The ABC’s of Hair Coloring

Back in the day, women colored their hair when the inevitable strands of gray showed up. Much to hair care brands’ delight, covering up gray is now the tip of the hair-coloring market iceberg—today women begin coloring their hair as early as age 13 (mainly highlights, of course) and many continue doing so into their sunset years.
There are a wide variety of hair colorants (formerly known as dyes) available today, from temporary tints and henna to “permanent” coloring, which often contain harsh chemicals.
You need to hit on just the right color so that it both flatters your skin tone and looks as natural as possible. Even if you choose to go technicolor blue, pink or purple—some of these colors will be all wrong, while others, no matter how wacky, will actually suit!

Here are a few tips when choosing a new color:

• Remember that while the hair color you were born with is probably your best “fit”, mother nature can sometimes be improved on!
• Choose your new color at the salon, at least the first time. Hair stylists are trained to know what looks best, and a good consultation is the best way to avoid making a big color mistake.
• The same goes for buying hair colorants—choose the salon over the drugstore.
• If you are the stubborn type and want to go at it on your own, choose one or several shades lighter than the color you are going for. Once applied, hair colorants are darker than they appear on the box.
• Home coloring kits can be tricky, so be patient. When you just touching up, apply color only to the roots and if needed to the tips. Don’t go overboard as the build-up will only dull your hair and give you denser color than your hair actually needs.

Claudie's Golden rule at home: know what hair color your natural base is, never go more than two shades lighter or darker than your natural color.