Colour your hair, but limit the damage

Hair colouring is the mantra of the day. But however glamorous it may look, hair colourants and dyes can cause hair damage. Once the colour wears off, you may want to colour the hair again. It is this kind of repeated colouring that damages the hair, making it dry and brittle. Moreover, if dark hair is coloured to a lighter colour, a bleaching process is also used. This causes added damage.
So, before going in for colouring, it is essential to know the methods that are available and how they affect the hair. Also, find out about limiting the damage.
Permanent dyes and colours work by changing the structure of the hair. They actually strip off the outermost layer, in an uneven manner, in order to penetrate the inner layer. Damage to the cuticle weakens the hair and also makes it dry, rough and dull. Semi-permanent methods, like hair rinses and creams, last for 4 to 6 shampoos. They do not cause as much damage as the permanent dyes. They are suitable for disguising grey hair, or for lending a richer colour to dull hair.
Temporary Hair Colours are also available, in the form of “hair mascaras.”
Hair mascaras are somewhat like crayons, which can be used to “streak” strands of the hair. They can disguise strands of grey hair quite effectively.
Streaks and highlights are possible.
Streaking is a method in which some strands are bleached or coloured. A few streaks of colour can also save the rest of the hair from damage and yet, give you a new and glamorous look. You could have about four streaks in front, which means that some strands in front are coloured. This can really look attractive and certainly cause less damage. Of course, this is suitable for those who have no grey hair and are mainly looking for a colour change.
If you go in for half-head streaking, it helps to limit the damage. In this method, some strands are selected. They are bleached and wrapped in special foil. It can be started from the hairline to the crown, so that the streaked hair is fully visible. You will need to touch it up in about 4 weeks, as the roots of your original hair colour will show through. It is best to have your hair coloured or streaked at a beauty parlour.
It is also very essential to choose the right colour, which goes with the colour tone of your skin. For instance, a blonde or whitish colour would not suit an Indian skin tone. However, a lighter colour may be used for highlighting or streaking. If you want highlights or streaks, you have to select a lighter colour which compliments the colour of the rest of your hair. Experts recommend that the colour you choose for highlighting your hair should be 3 shades lighter than your natural hair colour.
Another trend is to highlight only the tips of the hair for a bright look and limit the damage.
Frosting also helps. This idea is based on the fact that colours wear off. It doesn’t take long for roots of your original colour to show up and you are ready for your next visit to the salon. This means repeating the entire process at shorter intervals. With frosting, you can avoid this problem. It is best done at a salon, where you are made to wear a tight plastic cap, with tiny holes all over. With a device that resembles a crochet needle, the hairstylist pulls out the particular strands which need colouring and applies colour. This saves the rest of the hair where colour has not worn off. This also helps to limit the damage.