image source
My President says the recession here in the States is over, but I personally am still feeling the pinch. I'm doing my hair at home (though I've done that for years, anyway: I like the creativity and the cost-savings gives me more cash for lipgloss!). Over the years I've learned some lessons and come up with some hints. I may as well share them in case they help some of you.
By the way, you're not supposed to tint/dye your eyebrows, because there's a risk of damage if it gets in your eyes. However, just because I'm doing my color at home doesn't mean I have to have brows that don't match my hair! That's just ridiculous. I've found that by being careful, I can do my own brows and get salon-perfect results. This does not mean I advocate you doing your own.
Disclaimer: I take NO responsibility for your results, I'm just sharing my experiences.
Please keep reading or more info.
Here are my tips to home hair color:
- Either buy a box or get the pieces at a beauty supply store (I go to Sally Beauty, where you don't need a professional license to get in the door - damn you, CosmoProf!). I've done both, and prefer to go the beauty supply store route now: it's a touch more risky (which I admit: I enjoy) and I can customize my color by mixing my own pigments.
- Buying box: everything I need is in there from bottle to gloves to color and developer to detailed instructions. Plus, the box is nice for stuffing it all in at the end to contain the waste (and prevent staining from going everywhere).
- Buying à la carte: I need to get a bottle (once - I rinse, reuse, recycle); the color (or two - sometimes I mix to get depth of color or a specific shade); the appropriate developer; gloves (buy a box - they come in handy!); a cap (I use these so my hair doesn't swing around and stain things while I'm percolating). Some may prefer to mix in a bowel instead of in the bottle and use a brush to apply, but I'm old-school.
- I also have a pair of shorts and old t-shirt, plus an old towel.
- I clear everything out of the bathroom that shouldn't get stained (lessons learned the hard way).
- Mix color - the box tells me how, or
And brows to match:
- When going a lot lighter, I use a bleach to take the color out of my brows then deposit color back on. I do this when I'm going bonde-ish or red, because my natural brows are quite dark. I use Jolen creme bleach, but others of the type will work fine. Sometimes I may need to bleach more than once - let it sit on for 5 minutes, wipe it off and see how it looks. I am very careful with this - the bleach gets dry and crumbly as it processes. Don't get it in your eyes!
- The first time with a shade, I use color from the batch I've mixed for my hair. The thing is... I'm going to need the brow color touched up sooner, most likely. So...
- I get a box dye in the shade I want my brows and, in a bowl, mix 1 part color to 1 part developer (a tablespoon of each is plenty). I repeat as needed whenever I need a touch-up. (Or you could just buy a separate vial of color and use it the same way with the developer you have on-hand.)
- I have, in the past, used Q-tips to apply color (CAREFULLY!) to the brows. But this last time I tried a disposable lipgloss applicator and it was pure genius! It worked great. This is what I'll do in the future - no weird cotton fibers, easier to control, less mess and runaway color.
- I am careful not to get color on my skin - it's really hard to hide dark color stains on the skin around your brows! ;)
- I let my brows percolate longer that I do with my hair. If I'm doing it at the same time as my hair, I put on brows first, then hair. Sometimes I still have to reapply later to get the right shade, but again: I have naturally dark brows, much darker than my hair, so I really have to fight them to change their color. If I'm just doing brows, I let the color sit for at least 25 minutes.
- I love to pluck after dying brows - the color will deposit on all of those little or thin hairs I always miss, and make them easy to spot!
Remember:
- There's a current trend (Fall '09) that shows bleached out or completely eradicated brows. (see pic at right/source) Unless you are a runway model or work in a highly creative field, you should probably let this one pass you by.
- It used to be that "they" said doing one all-over color should only be one or two shades from your natural color. I never followed that rule, but now it's even easier to ignore it. Various companies make high-lift colors, including some marked "for dark hair". If you're naturally dark and going lighter or red, check those out.
- Keep in mind: not everyone is meant to be a blonde, so really consider your skintone before diving in! Respect your roots: if you were a blonde as a kid, try to go for that shade. Keep undertones complimentary to your skin: ashes and baby blondes for cool undertones; golden or strawberries for warm undertones.
- Red-violet isn't a naturally-occurring color. If you don't mind that, go for it, but otherwise stick with warmer reds (copper, auburn, etc) for believability.
- Brows are generally approximately two shades darker than hair color, though it can be an effective and beautiful look to keep them a different shade, a lá Agyness Deyn.
- Highlights are Haircolor 201 or 301. In other words, if you're an amateur, I'd leave it to the pros. I personally don't do them myself. What I would do, though, are chunks of bold color, emo-style---- if I weren't old and sure it would look ridiculous.
image source