Joanna Douglas

10 Boxed Hair Color Breakthroughs

Joanna Douglas

·Senior Editor

June 29, 2015 at 4:56 PM

Find the right boxed hair color to try at home!

Virgin hair (like your roots) absorbs color differently than chemically processed ends. Macintosh says the mistake many DIY colorists make is to coat hair from root to ends and let the color process for the same amount of time. “If you treat your whole head of hair the same when dyeing, you’ll end up with damage and uneven color,” he explains. This box contains separate formulas that treat the roots and ends differently to ensure even color application. The kit includes a brush-on color for the roots and a serum to coat the ends. Anytime touch up your signature shade, Macintosh says the best technique is to first apply color at the roots and leave the ends alone. “At most, you’d pull the color through the ends every third application, but it shouldn’t be necessary.” Vidal Sassoon Salonist, $15

For blondes looking to go to the next level, this formula contains a platinum powder to speed up bleaching. Plus jojoba seed oil conditioner helps to baby hair that’s gone through this ultra lightening process. “If you’re drastically lightening your hair, go see a pro,” says Josh. Changing your color by more than two shades requires an expert to get you started. Your colorist can give you advice on maintenance after you’ve got the base color sorted out. Revlon Color Effects Platinum, $11

Attempting at-home highlights can be a challenge—depending on your undertones you can end up looking brassy or orange. This product offers a no-brainer way to subtly lighten hair. Using heat from the sun or a hair dryer, the leave-in formula conditions hair as it creates beachy streaks. No matter your goal, Macintosh warns to always follow the directions on the box. “Leaving a product on longer than the directions suggest is asking for trouble in the form of damage or brassiness.” L’Oréal Paris Summer Lights Hair Lightening Gelee, $7

“Runny liquid dyes can give streaky results if you aren’t super careful with application,” says Josh. That’s why he feels foam formulas are the most impressive at-home color innovation. “Foams are non-drip and spread evenly—plus it’s easy to target roots.” This formula spreads easily and makes home hair color less messy. Josh’s tip for ensuring color goes on evenly: Brush through your hair. “If your hair is knotted or tangled, I don’t care how good the formula is, you’re not going to cover it all.” John Frieda Precision Foam Color, $12

Packed with argan oil as well as mango seed butter, shea butter, and coconut oil, this dye actually helps combat the drying effects of color. This uber-moisturizing formula is also ammonia-free and covers gray without leaving hair feeling brittle. Hydration is key for keeping color treated hair healthy. “One of the best ways to prevent hair damage is to use a good conditioner after,” says cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski. “Deep conditioning is an important step for at-home color.” Revlon Luxurious ColorSilk Buttercream, $6

Going too dark is one of the biggest at-home color offenses. “Coloring hair too dark is sure to leave you spending long hours and lots of money on color corrections in the salon,” says Tamara DeFelice, a colorist at Butterfly Studio Salon in New York City. She says the ammonia-free Garnier Olia helps keep color looking fresh and shiny, especially darker shades. “The oil drives the pigment into the hair instead of ammonia so there are less chemicals and your hair is shinier.” When in doubt, opt for a hair color that looks lighter than the shade you’re going for. It’s much easier to go darker the next time than to try to lift color if you’re not happy with the result, Macintosh says. Garnier Olia Oil Powered Permanent Hair Color, $10

Dark and Lovely uses a special blend of balanced pigments to allow for a dramatic color change. The Go Intense formula fights brassiness and muddiness to enable the darkest shades to go bright blonde or rich red. No matter how light or dark you’re looking to go, Josh says that there’s one thing every person must always do—a patch test. “You never know how your skin is going to react,” he says. “Before you use a dye, put a bit of the formula on your skin to make sure you don’t have an allergic reaction.” Dark and Lovely Go Intense, $7

In this case, the packaging is everything. The specially designed bottle uses two separate chambers to hold the color and the developer, only combining them as you pump. This means you can store the leftover color for touch-ups rather than buy an entire new kit every couple weeks. And the mousse formula makes targeting roots easy. “If you want your color to look professional, make sure to be consistent with touch-ups,” says Kari Hill, a celebrity colorist and consulting hair colorist for L’Oreal Paris. “Don’t let your color get faded, unkempt, or have too much regrowth—proper maintenance is crucial.” L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Mousse Absolue Automatic Reusable Color, $15

The added keratin and gentle ammonia-free formula makes this a great entry point into the DIY dye world. The rich cream formula doesn’t drip and contains enough pigment to boost color on darker hair shades. Beginners often end up with scalp staining. But Hill has a simple fix: Apply a clear lip balm or petrolatum jelly like Vaseline along your hairline to prevent the dye from marking your skin. Natural Instincts Crema Keratina, $9

Roots are the bane of anyone who dyes her hair. But gray roots and their zebra-like contrast create a challenging color crisis. This box includes a unique color brush that makes application more like brushing your hair than painting it on. And the formula contains pigments that subtly blend to make regrowth less distinct. If you’re going gray, selecting a blonde shade is the best way to mask the regrowth line, says Doug Macintosh, a colorist at Louise O’Connor Salon in New York City. “You can also go to a colorist and ask for a few highlights around your face to help blend regrowth,” he says. L’Oréal Paris Excellence Age Perfect, $9

Find the right boxed hair color to try at home!

Source: Yahoo Magazines PYC

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10 Boxed Hair Color Breakthroughs

Find the right boxed hair color to try at home!

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