Beauty Tips: Colouring Hair

With JENELLE CLEARY

A DIY hair colour is no longer just a case of a bottled dye from the chemist. Today there are literally hundreds of different shades availiable for you to dye, tint, highlight, foil and generally change your entire look.

The majority of colours are within the permanent hair colour ranges - which offer superior grey coverage and are much like the colour treatment you would get from a hairdresser's. These change the hair colour totally and may contain peroxides and ammonia.

If you looking for a subtle change then a semi-permanent may be an ideal option. Semi-permanents offer great conditioning treatments as well and may be ideal to use as a test colour before you take the plunge with a permanent colour.

Lasting 6-12 shampoos, semi-permanents offer no long-term committment to your colour and usually contain no peroxide or ammonia, making them gentle on the scalp and easy to use.

Demi-permanents are quite new on the hair colour market. Offering a longer lasting colour that gradually washes out, demi-permanents are perfect for those of you who want a deeper colour change without having roots to contend with or the harshness of the permanent colours.

No matter what colouring strength you choose, it is important to do the strand and allergy tests each time. Protecting your hair after the colouring process is just as important - this means changing your every-day shampoo to one that protects and nourishes.

There are products availiable that can also rejuventate hair colour and ensure your hair stays shiny and healthy while bringing the colour 'to life'. If you are in doubt and don't fancy ruining your clothes with hair dye then you can always resort to your hairdresser who can do it all for you!