Autumn is the perfect time for new hair colour. The weather is getting cooler and darker, meaning your hair is naturally transitioning from a lighter, sun-kissed shade to a richer, darker hue. This means you’re more likely to get the look you want, whatever your hair type, making choosing the right hair colour easier.
This post will look at some of the best hair colours to try this autumn, including the top colours for brunette hair, the best colours for blonde hair, and more.
If you’re planning on dying your hair, it’s really important that you do so in a salon. The reason for this is that the colourist will be able to match your hair colour to your skin tone and match the colour to your natural hair colour. If you do it yourself, you may end up with a too dark or light colour.
We are all familiar with basic hair colours like black, brown, blonde and red. However, there is a whole wide range of darker and brighter shades to choose from. Hair colouring techniques come in many variations: from ombre to pastels, streaks and highlights. With permanent colour or demi-permanent options, which are less aggressive in their chemistry, you can have fun discovering new hair colours and take advantage of all the different techniques for achieving them!
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The Science Bit
Young women often look at celebrity hairstyles and wonder how they can get their hair to do the same. This article explains the science behind hair colouring techniques to help you achieve your desired colour and style.
There are several different approaches to hair colour. Some approaches are temporary, some more permanent, and the impacts can be dramatic or subtle. There is no one best approach; there is only what works best for you. You need to think about things like the look you love when you want it, how long it lasts and how much work you want to put into the process (pardon the pun). Does your hair have blonde highlights, or are you trying to be a punk rocker? This article will help you choose the best hair dye for your hair.
Permanent hair colour contains 20-40% hydrogen peroxide, which lifts the natural pigment out of your hair. If it is applied correctly, the tone of your hair will not be altered; however, some lightening of hair may occur. The peroxide used in permanent colour can dry your hair, so you must use products that contain ingredients to protect and nourish your hair.
The cuticle needs to be opened so the hair colour can penetrate into the hair’s cortex. This process is done with a chemical that is either alkaline or acidic. After dyeing, the cuticle is often closed with an acidic conditioner to finish the treatment.
In an oxidative dye, the ammonia and dye precursors are usually in one container, while the peroxide is stored in a separate container. These are mixed just before applying it to hair. That’s why the colour slowly appears as you use it – the dye precursors need to react before turning into the final colour.
Permanent Hair Colour
Here, the clue is in the name. If your plan is to commit to one colour for a while, then permanent is a good option. As a hair colourist friend once said – after a heavy cocktail session – “Permanent colours are the same as canaries in a coal mine. They don’t sing; they just sit there and fade.”
If you want a permanent solution for your hair colour woes, a permanent hair dye is the best way to go. These dyes require more complex chemical processing, penetrating your hair more deeply and maintaining your colour for weeks.
You can skip salon visits with permanent hair colour. Even better, it gradually fades to a low-maintenance colour over time. Plus, you can switch up your look as often as you like!
Clearly, you’re not meant to go from dark to platinum blonde in a day. Your hair takes a little longer to react to chemicals than paint does. And that’s totally okay. Dark to blonde, like all the best hair colouring techniques, is a process, and it’s the gradual shift towards lighter colours that will keep your tresses healthy.
A great option is the L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference range, which is a super quality product from a manufacturer with a great reputation in hair colour products.
Another excellent option would be the Madison Reed Hair Colour range which is highly rated. Your colours will look as amazing as they feel. Their gentle, sulfate-free formulas are made with certified organic plants and extracts. They’re also free of harsh chemicals like ammonia, parabens, and titanium dioxide… The product is also cruelty-free and has nourishing agents like keratin and argan oil. Want to know your shade match? Just answer a few questions about your hair type, texture, and intended results.
Demi-Permanent Hair Colouring Techniques
Watching celeb after celeb changing their hair colour almost every day, you’ve been wondering how on earth they do it. Introducing Demi-Permanent hair colours!
Demi-permanent hair dye is the middle child of permanent and semi-permanent hair dye. Semi-permanent hair dye is permanent enough to last but not too permanent. And Demi-permanent hair dye is semi-permanent enough to last, but not too semi-permanent. I hope you can follow my post-cocktail reasoning.
These hair dyes are gentle on the hair and scalp. Because they use less harsh chemicals than other hair colouring techniques, you are less likely to suffer an allergic reaction. Colour molecules are deposited not only into the hair shafts and onto the outside of the hair cuticle.
We quite like Wella Color Charm Demi, which you can grab on Amazon or your local drugstore. The manufacturers recommend it for:
– grey blending
– toning
– refreshing colour
Whether you’re hoping to cover greys or need a refresher between appointments, demi-permanent hair dye has your back.
Semi-Permanent Hair Colouring
Semi-permanent hair colour is a great option for covering grey hair grown from your latest touch-up appointment. If you have a busy schedule, finding time to go to the salon can be difficult. Thankfully, products such as L’Oréal Paris’ at-home semi-permanent hair colour are so easy to use that you can achieve the hair colouring techniques you want in the comfort of your home.
There are a plethora of reasons to use semi-permanent hair colour. It makes hair shiny, and the roots look natural. Semi-permanent hair colour can be added to touch up roots between permanent colour appointments. Many affordable options are available at nearly any drugstore or beauty supply store.
Like all hair colouring options, semi-permanent colour can fade if the hair is frequently shampooed, washed, or gets wet.
Temporary Hair Colours
If you want to experiment or are fed up with monotone hair, coloured hair is an excellent option for you. The perks don’t just stop there. Temporary hair colours are easy to use and low maintenance. Who wouldn’t love that?
Experimentation is a big part of being young. So, if you want to try the latest hair colours and styles, temporary hair colour is a great option!
If you’d like to try out bold new hair colour but don’t want to commit to an entirely new look, temporary hair colour is your best bet. You can get a splash of colour without changing your appearance too much and without damaging your hair.
Outfit your strands in colours that come and go like Spring flowers. Temporary hair colouring products are great for adding colour to your mane without commitment.
Once again, a huge range of temporary colour options can be found online or at your local store. The ever-reliable Byrdie website has a helpful list of brands that you can choose from.
Highlighting Your Hair
Hair highlights are a great way to add visual interest. An all-over colour can make your hair look flat or lifeless. This is where it’s best to use hair highlights — fine-tipped pieces that can be placed anywhere on the head for a customized, dimensional effect.
New-age hair highlights are not your mother’s highlights. No longer are the most popular colours in fashion for hair, and a more subtle effect has taken over. Today’s generation understands that you can have multiple types of highlights to create a stunning new look. If wider sections are lightened, they are called ‘chunky highlights’.
A lot has changed with hair colouring techniques since the 1990s. Highlights are more natural-looking than they used to be, and you can choose from a wide variety of shades, making it easier to achieve the look you want.
Ombre Technique
Ombre is a fancy word for hair dying. It is a form of dyeing where two different shades are applied in the same way that one would apply white or black to grey hair. Letting the darker colour fade at the bottom and gradually lighten up towards the tips allows for a much more subtle and elegant look.
Much like dip-dye hair, ombre hair is a lot more subtle than its straight up and down counterpart, resulting in a less harsh transition between the two tones. Often, ombre hair will have no harsh lines between the two tones of highlights, making it a more elegant style than ombre others. Ask your colourist to darken your natural shade at the roots for a more dramatic Ombre.
What is the difference between ombre and balayage? Ombre is more of a horizontal placement and Balayage is more vertical. In short, Ombre is a bit more of a style; Balayage is a technique. The only problem with balayage is that it won’t disguise greys. If you need to cover all your greys, you’ll need to opt for full colour.
Hair Root Colouring
Ageing gracefully is an art form, and we all know that grey hair can make that art harder to master. Some people are so distraught by their greys that they won’t leave the house for fear of being photographed. Why bother? With one of the many root touch-up products on the market today, you can discreetly touch up roots to match your hair colour to the last strand. These hair colouring techniques will protect you from the paparazzi’s critical eye.
We love temporary root cover-up spray. It gives a fantastic, quick fix to any pesky grey roots. Has anyone seen our bottle? Our favs are L’Oreal Paris Magic Root Cover Up and Madison Reed root touch-up.
Also available is L’Oréal Paris Magic Root Cover Up, which makes it easy to cover almost all your greys (in case of a last-minute gathering with friends). And don’t worry about those thin patches that normally get missed—this allows you to cover them up precisely!
This new colour trend will take you by surprise when looking for different types of hair colour. From Selena Gomez to Hailey Baldwin, celebrities and Instagram girls deliberately paint their roots darker. But why? To achieve a more ’90s grunge look, of course. We love the Root Colour. Adding a darker root to light tresses is all the rage right now
Natural Hair Colouring Techniques
Last, but by no means least, comes Henna. If you fancy bright locks but are bored of the same old box dye, henna could be the answer to your prayers. Whether you have dark hair, fair locks, or a red tone, this simple plant-based alternative is the ideal way to achieve an unconventional colour that’s guaranteed to turn heads.
Henna is an amazing plant-based hair dye that comes in many natural colours. It works by dyeing the hair shaft with beautiful earthy tones, but it won’t actually change your hair colour like other hair colouring techniques― it’s more like a temporary tint! You can also play with hair chalks – perfect at party time -from pastel pink to regal purple, you can add colour to your hair for the perfect festival look.
Which Popular Hair Colouring Techniques to Try Next?
Redken recommends ‘splashlights.’ A colourist with a steady hand can highlight your hair with a streak that shines brighter than the rest of your strands. Wow!
Mastering Hair colouring techniques give you more versatile ways to party your hair. You can flirt around with a range of shades by using temporary colours, and then when you find the shade that works best for you, it’s easy to go ‘permanent and commit. I say ‘easy,’ but I have emotional problems dealing with a supermarket loyalty card, but I am working that through therapy. Enjoy experimenting and ‘party your hair!’
Our takeaway tip: Extend the time between washes by applying dry shampoo at night, and use a filter on your shower head to remove damaging elements.
Hair colour can make a big difference in how people perceive you. While a new hair colour can change your appearance and make you look more confident, it can also change your mood and make you feel better. If you get new hair colour, ensure you’re getting a good salon service. If you’re having trouble deciding what colour to choose, consider what colours you like and why. Have you tried any other hair colour techniques that we didn’t mention? Let’s talk about those in the comments section below
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