Top tips for colouring your hair at home

Celebrity colourist Paul Bingham reveals the secrets of a perfect at-home colour. By Trish Lesslie

If you regularly have your hair coloured professionally, it's likely to be your biggest beauty expense. But by switching to DIY colour, you can save up to hundreds of pounds every year - and still turn heads. Celebrity colourist Paul Bingham shares his tricks of the trade to help you achieve the perfect at-home colour.

 

1. Start with a clean, dry, blank canvas. Make sure hair is clean, but don't wash it on the day you are planning to do your colouring. Also ensure your hair is fully dry. Wet hair won't absorb the colour and even slightly damp hair can dilute the shade.

 

2. Colourproof the skin around your hairline. Applying a thin strip of petroleum jelly around the nape of your neck and along the hairline before applying the hair colour can help prevent staining. If you still get a spot of colour on your skin, a warm, soapy face cloth, or lemon juice or astringent skin toner dabbed on with cotton wool, should remove it in a flash.

 

3. Don't think ‘one size fits all'. If you have fine or short hair, you may not need to use the entire bottle of colour solution. On the other hand, if your hair is long and thick you'll probably need more hair colour (sometimes an additional bottle) to achieve good even coverage.

 

4. Watch the clock. Follow the directions to the letter and leave the colouring product in your hair for only the duration stated. If you are easily distracted or forgetful, set an alarm to remind you when it's time to rinse.

 

5. Keep cool when rinsing. When it's time to rinse the colourant from your hair, cool-to-lukewarm water will work better than hotter water. Always rinse hair thoroughly until the water runs completely clear. Colour not fully rinsed away can continue to process the hair, potentially giving you a shade darker or lighter than you were hoping for.

 

6. Hold on to that great new colour! To make your new shade last longer, try not to wash your hair for 24 to 48 hours after colouring. When you do resume washing, keep your colour vibrant and true by using a shampoo and conditioner that are specially formulated for colour-treated hair.

 

4 great budget buys for hair

 

Clairol Nice ‘N Easy Root Touch Up, £4.20

Designed to help you disguise your roots between colour sessions. Each tube contains an applicator brush and just enough to colour your hairline and parting.

Available nationwide

 

Boots Permanent Hair Colour, £3.22

Blending in grey to give natural looking colour, the kit contains enough for up to three bi-weekly treatments so your colour looks fantastic for longer.

www.boots.com

 

Schwarzkopf Live Color XXL, £4.69

Microfine pigments penetrate deep into the hair for long lasting colour and added shine.

Available nationwide in 15 shades

 

Go large

Budget haircare brand Herbal Essences has just relaunched with bigger bottles and swankier packaging- but it's still great value at just £1.76 or £2.92 each for 400ml. Among the new formulations are Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner with Orchid and Coconut Extracts.

Available nationwide

 

See Trish Lesslie's advice on how to be a savvy beauty shopper - treats, tricks and tips to leave you radiant but not in the red!

 

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