If you don't have half a day to devote to thumbing through mags at the hairdresser while your foils are developing, then consider colouring your hair at home. Follow this foolproof advice from Nice 'N Easy colour expert and Belinda Jeffrey.
1. Work out which type of hair colour is right for you: a semi-permanent will fade with each wash, while a permanent colour grows out and will leave you with visible regrowth.
2. Don't wash your hair for at least 24 hours before colouring — the natural oils in your hair will help protect the cuticle from damage during the colouring process.
3. To protect your skin from stains, slip on some plastic gloves and smear Vaseline around the hairline. "Always put cotton wool behind the ears to stop the colour from grabbing there, too," says Jeffrey.
4. Divide the hair into four sections. "Application is a big part of getting your home hair colour right," says Jeffrey. "Work on each section individually so that you don't end up with patches or an obvious band at the roots. Always start from the nape of the neck and work towards the front, dabbing the dye directly on to the roots."
5. If you're using a permanent hair colour, apply the dye to dry hair. "Permanent colours contain ammonia, so you will irritate the scalp if your hair is wet," says Jeffrey. If you're using a semi-permanent, which contains no ammonia or peroxide, you'll get a more even result on damp hair.
6. Always follow the timing instructions carefully. Generally, the first 20 minutes of colour development are devoted to lifting colour from the hair shaft, while the last 10 minutes is for toning. "If you don't leave it on for long enough, you won't get the right level of lift, particularly if you're going blonde so you'll end up looking yellow or reddish," says Jeffrey. "If you leave it on too long, you'll end up with very black, very red or very white hair."
7. Remove a semi-permanent by rinsing the colour through the ends. Skip the shampoo but use conditioner. To remove permanent colour, shampoo twice to thoroughly remove the dye and then condition. "Try to avoid getting the dye on the ends as they will become brittle and the hair might snap," she says.
8.If you do stain your skin, Belinda recommends using a cotton pad dipped in alcohol to remove it. "Perfume also does the trick!" she says.
Prices and packaging correct as at October 30, 2008.
