I’m sure I am not the only one who has had a hair colour
crisis. The sun-kissed
tresses that make you look like you have gone into competition with a traffic
light, the few highlights you love turn into a whole head. You want to be
brunette, but it ends up looking so dark and dreary people think you are going
for an interview for the part of the wicked witch. And so it goes on.
Even putting your tresses in the hands of some so-called
masters doesn’t guarantee that you won’t get a disastrous concoction. Been
there… Good colourists really are a rare breed.
So, what do you do when it goes wrong? If it is the first
visit to a salon, go back and tell them. Give them a chance to fix it, unless
you feel that they can correct the mistake. If they are not getting the colour
right, or at least moving in the right direction after a few visits, go for a
few consultations at different salons, before making a decision about what you
want to do. It can take several visits for colour to be put right, so don’t
dismiss it when a colour specialist tells you that it may take six months to
achieve your perfect hue.
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| Too orange |
Liz Edmonds, colour director at Daniel Galvin told me that usually, when she has to do colour corrections, they are the result of
botched home jobs. “A common mistake is taking the colour through to the ends
each time it is applied,” she says. “Hair gets darker and darker until it is
too dark.”
But, don’t despair, this can be put right. Louise
Galvin’s Hair Colour Removal system (£150, Daniel Galvin) may be the answer to
your prayers. It shouldn’t damage the hair as it doesn’t contain ammonia or
peroxide. Your hair is taken back to its natural state, so you can instantly
recolour it.
Another method Liz uses to take the heaviness out and soften
the colour is a detox treatment. This pure vitamin C solution won’t harm the
hair either. “For really bad hair we use a technique called white washing which
removes some of the colour,” says Liz. “The drawback is that it can make the
hair colour warmer as you are drawing out the red pigment. If the hair is too
warm, we then have to neutralise it with a “flat” colour or ash shade.”
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| Getting there |
If your hair is porous, it will soak it up dye like a
sponge, especially on the ends and, therefore, if you or somebody has not taken
this into consideration, your end result may not be what you hoped for.
Over-processing can cause damage to the hair making it look
like a bed of hay. So, go easy on the highlights. “If you keep adding
lowlights to the hair, it will eventually look too muddy,” says Liz. “If this
does happen, go for a warmer
shade.”
Liz also suggests using vegetable colours to perk up hair
that has gone too yellow
or flat. “It will even out the shade. A colour bath is a good remedy for
tangerine-like locks, but it is a slow process. “However, quick fixes will
cause more problems,” she explains. “This way your hair will get into a better
condition so the colour holds well.”
By Daralyn Danns
