Once you have tinted your hair and achieved the glorious hair color of your choice, there will come a time when most of you will have to face a tedious chore…the retouch.

After four to eight weeks of living with the new vibrant color, you probably have gotten used to and maybe even begun to think of it as your own natural shade. Then there it is, down at your scalp, the tell tale sign of darker hair or duller or gray hair threatening to tell the world that this new persona of yours is not the original. Now you have to entertain the idea of doing it all again.

Since the first one half to one inch of your hair is un-tinted and has been previously tinted from that point on out to the ends you must not treat it as though it were all the same. If you apply the hair color to the entire length of hair, it can result in uneven color tone and dry, damaged hair. Instead, it is best to perform what we call the “retouch” This is not as easy as the original application but it is rewarding when it comes to the condition of your hair and the evenness of hair color. Following thses instructions will save you time and trouble.

Prepare:
Gather everything you will need.

1. An old shirt for you to wear.
   
2. An old sheet or some old towels to spread out on the floor. This
   is important since one stray drop of hair color can give you
   a lasting reminder of this session.
   
3. Plastic or rubber gloves. These usually come in your packaged
   hair color kit.
   
4. Clips; four to six of either the long “duck bill” kind or the
   “jaws” variety. You can find these in your local variety store.
   
5. Kitchen timer or a clock that is easy to keep an eye on.

Proceed:

• Divide your hair into four or five sections. If possible control all the hair in each section with a clip, with no ends dangling.
  
  
• Put on your gloves and mix your color in the applicator bottle provided in the hair color kit.
  
• Take down one section of your hair. Using the tip of the applicator bottle divide off a thin slice of hair at the top of the section and place a thin ribbon of hair color along the new growth area. With a gloved finger or thumb “moosh” the color into the hair being careful to spread it only on the new growth. Clip this slice of hair up out of the way and divide off another slice.
• Continue in this way throughout each section of hair until you have successfully applied hair color to all of the new growth area.
  
• Follow the manufacturers instructions in timing. If you have
  resistant or hard to color hair, –sometimes, gray hair is resistant—covering it loosely with a plastic bag while processing is helpful.

For faded ends:

• Add a small amount of shampoo or conditioner to your left-over color.
  Wait until the last five minutes of the processing time and apply this mixture to the rest of your hair. This is to refresh the color and is not a necessary step.
  
• When the timing is complete, shampoo and follow up with a good quality conditioner to preserve the health of your hair.

Do these steps seem too difficult or tedious? Try enlisting the help of a friend and remember that being careful and precise will result in a more even color and hair that stays in good condition, thus producing pettier hair and a more attractive you!

Hair Color EBook
Learn to do your own hair color or to make educated choices at the salon! This book contains all you need to know, from choosing a color to putting it on and avoiding problems.