EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COLOURING HAIR - BBLUNT Hair Colour

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COLOURING
HAIR When it comes to hair styling, colour plays
a huge part. Here at Rush, we know just what a
great dye job can do it can lift your cut and
boost your confidence tenfold. So, whether youre
refreshing your roots, switching up your
existing shade or going for a complete colour
change, get the low-down on hair dyeing with our
expert 101. A Brief History of Hair Colour Hair
dyeing isnt a modern-day phenomenon since time
immemorial, people have been tampering with
their natural colour to match the trends of the
day. Admittedly, they had a lot less to play with
back then (alas, ancient man never got to enjoy
mermaid hair), but that didnt stop anyone from
slathering DIY dyes on their scalps regardless.
Yep, hair colouring goes way back. Ancient Hair
Dyeing Techniques Ancient Egyptians used to
camouflage greys using henna the ancient Greeks
and Romans used plant extracts to dye their
tresses. In fact, the Greeks finding
inspiration in golden-haired idols like
Aphrodite formulated harsh, bleach-like soaps
to lighten their hair. And the Romans were one of
the earliest civilisations to create a permanent
black dye it was just too toxic to use, so they
switched to a formula made with fermented leeches
instead nice. In fact, the development of
chemical dye didnt happen until much later. It
can be traced back to a chance moment in the
late 1800s, when English chemist William Henry
Perkin created the first synthesised dye whilst
trying to find a cure for malaria (fun fact). The
colour it created was a purplish mauve, so
Perkins called it mauveine. His chemistry
professor August Hoffman then produced a colour-
changing molecule from the mauveine called
para-phenylenediamine or PPD a chemical thats
still widely used in the industry today. The
Invention of Synthetic Hair Dyes Having said
that, a good few years passed before synthetic
hair dyes began to emerge on the market. It
wasnt until 1907, when French chemist (and
LOréal founder) Eugène Schueller first began
producing chemical hair dyes which he called
Auréole for commercial use. After initially
selling his product to Parisian salons,
Schueller founded his own company in 1909 and the
rest, as they say, is history. Throughout the
1900s, hair colours became more advanced with
better staying power home hair dye kits were
developed and sold all over the world. In 1956,
Clairol introduced the first one-step colour that
lightened hair without bleaching it. And,
because it was an at-home hair dye, women could
colour their hair more discreetly Clairols
product was a huge hit, and it arguably helped to
change attitudes towards hair dye too. The
initial stigma (or rather, secrecy) that circled
hair colouring did start to dissipate. At the
beginning of the century, hair dyeing was, as
Victoria Sherrow says in her book Encyclopaedia
of Hair A Cultural History, regarded as
immodest, daring and somewhat low class. By
the 1970s, attitudes towards hair had completely
shifted by the 1980s, everyone even Hollywood
A-listers championed hair colour. With
celebrity endorsements, full-page advertisements
and a wider range of colours available, hair dye
had become a cosmetic staple for men and women
everywhere.
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Today, hair colouring products still make up a
huge percentage of the beauty industrys revenue.
As new products and trends continue to develop,
theres even more room for colourists to get
creative. Yes, our lasting love affair with hair
colour is here to stay! What to Know Before
Colouring Your Hair Ever had a hair dyeing
disaster? Hey, everyones entitled to a few in
their lifetime you just dont want to hear the
words colour correction past teenhood! So,
before you reach for the nearest bottle of DIY
dye, listen up here are our top tips for
colouring hair. Book a Professional Consultation
with a Colourist Whilst theres nothing wrong
with at-home colouring kits, theres more risk
involved once you take professionals out of the
equation. And if youre looking to completely
change your colour, you should definitely leave
it to a qualified colourist! If you do choose to
get your hair dyed at the salon, make use of
your free consultation. Its important that you
and your colourist are on the same page be
honest about what you want the process may
take longer than you think. If youre going from
brunette to blonde, for example, its unlikely
that youll achieve it in one sitting. Talking to
your colourist about what you want beforehand
will help to manage your expectations a
15-minute consultation is the perfect time to
decide on a look, shade and technique together
it means youll leave with the hair colour
youre after. Consider Maintenance
Upkeep Sadly, all hair dyes fade. There are
things you can do to make colour-treated hair
stay salon-fresh for longer, but at some stage,
youre going to have to freshen it up. The
important thing to remember is this not all
hair colours are created equal. In other words,
some colours are more high-maintenance than
others. Generally speaking, blonde hair is a
little more difficult to maintain especially if
youre a brunette. If you want to keep on top of
your platinum blonde, you should expect to book
more regular salon visits depending on how
blonde you want to be and how dark you are
naturally, expect to go for root touch- ups
every 4-12 weeks. The bleaching process takes it
out of hair too, so be prepared to spend a bit of
time nourishing your bleached (and thirsty)
locks with masks or conditioning treatments.
Think about how much time youre prepared to
dedicate to the upkeep of your colour. If youre
the get up and go type, you might want to
choose something thats easier to look
after. Think About Whats Going to Suit You When
perusing Pinterest, its easy to get carried
away. In an ideal world, wed all suit every
colour out there unfortunately, theres a bit
more to it than that. Colour is all about
complexion choose a shade thats not going to
compliment it and youll be left looking washed
out. Find out which colours are going to suit
your skin tone or speak to your stylist before
anything touches your scalp.
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You should also think about how your personal
style is reflected in your cut and colour, and
whether your desired colour is going to suit
your lifestyle (could you get away with rocking a
bold blue at the office, for example) and
commitments. Being a bridesmaid for your bestie?
Maybe check how well seafoam green will go down
with her colour scheme (and your dress) first! Do
Your Research (and Take Pictures!) Ash grey,
marshmallow, espresso, ruby fusion the world of
hair colouring can be a complicated one. Colour
lingo can mean different things from one stylist
to the next make sure you leave the salon with
the shade you really want by swotting up
beforehand. Get inspired by looking online
curate a Pinterest board or save some Insta
snaps onto your phone to give your colourist some
visual cues once youre at the salon. You could
even save some pictures of something you really
dont want as well (this is especially useful if
youre totally changing your colour but arent
exactly sure about the shade). Apply a Hair Mask
the Day Before To hydrate your hair and properly
prepare it for the colouring process, you should
apply a hair mask the day before. Its better to
use masks and deep conditioning treatments at
this stage using one straight afterwards could
cause your colour to fade. In fact, you should
avoid using heavy treatments for a couple of
weeks after your hair is dyed to extend the
colour.