It's one beauty duty that requires, patience and attention to detail. In the right hand's, editor, Trudi Brewer believes home hair colour can be an effortless task, that offers a natural-looking result. Here's her home hair colour hacks and the best products on offer.
Editor Trudi Brewer shares her home colour tips with host Melanie Homer on TV3's The Cafe.
There are some rules you need to follow to help nail the art of DIY hair colouring. It all starts with the shade you choose. Here's the fool-proof home hair colour guide.
The do's and don't's
How do you choose the right shade?
Don't try anything too tricky like highlights or balayage, that's a job for a professional hairdresser. To enhance your natural hair colour or touch up the roots, for the best results choose a colour two shades lighter or darker than your natural tone.
How do you avoid making a mess?
Don't rush this job. Allow plenty of time. Use gloves, a cape and line the floor and bathroom walls with a black rubbish bag, to catch any drips. Next, section the hair in four sections (like a cross on a hot cross bun) and be precise. Use the bottle supplied or a salon brush to apply the colour.
Do you need to consider the length or style of the hair before colouring?
If your hair is longer than shoulder length, you need two packs of colour to get full coverage and an even-looking result.
How do you avoid staining the skin?
Use Vaseline or lip balm massaged around the hairline to prevent the colour from staining the skin. If you do get colour on your skin, massage a dot of the colour directly onto the fresh stain, a good tip to remember is that colour removes colour.
Any tips on applying the colour?
Take small sections, and apply only where you have regrowth to cover. Don't colour hair over and over again, this causes a build-up of colour, which results in dull, dry-looking hair.
Start at the front, and work towards the back, use a magnifying wall mirror, to check the back, or teach your partner or a friend from Youtube tutorials - there are plenty on offer.
The best home hair colour buys
MY Hairdresser Permanent Hair Colour, $23 and My Hairdresser Developer, $9.
From a Sydney-based family business; this salon-quality colour offers the most amazing coverage on grey hair. The 31 permanent shades range from natural-looking black to a cool blonde and rich, reflect reds. There's also a clever colour remover, (sans bleach), that is brilliant if you make a mistake. And the brand offers salon-style tint bowls and brushes as well.
If you are a home colour novice phone 0508 734 466 for any home colour support on the My Hairdresser range.
Clairol Color Crave Semi Permanent Color.
Like makeup for the hair, this new temporary hit of fashion-inspired semi-permanent colour is a low commitment fashion shade, to make a statement for the party season ahead. You can expect these vibrant colours to last around 15 washes.
Schwarzkopf Live Colour Radiance & Gloss Silver Toner, $6.
Being blonde is an expensive business. This cheeky beauty corrects and helps tone that brassy look honey-coloured locks suffer from while leaving hair with unrivalled shine, something that is hard to master on lightened hair. One box is enough for eight applications.
Clairol Root Touch Up Root Concealing Spray, $14.
For a quick colour hit on those pesky grey roots, this new temporary concealing spray is the equivalant to concealer for the kin. It takes seconds to apply, is sweat, water and touch-proof - and lasts until it is washed from the hair. There are six natural-looking shades from dark blonde (pictured here) to black and red.