Many people color or color their hair for various reasons. It may be to bring your gray hair back to its original color, or to change your hair color to one that you feel is more fashionable, or it may be that you just want to change it up a bit and want some highlights in your hair. Although hair color results can vary, some are satisfied with the results they get from the color treatment, while others end up with an unwanted mess on their heads. Such misfortunes can be avoided if the person wishing to dye their hair knows and understands some of the basics behind this hair treatment.

Prior to treatment, the color of the dye and the type of dye to be used must be properly identified. Hair color, whether natural or dyed, will look different under natural and artificial lighting. Often the shade of the hair color can differ slightly as a result of light reflection on the hair.

These hair colors can also come in different types. Temporary hair dyes do not penetrate the cuticle layer and are often used on special occasions such as parties, Halloween, or cosplay events due to their unusual shades. These temporary hair colors are available as rinses, shampoos, gels, sprays, and mousses. Semi-permanent colors are ideal for hobbyist colorists, as they don’t last as long as permanent hair colors and may loosen after washing, depending on the product used. Although permanent hair colors do not wash out, as the hair grows, both the natural color of the hair and the shade of the hair dye will be visible. To maintain a uniform color of the tresses, it is recommended to carry out coloring treatments every month or every six weeks.

Hair colors have designated levels and these levels are also important to perfectly achieve your desired hair color. Essential calculations are also essential to achieving the desired color and involve careful inspection and comparison of the actual, natural hair color with the desired shade of hair dye. In this process, a swatch book or ring is often used to assess the natural hair color and identify match levels and natural light tones. For example, the target color is Warm Blonde Level 8 and the natural hair color is Light Ash Brown Level 6. The target color level is multiplied by 2, using the example: Warm Blonde Level 8 x 2 equals 16 The next step is to subtract the natural color level from the above calculation result: 16 – 6 (light ash brown) equals 10. Therefore, the color level to use to achieve a warm blonde shade of an ash brown light is level 10. If the total number for color level is thirteen and above, pre-lightening is necessary before actual hair coloring. This is called dual process coloring and should be done by a professional stylist.

A strand and sensitivity test is also required, especially for hair coloring beginners. Sensitivity testing may involve applying the prepared dye solution to a certain part of the body to determine if there will be allergic reactions from the body to the chemicals present in the hair dye. A strand test is performed to get a reliable preview of the new color in the hair. From this test, adjustments can be made to the hair formula to improve or reduce shades. Additionally, perfectly timing the duration for which the color is allowed to remain on the hair before the excess is washed out can affect the final result as well.