Just like anybody else, I understand the need to save money and budget. To cut costs, some of my clients went so far as to cut their own hair! It is true that maintaining your hair can be quite expensive, depending on what you get done. This is why more and more people are deciding to color their own hair at home. If you’re going for a dramatic change in your hair color, I would suggest going to a salon instead of doing it yourself. Before you apply any permanent dye to your head, read these tips on coloring your hair.

1) It’s always wise to follow the manufacturers directions, but don’t always assume that your hair needs to process for the full amount of time written on the box. People with gray or resistant hair need the full amount of time to process. If you have fine hair with very little gray, the general rule is 30-35 minutes.

* Fine hair is like a sponge and the ends might turn out darker then the rest.
* When the color is left on your hair too long, it can process darker!

2) Don’t wash your hair! I know some of these dyes available to the public tell you to apply on clean hair only. That’s one thing that makes me angry. You can actually burn your scalp if you wash and dry your hair right before you apply permanent color. Hair dye processes fast with heat. Washing and drying your hair gets the blood flowing in your scalp, producing heat. This is how you can burn your scalp. If your scalp is itching shortly after applying the color, then your scalp is either burning or you could be allergic to the chemicals.

* It is okay to have styling products already in your hair because the color will process anyway. In fact, I use hair spray to help control it when I’m highlighting with foils.
* It is okay to get the tangles out of your hair with a comb beforehand; but don’t stimulate your scalp too much. Never use a brush.
* Mix a tiny amount of color and developer together and follow the manufacturers instructions on allergy testing.

3) When washing out your color, shampoo twice. You don’t want any color left in your hair, do you?

4) Don’t shampoo your hair for 48 hours after coloring it. You can always rinse your hair with water and then use conditioner. This preserves your color and allows your hair to “heal” itself.