume. It can usually be blended up to 50% with highlights in the correct shade, depending on your natural color. If your hair is naturally dark, again, be careful how lightly you do those highlights, as dark hair growth can be difficult to manage, unless you don’t mind visiting the salon more often. If highlighting isn’t the right option for you and you want to keep the look as natural as possible, your stylist can blend a shade of your natural color and get rid of gray that way. Custom colors can be added which will also enhance the color, so you can have a little fun with it, as well as cover up the gray.
Another way to beat gray hair and not break your budget is to alternate between highlights and root color every other visit. Here’s how it works: start with highlights, either partial or full, you and your stylist will decide which one is right for you. Tip: If your hair is shoulder length or longer, a partial should do the trick. Six to eight weeks later, when you return to the salon, your stylist touches up the “roots” or new growth of your hair with a color, buffering the area from new growth to highlights. The reason for this is twofold: a touch up is less expensive than a highlight, it takes less time. And over time, this looks more natural than a highlight or color alone, especially when you factor in gray hair, which can be so unruly! Solid color tames gray better as it covers all of it, not just the sections that get tinted with foil.
Let’s just say highlights just aren’t right for you. They are not for everyone. If you prefer a solid color, your stylist should be able to determine which shade will work best for you. Do you want as natural a look as possible, just getting rid of gray hair? That is easy. Your stylist can match your hair color as closely as possible or add other shades for fun. Maybe a deep brown with a hint of red? A copper blonde? The options are endless. Just be careful about choosing a color that is too far out of your natural range, in depth, or lightness.
Skin tone certainly plays into hair color. Mother nature rarely goes wrong with the natural color she gives us, so I recommend not straying too far from the natural shade. If she has natural warm undertones, she chooses a color with at least a little bit of warmth to complement her natural coloring; the same if you are more ashy or naturally cooler. It doesn’t mean you can’t have lots of fun with your hair color. There are so many possibilities, it’s just up to you and your stylist to explore and find the ones that are right for you!
