If you're a pilus dye virgin, taking the colour plunge tin sound legit terrifying. It's tough to become the exact shade y'all want and it can require a lot of maintenance. Just a good dye chore can also totally transform your hair and make you await 💯— simply inquire Kylie Jenner.

We know dyeing your hair can be a daunting experience, then nosotros're here to eliminate some of that anxiety surrounding your first time coloring. Seventeen tapped Mahshid Baghaei, colorist at mizu Louis Licari, and Kari Hill, celebrity hair colorist at Méche Salon, for their best tips for dyeing your hair the right way.

preview for My First Hair Color

Whether yous're going for a fun dark royal or platinum blonde, or something a little less drastic like balayage, there are different factors you lot should consider before making your big determination. And since it'due south no secret coloring your hair costs $$$, you desire to make certain you lot're going in with all the info you need. Hither's everything you demand to know before you lot color your hair for the very first fourth dimension.

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Evaluate the Maintenance Before Taking the Plunge

Certain treatments take more maintenance and upkeep than others, so information technology'southward of import to consider that when choosing your colour. According to Baghaei, the average time to get your roots touched upward is typically four to vi weeks. No matter how well you take intendance of your strands, fading is inevitable, and since hair grows about one-half an inch every month, you'll have to become your roots redone in that time frame.

If you don't have the time or the money to continue redoing your wait, stick to a color that's closer to your natural shade, and so your roots won't be as noticeable. Or go ombre and then yous just take to worry nigh it once or twice a yr. If you're looking for a low maintenance color option, hither's what you demand to know.

Balayage is the easiest color handling to maintain

The easiest and lowest maintenance treatment is a seamless balayage on the natural hair color," says Baghaei. According to Baghaei, balayage is a win-win because you get your desired color and highlights, only it'southward also easy to preserve.

"Yous can either let abound out and never go back for a touch-upwardly, and it volition even so wait beautiful, or you can keep up with the balayage by getting it touched every six to 12 months." she says. And then if you desire to avoid frequent trips to the salon but still want a touch of color, balayage is a keen option.

If you're dealing with a low maintenance change like balayage, Baghaei recommends getting a gloss every now and so rather than a touch on-upwardly, to freshen upwardly the tone and add shine to your hair. A pilus gloss is basically a shiny treatment for color-treated hair that'll enhance your color and brand information technology final a niggling longer.

Red shades are the hardest to maintain

If you lot're looking for a low maintenance shade, you might want to reconsider going ginger. "The red colour is the hardest to become, the hardest to achieve, the hardest to get rid of and likewise has the possibility to fading the fastest." says Colina. "It's the trickiest color that's out there." If you want to become cerise, exist ready to commit!

Ask for Pricing When You Make the Appointment

Every salon ranges in pricing — it depends on whether it's a single procedure, the type of salon, and what products they're using, among so many other factors, says Baghaei. "Typically a single process starts from $lxxx to $200," she says. "For highlights, it tin can vary from $100 to $500 depending on the look you're going for."

So make certain you ask for a quote before you lot get in. Just phone call and tell them you'd like a toll estimate for [insert hair treatment here]. If their services are in your price range, then y'all tin can inquire if at that place are whatsoever available appointments. And don't forget the tip: only like at a restaurant, you should add on a 15-20% tip when yous pay, or give cash.

Bring Pictures with You

Y'all should e'er bring photos of your desired colour, says Hill. "Sometimes your definition of 'blonde' can exist different than your colorist'southward," she says. "Pictures are a keen way of ensuring you're on the aforementioned page."

Telling your colorist yous want "Taylor Swift blonde" might become you her golden-bronde shade from 2012 instead of her natural beloved blonde.

Go along In Heed Your Skin Tones and Natural Color

Yous may meet a motion-picture show of Selena Gomez's new highlights or Billie Eilish'southward light-green strands and want the aforementioned, but before you run to the nearest salon or drugstore, keep in mind that certain colors will expect different on different skin tones.

"If you lot have a pink skin tone, you want to stick with a cooler, ashier tone," says Hill. "If you have a yellow skin tone, you tin go with the golds and the warms. And if y'all have no idea what undertones y'all have, talk to your colorist — they should be able to help.

So if you've got chocolate chocolate-brown strands, it's going to have piece of work to go megawatt blonde, and runs the take a chance of turning brassy. Or if you lot're going for Billie'due south green, you desire to make sure your undertones lucifer the shade.

And when information technology comes to coloring your brows, information technology'south not usually necessary. Just if that's the look you lot're going for, and then Hill says that information technology's best to go to an professional eyebrow tinter or a colorist. Keep in mind that dyeing your brows is illegal in some states, because of the danger of getting harsh chemicals in your eyes. Because of that, you should never endeavor to color your eyebrows yourself.

Just at the end of the solar day, your colorist is the adept, and luckily, near colorists will do a consultation to help y'all determine if the color yous desire is realistic and if it'll turn out how you envision it to. And if you need a visual, try doing a peek-a-boo strand, which is dyeing one lock of hair that hides under the rest of your pilus, to see if you like the color.

You Might Non Get the Color You Desire On Your First Try

"As a general dominion of thumb, going from night brown hair to a beautiful bright blonde is more of a journey rather than nailing information technology on the get-go service," says Baghaei. "The hair has to go through all of its underlying tones to reach the desired level without compromising the integrity of the pilus."

Coloring Your Hair Tin Damage Information technology

Large changes can damage your hair severely, and so about colorists adopt to practise information technology in stages, assuasive hair to recuperate for a few weeks betwixt sessions. Then if you're aiming for a serious transformation, brand certain you know what you lot're in for. For this reason, information technology's also a skilful thought to see a pro if you're looking to do something major.

Your Colour Volition Fade

Though fading is unavoidable after fourth dimension passes, there are definitely tips you can follow that'll brand your color last as long equally possible.

Before y'all colour your hair, apply a clarifying shampoo

Whether you're dyeing your pilus yourself or going to a profesh, Baghaei highly recommends washing your strands with a clarifying shampoo beforehand.

Clarifying Shampoos

"Shampooing your hair with a clarifying shampoo tin remove all the build-up in the hair shaft," she says. And so if you utilize it before dyeing your hair, the colour volition stick ameliorate and last longer. But avoid clarifying shampoos postal service-color, considering it'll cause your hair colour to fade.

Utilize products made for color-treated hair

Though this one might not seem that important, using products that aren't specifically formulated for color-treated strands really tin touch on the longevity of your color, Loma says.

Shampoos for Color-Treated Hair

If you become blonde, employ majestic shampoo to banish brassiness

Get on board with this miracle product. "Imperial shampoos are excellent for blondes and brunettes who have highlights," says Hill.

Purple Shampoos

"It'south bang-up to use as frequently as you lot personally feel 'the need'. I propose to my clients to alternate their purple or lavander shampoos with a daily shampoo for color-treated pilus, so they don't get an 'over-toned' or a 'smoky' advent."

Avoid washing your hair too often

If yous're an everyday hair washer, you lot'll probably have to rework your washing routine. Washing your pilus too often tin cause your colour to fade, says Loma. Two to 3 times a week is a practiced rule of thumb, merely less often is better for maintaining your shade.

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While we're on the subject, yous also don't have to wait four days to wash your hair afterwards your color it. "Information technology does not brand a difference if you wash information technology the next solar day," says Hill. "The color is there. The color molecules are in the hair. Color volition fade over the next couple weeks just by default because of the elements in the water."

Protect your hair from the sun, similar you would your pare

Sun tin can cause your color to fade faster and turn brassy, too equally leave your pilus feeling dehydrated, says Baghaei. Protect your color with pilus products that have UV protection (yep, they exist) to shield your hair from the sun. Plus, hats or head scarves are beach necessities.

Puddle water can ruin your color

Chlorine actually messes with your hair color. Considering copper is oftentimes found in water, the metallic tin can mix with the chlorine and oxidize your hair, causing it to really turn green.

To protect your strands, Colina advises applying a hair mask before you go into the pool. "You tin get it wet start and and then apply a mask created for color-treated hair that will help fill the cuticle with the conditioner so the water doesn't get in there and strip the color," she says.

Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask

Simply real talk: most of us probably aren't going to do this, but even but getting your hair wet in the shower before you jump into the pool volition help, since dry hair is more than absorbent.

If You lot're Going the DIY Road, Make Sure to Test the Colour Beginning

When you're choosing an at-home kit, look for one with the to the lowest degree amount of harmful ingredients, like ammonia, peroxide, and alcohol. According to Hill, these ingredients can crusade breakage and brittle strands.

Once you have your kit, brand sure to do a swatch test first to avert an allergic reaction. According to Hill, allergic reactions to dye aren't common, but nosotros've all seen the horror stories, so you lot always want to exist rubber. Swipe a little dye on a small patch of skin on the nape of your neck and then follow the directions on the box prior to dyeing.

Colina recommends setting up a piece of work station before starting with a wipe, rummage, and a couple of towels (one for effectually your neck, one for your workplace). "Don't accept your mom'due south all-time towel though," she says. "Brand sure y'all have a towel and wear a shirt designated for color." Hair dye can stain your clothes and towels.

A Colorist Tin can Fix Your Hair If You Hate It

Whether you lot DIY-ed your dye or had a pro piece of work their magic, if you end up with a shade you're not happy with, information technology can be fixed. "If your color is not exactly what yous were hoping for, there's no demand to worry," Baghaei says. "Commonly, your colorist can fix your color with a uncomplicated glaze or toner that tin shift the tone and tweak the hair."

But to foreclose any hair disasters, you should ever exist candid and open with your colorist throughout the entire process, says Colina. If the ruby she picked is a lilliputian too imperial-y for you, ask her if yous can see some options with an orangish undertone instead.