Hair coloring is an extremely popular cosmetic enhancement, with over 75% of American women dyeing their hair. Hair coloring involves changing the hair from its natural color. Many people dye their hair to a more desired color, to cover grey hair, or regain your old hair color after a sun bleaching process. Hair dyeing involves the use of various chemical compounds in order to achieve one’s desired hair color.
Costs
The cost of hair coloring varies greatly. Some women chose to use boxed dyes at home which are much cheaper, but may not turn out the way that they had intended because they are not applied by a professional. Boxed hair dyes are fairly inexpensive, with most falling in a range from $7 to $25. Many women chose to have their hair colored by a professional in order to get the right color and affect. Costs at the salon also vary greatly depending on the location, length of hair, desired look and the experience of the hair dresser. There are also a wide variety of techniques used to gain the right color including highlighting, low-lighting, overall color, dip-dyeing and more which also influence the cost. Most salons charge anywhere from $60 to $250 for hair coloring.
The Procedure
The procedure at home will be much different than the treatment that you would receive in a salon. Once you have chosen your at-home hair coloring system you will follow the instructions that you find within the box. It may require you to mix a few different solutions place it all over your dried hair and then wait for the set amount of time. If you are using a highlighting or low lighting kit at home you will not have to cover the whole head, rather you will choose pieces to color in order to get your desired effect. Afterwards you can blow-dry as normal and evaluate your results. Many people who have dyed their hair at home have had a mishap with color and need to have it redone at the salon. At the salon your hairdresser will help you to select the right color and process for your hair type and desired outcome. If you are receiving highlights or low lights a plastic cap or foils may be used. This helps to section off the hair to be colored so that the rest of the hair will not be colored. If you are getting dip-dyed only sections of the hair will be painted directed. If you are trying to achieve a lighter blonder color than your original bleach may need to be used. The four most common types of hair dye are permanent, demi-permanent, semi-permanent and temporary. There is also henna and other plant-based dyes but they can cause problems with the hair when trying to do other colors. This is because the metallic salts do not react well with other dyes. After your hair has been colored, the hair dresser will blow-dry and style it as you would like. The stylist may have some tips and products that will help keep your new color from fading or changing.
Risks
There are few risks involved with hair dying. These risks include side effects from the products used including hair loss and balding. Some hair dye chemicals may have adverse effects including allergies, skin irritation, hair breakage, skin discoloration and unexpected results. Hair dye should not be inhaled or digested because it can cause major health problems, especially in human organs. Consumption of hair dye can also cause constipation and even lead poisoning. If you do not like the color or are experiencing any negative effects to your hair call your hairdresser. If you notice any medical problems like skin irritation call your doctor.
Follow-up
Depending on the nature of the hair color you selected results should last for approximately 4 to 6 weeks. If you have used a semi-permanent dye or permanent dye at-home it will be time to reapply in order to cover up roots or grey hairs. If you get your hair dyed in a salon you may want to wait a bit longer than that in order to stretch your budget. It is important to use a shampoo and conditioner that has been formulated specifically for color treated hair in order keep the color vibrant and to make it last. Most people will go back to get their hair professionally done within 6 to 8 weeks.