Colour me crazy!
A survey by hair expert Scott Cornwall has revealed that 60% of British women are now choosing to colour their hair at home instead of visiting the salon. And who can blame them? It is no doubt the most cost effective and convenient way to update your look when on a tight budget and busy schedule. However home colouring can be a risky business, in fact almost half of UK women (40%) have suffered from a hair colouring disaster. Blonde seems to be the trickiest hair colour to master, with the majority (44%) reporting blonde mishaps! “The biggest mistake that many people make when deciding to colour their hair at home is being too ambitious and trying a colour which is a big departure from their current look (for example, going from dark to light blonde),” says Scott. “ Home colour (and particularly lightening the hair) still needs to be undertaken with the same degree of diligence as salon colouring. Therefore, really treat the undertaking with care and know your limitations.”
However if you do end up experiencing a hair colouring disaster, Scott advises washing your hair several times with a clarifying/baby shampoo. “This will break the ‘after colour conditioner’ seal on the hair, making it easier to remove. Next apply Decolour Remover to eliminate the artificial colour modules, leaving behind the previous base shade.”
Be smart and ensure you avoid any further hair mishaps with Scott’s top tips:
1. Always use a tint bowl and brush (especially with grey root coverage). Never mix the colourant in the bottle supplied and simply pour it over your head. This can cause build up and patchy colour results. Instead, mix in a tint bowl and apply carefully to those areas you wish to colour. This is particularly important for grey regrowth.
2. When covering grey (or trying to match your natural shade) always select a colour one level lighter than your desired result. You must do this as artificial hair colour displays darker on the head than you would expect. Selecting a shade a level lighter will give a more accurate match to your natural shade.
3. When going (or staying blonde) never apply traditional bleach to the scalp. This is too risky and should only be done by a professional. Instead, use a non ammonia lightener or a lightening blonde colourant.
4. Always colour your hair in natural light – never in the evening.
Artificial light prevents you seeing correct developments and will not display a concluded artificial colour as it truly is.
5. Know your tone. The biggest mistake many home colourists make is simply not understanding whether they are cool or warm toned. If you feel you might be cool toned, you should always select colourants that contain an ash tone – to neutralise warmth. If you feel you are warm toned, selecting golden toned colourants is your best bet. If you are unsure, always select colourants that feature no tone. These are known as neutrals and are recognised by a .0 next to the base number on the box or the use of an ‘N’ – to denote ‘Natural’.
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Skint styling
Being a busy mum on a budget is no excuse to neglect your hair’s styling needs. “Whether you visit the hair salon or colour your hair at home, you’ll probably find that the colour starts to fade within three to four weeks,” says Scott.
Try a hair colour infusions product like Colour Restore (£11.99 each from Boots) which restores lost colour pigments back into dull, faded hair, helping to maintain the colour for longer. The ammonia and peroxide free formula means it won’t damage the hair like some hair colourants can.
Using a product such as L’Oreal Absolute can be a very easy way to target grey hairs quickly. This permanent colour is multi-use. A quick tip is to squeeze some of the mousse into a bowl and then ‘dab’ out the grey hairs as and where you see them. You can do this before a morning shower, wait 20 minutes and then simply rinse out.
Content with your colour? Try these easy styling tips for maximum effect and minimal effort:
Blast your dry (morning hair) with dry shampoo. Heat up some large electric rollers as soon as you wake up and apply to large sections of the hair. You can now shower, apply make-up, get breakfast and get ready. Just before you plan to leave the house, remove the heated rollers and quickly shake the hair out. This method will give a dressy, polished blow-dry finish with minimal effort!
Use a synthetic hair scrunchie to create a dressed up hairdo in seconds! Match to your exact hair shade when you buy and quickly twist your hair up with the scrunchie for that perfect evening look.
Also see: How to detox your hair
Your hair dilemmas solved!
Get great hair for any occasion. Professional hair expert Scott Cornwall solves all your hair dilemmas.
“I’m going to my first festival this summer, but I’m dreading the fact I won’t be able to wash my hair! How can I ensure it still looks fresh at the end of the weekend?”
“Dry shampoo is your friend here, make sure you have a can of Batiste handy in your bag. Before you head off to any festivals, wash and style your hair, then as soon as it begins to feel flat and lank, blast some dry shampoo through it. I’d also recommend packing a Braun cordless tong. Pull the hair up into a ponytail and then curl only the ponytail lengths. You can then remove the ponytail band to reveal clean, polished cascading curls with minimal effort.”
“Is it possible to achieve a slick evening look on holiday after spending all day at the beach?”
“ A great tip for creating great evening hair (when on holiday) is to let your hair get wet with the seawater. Seawater produces excellent texture in all hair types. When your hair is wet, comb through and create six braids around the head. You can now leave the braids in place as you spend time on the beach – but allow the hair to fully dry. When you return from the beach and want a quick evening look, simply remove all the braids to find perfect beach wave hair. To define the waves, separate with a little Argan Oil and shake out.”
“I want to update my look. How can I ensure my hair is bang-on-trend for Spring/Summer 2014?”
“I predict that a key trend this summer will be an extreme blonde: platinum and pale blonde block colours which are light, sharp and highly tonal. Platinum blonde can be one of the most demanding hair colours to maintain, with the hair often ending up looking brassy or yellow. It may be tempting to reach for the bleach, however this can strip away natural pigments and expose the keratin, weakening the hair. Instead, try an ammonia and peroxide free formula, such as Colour Restore Iced Platinum (£11.99, Boots) which is kind and gentle on the hair and will counteract any yellow shades, leaving a cool, white blonde colour.
In contrast to the platinum blonde trend, the ‘high natural’ look will also be popular. This uses the balayage technique to enable various shades to be painted throughout the hair, freehand and without foils, to give a softer, more natural effect.
‘Over Ombre’ will be a big trend this summer, a look recently sported by Cheryl Cole and Fergie. ‘Over Ombre’ is a softer, more subtle version of the ombre look where a softer, light brown or blonde shade is overlaid to produce a more muted ‘faded’ effect.”
What to do when you lose more hair than usually?
Simply… hair-raising!
Get salon perfect hair without the price tag
1. chill* ed matte, high-density crème wax, £11.99, in salons nationwide.
Work and re-worked ed matte for choppy, textured looks. Fix up good and proper or smooth down to flat with a matt finish. Create numerous individually defined, unconstrained textures.
2. Tatiana Hair Extensions, Cruise Collection SS14, price dependent on the length of clip-in and on the type of hair, www.tatianahairextensions.co.uk
Injections of pastel colours into natural hair tones were all over the Spring/Summer catwalks. Not sure if it’s for you? No problem. This line of multihued clip-in extensions enables you to ‘dip-in’ to colour, without the commitment of changing your locks for good.
3. Colour Restore hair infusions range, £11.99, selected Boots stores nationwide.
Hair expert Scott Cornwall’s innovative Colour Restore range is designed to restore lost pigments back into faded hair colour. Available in five shades; Iced Platinum, Chocolate, Deep Red, Warm Honey and Cool Ash.
4. Sleep-in-rollers, £17.95 for 20, www.sleepinrollers.com
Fashionable, effective and affordable, sleep-in rollers are designed to flatten like a sponge when you lie down, allowing a comfy and undisturbed night’s sleep. Rise and shine and prepare to be amazed by the body and bounce in your bouffant.
5. Ionic Vegas hair straightener, £24.99, www.kokou.co.uk
A versatile all-round smoothing iron suitable for all hair types. Heats to a maximum of 210°C in rapid time and the floating ceramic plates are infused with Ionic technology for a smooth, sleek finish.
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