Beauty> What's new in Hair Colour

Text by: Tanya Munshi
Feel like going blonde? Of course you can! But, is the colour right for you? Well, leave it to the experts. Ideally a good hairstylist from a reputed salon should recommend what colour will suit you best.

Krishma Gala Rajput from H20 (Hair 2 Order), Pune says, "It depends on your complexion, the colour of your eyes, profession and your lifestyle." For instance, if you're in the hospitality industry, which stresses on grooming, you may need to revamp your look more often as opposed to, say if you worked in a more conservative profession, like law.

According to Krishma, the hot colours right now are warm, subtle browns, auburns and dark chocolate. Copper and brown suit men and women with dusky skin tones while blonde and ash (pale blonde) look good on fair skin tones.

Highlights or all the way?
"The cost of colouring your hair depends on the length of your hair and the style," says Krishma.
Colouring all the hair (gobal hair) is slightly costlier than adding highlights ie colour added to sections of hair.

Men
The cost of highlighting the crown (top part of the head) should be around Rs 350 without a pre-lightener (a type of bleach that acts as a cleanser to clear the already existing colour or henna deposits).
With a pre-lightener the cost would come up to Rs 500. Global colouring on the other hand costs Rs 750.

Women
Highlighting the crown would cost up to Rs 800, half the head for Rs 1,600 to Rs 2,500, and for shoulder length hair Rs 2,850 to Rs 3,000. "If it's a combination of highlights and a global colour, for example chocolate colour with blond highlights, then the cost would come to Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000," says Krishma.

How long does it last?
Colour tends to fade after three to four months. "Ideally hair colour should last until you cut off the coloured portion, or re-colour your hair, but no colour will come off totally in a single wash," says Krishma.

Men with short hair tend to go for regular trimming, so they lose the colour faster. It's advisable to wait six months before colouring hair which has undergone henna treatment as the latter tends to make the hair dry and could affect the colour.

How safe is it?
It is important to get your hair coloured at a good hair salon, says Krishma. Make sure that the hairstylist is using a branded product like L'Oreal, Sunsilk Pro Colour or Garnier Nutrisse. Do not use a product if you have never heard of the brand.

According Krishma, those so called 'herbal hair colour', as long as the product leaves a colour on the hair, then it surely has some chemical component in it. Using these products over a period of time can lead to drying of the hair as they contain no conditioning agents to help soften the hair.

Care for coloured hair
Follow your hairstylist's recommendation with regard to hair type and colour and what shampoo and conditioner will suit you best. It is always advisable to use shampoos meant for coloured hair.

Brands like Schwarzkopf (Rs 425 for 250 ml of shampoo, Rs 425 for 200 ml of conditioner) and L'Oreal (Rs 390 to Rs 500 for 250 ml of shampoo and Rs 390 for 150 ml of conditioner) are available in salons.

Other shampoos available in department stores, chemists etc include Sunsilk - Brilliant Shine and Vibrance for Coloured Hair (Rs 100 for 200 ml), Lakme Hair Next (Rs 120 for 200 ml) and Garnier Fructis (Rs 99 for 200 ml).
If your hair is dry or damaged, get it conditioned at a hair salon. The treatment basically consists of a shampoo, conditioner and serum (to smoothen hair and give it shine).
As far as possible, keep your head covered with a scarf or cap when venturing outside.

Published in Rediff.com, on March 5, 2007 Link: http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2007/mar/05sld1.htm