Don’t over process. You won’t get good results that way.
What’s The Right Colour For Your Hair?
In this article, we unravel some of the mysteries of the hair colour chart and explain why it’s essential to know what shades will blend most brilliantly to create your desired colour.
Make the perfect choice for your unique shade
So, you’ve got your eye on a vibrant new shade that’s going to revolutionise your look. Fantastic! But before you go ahead and apply liberally to your locks, it’s vital to take your current colour into account. Diving straight in could result in all kinds of colour conflicts, or end in a dull tinge that just doesn’t do your hair justice.
Getting your shade accurate
We’ve provided our own colour chart guide below that you can use to get a grasp on your current shade. As you can see, this is done on a scale of 1 to 10; 10 representing the lightest possible shades, and 1 the darker end of the scale.
In order to get the most accurate results for your own hair, follow these top tips:
- Stand under natural lighting
- Choose several strands of hair that start from your crown
- Hold the strands at full-length away from your head
- Focus on the colour that’s closest to your hair’s roots
- Match this against our 1-10 shade guide
What does it mean for your new look?
Now that you know your current shade, you might need to make some adjustments to make sure you achieve the results you want from your new hair colour.
This is because Directions’ vibrant range works best on hair that is a 9 or 10 on the colour shade scale. As a general rule, the lighter your hair’s shade, the more likely the colour you apply will be as bright and vivid as you intend it to be, particularly for lighter/softer colours.
If you have blonde hair (8 to 10 on the colour scale):
The lighter your current shade, the brighter our hair colour will shine. At this range, your hair will be more welcoming of a broader selection of colours.
For extra vibrancy, our White Toner removes those yellowish strands that bleaching can leave behind. If you want to go darker and infuse your hair with deep mysterious tones, we recommend taking it one shade at a time — and always asking a professional before making any dramatic leaps from light to dark.
If you have dirty blonde/brown hair (4 to 7 on the colour scale):
At this mid-range, it is still possible to achieve an all-over colour change without lightening your hair further. However, the range of colours for which this is possible is restricted to our darker colours, such as:
To get the very best results from bright vibrant colours, like our zesty Fluorescent Lime, you’ll need your hair to be at the lighter end of the scale. If that is your goal, we always recommend using our Lightening Kit or going to a professional salon.
If you have dark hair (1 to 3 on the colour scale):
At the darker end of the scale, the choice of colours that will stand out in your hair without any pre-lightening will be very limited, as the natural shade of your hair will compete with the new colour.
At this range, we would highly recommend using our Lightening Kit or visiting a professional salon to get the best possible base for amazing results.
What if you already have colour in your hair?
As long as you intend to colour your hair darker, you can use Directions over most existing colours, however make note of the colour wheel beforehand; as opposite tones may end up in your colour being neutralised. For brighter shades, you’ll need to take into account the base colour of your current hair colour to avoid any colour conflicts.
Even if you bleach your hair first, leftover yellow tones can affect your results — blue is one to watch especially, as it can mix with the yellows and turn green. Our Lightening Kit and White Toner are just the things for turning your hair into a perfect canvas for new colours. However, always seek professional salon advice if you’re not absolutely certain.
1. What You Should Do Before Coloring
Hair Segmented & Tied Up & Ready For Coloring.
What should you do before coloring?
The answer is: “Nothing”.
Hair dyes and bleaches work best on dry, unwashed hair.
The oil from your client’s hair will protect the scalp while it is being colored.
So no pre-washing, no masks, no coconut oil even for 2 days before coloring.
Decide What Level Your Client’s Hair is
On the day of coloring, the first thing you need to do is an accurate assessment to determine what level your client’s hair is currently at.
Use this chart to do that:
Hair color levels
Work Out How Many Levels You Need to Lift
Next, you need to discuss with your client to find out what her color expectations are, and what color she is looking to have.
If necessary, get her to show a picture from instagram or the internet so you and she can be totally aligned not just at to the hair color level, but also the exact reflect.
Subtract the hair color level of the color she wants from her actual.
So, for example, if she wants to be level 10 extra light blonde (we will get to the reflect later) and her current hair color is level 7 blonde, that means you need to lift the hair by 3 levels.
Retouch Schedule
As with any service, it is up to you to recommend an appointment schedule that will best maintain your client’s hair.
A global lightening service such as this one should have a retouch schedule anywhere from three to six weeks, depending on growth. Ideally, your client should not have more than ½ to ¾ inches of regrowth at their next appointment. Keep in mind that once the regrowth is over ¾ inches, you will no longer have the heat from the scalp to help the colour process, and will need to treat the retouch as a virgin application, which can be tricky on such a small amount of regrowth!
You also must ensure that you do not overlap onto the previously lightened hair. This can cause colour banding and breakage. Remember that once the hair has been subjected to an alkaline chemical, its structure is permanently altered and more susceptible to damage.
When performing a retouch service:
- Prepare the client and the hair as noted above.
- Starting in the back two quadrants, work in ¼ inch subsections/partings, from the top down, carefully applying colour to the regrowth only. Avoid overlapping onto the previously coloured hair and be sure to fully saturate both sides of your subsections/partings.
- Process per the manufacturer’s guidelines
- Follow the colour removal guidelines as noted above.
Refreshing the Ends
When your client returns for their retouch appointment, you may notice that their ends have faded and need refreshing. Assess the hair’s condition, considering porosity, texture, level, and tone. Formulate a semi-permanent colour product that will match the formula at the regrowth.
- Apply your root retouch application, then wait until the root has processed about halfway.
- Mix up your semi permanent colour formula, and apply it to the mid-lengths and ends, being careful to avoid the regrowth area.
- Ideally, the semi-permanent colour product should process for the last 10–20 minutes of your retouch process, depending on texture and porosity.
Media Attributions
- Towel Draping images by A. Magtiza are under a CC BY 4.0 Licence.
- Hair Zones image is by Yehor Milohrodskyi on Unsplash. Text labels added by A. Magtiza. Edited image released under a CC BY 4.0 Licence.
- “Virgin Application: Oxidative Colour” video by A. Magtiza is under a CC BY 4.0 Licence.
Colouring products that require a developing agent, such as hydrogen peroxide, to oxidize and introduce colour molecules into the hair strand.
Hair that has not been altered with a chemical product, such as colour or a perm.
Hair absorbs moisture and chemical products at a common rate. Cuticle scales are intact and slightly raised.
Colours that reflect blue, violet, or green.
