Everything You Need to Know About At-Home Hair Color
Photo: Eric Traore / Trunk Archive
So you’re not up for spending hundreds of dollars at the salon to experiment with a new hair color? Been there. While we’d recommend speaking to a professional before making any kind of drastic change, there are a few things you can do on your own. We enlisted Rachel Bodt, Senior Colorist at Cutler Salon in New York City, to tell us how to prep, what to do, and everything you should have on hand post-coloring to keep your happy.
Find the right color. “You want to be looking for a permanent hair color, something with ammonia so it lifts,” she says. Permanent colors are best for going lighter or completely covering gray hair. If you want to go darker, Bodt recommends a demi-permanent or semi-permanent color. A semi-permanent color is a good option if 10 to 15% of your hair is gray because it will lift the color up to a full level. Bodt points out that some color products, especially the natural ones, are actually stains or henna-based color, making them extra difficult to adjust or remove. Avoid them.
Follow the color chart. Use the color chart on the box as your guide when picking a color and match your level and desired color. If you find that you are in-between two colors, especially when coloring grays, buy both and mix them together. “There isn’t anything wrong with making a custom color for yourself,” says Bodt.
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Time it right. For gray coverage, timing is extremely important. You want to let the color sit for the maximum amount of time (30 to 45 minutes). “The first 15 to 20 minutes the hair is being lifted and the last 15 to 20 minutes the color is being deposited on the hair,” says Bodt. “If you rinse it too soon, the roots will look light or translucent.”
Saturate the hair. When applying your color, you want to make sure hair is saturated—that means you shouldn’t be able to see your hair or roots. “There is almost no such thing as over saturation when it comes to covering grays,” says Bodt.
Save the hairline for last. “People tend to go and put the color right around the hairline first and that ends up sitting the longest,” notes Bodt. She recommends leaving a half-inch around the hairline and applying color there last since that fine hair tends to grab color the fastest.
Related: What You Need to Know Before Changing Your Hair Color
Protect your ends. When touching up the roots, it’s important to protect the rest of your hair, especially the ends. Ends tend to be more porous and dry so they absorb more color, which often results in darker color deposits. Once you’ve applied a color to your roots, Bodt recommends applying a coconut oil or deep conditioning treatment to the ends to help create a barrier. “When you’re shampooing your hair, the ends won’t soak up the color that runs down,” she says.
Be cautious with highlights and bleach. Highlighting products tend to be more intense and include some type of bleach. If you let bleach sit for too long it can break and damage the hair. With a highlight touch up, it’s really difficult to isolate the bleach without overlapping existing color. “If there is any bleach overlapping, it can result in the hair breaking,” says Bodt. “Stay away from doing any bleaching or stripping at home.” It’s worth it to have a consultation at a salon if you are thinking of bleaching your hair.
Use a clarifying shampoo. “Keep a clarifying shampoo on hand whenever you are doing an at-home hair color,” says Bodt. Clarifying shampoos help to remove color buildup. As soon as color deposits, it becomes harder and harder to get out, so you want to use a clarifying shampoo within the first few minutes. Bodt recommends Redken’s Hair Cleansing Cream Shampoo.
Related: The DIY Hair Trim
Try a color corrector. If you’ve gone too dark, there are a few products Bodt suggests that can help to soften and remove the color. Color Oops, a hair color remover that is free from ammonia and bleach, helps to remove the last layer of color applied to your hair. Malibu Color Correction Treatment is a food-grade, 100% Vegan treatment that helps to remove color and mineral deposits on the hair.
Try a color glaze. If you’ve gone too light, Bodt recommends using a demi-permanent glaze. “This will assure that it is just depositing color and isn’t lifting it anymore,” she says. You can find a color glaze at your drugstore or beauty supply store. Try this before using a permanent dye again.
Invest in a purple conditioner. “Whenever lifting a natural hair color, there is always going to be a lot of warmth that will be exposed,” says Bodt. In order to cut out the orange, brassy tones that can result from going lighter, use a purple conditioner. Don’t be surprised by the true purple color you see coming out of the bottle, these products work by neutralizing orange tones. Bodt recommends shampooing with a color safe shampoo and leaving the conditioner on for 5-15 minutes, once a week.
