Hayden Penetierre Makes A New Statement in Red

Here's a great example of how a dramatic change can make a big statement. The "Heroes" star Hayden Penetierre was recently spotted sporting a new bold, red color. This is a big change from her golden blond locks! With such a major change come some critics. When I found articles about this, a lot of people were saying the red doesn't match her complexion. (One more reason to check the color before you commit!) This is definitely something to keep in mind if you are going to make such a dramatic change yourself. Its is not subtle! Be ready for extra attention!

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Hair Color and Hair Lengths

Before coloring your hair, you also need to think about the length. If you have really short hair, all over color is your best bet. Highlights won't blend as well in shorter hair. One thing to remember for short hair is that all over color needs to be touched up every 4-6 weeks. Depending on how short your hair is, this is probably close to your schedule for hair cuts.

That being said, highlighting short hair can be done depending on the cut. As you can see in this photo of Mariska Hargitay, a short cut with long hair on top looks great with highlights. The key is having longer layers on top so the highlights blend.

For medium to long hair, highlights around the face can be especially flattering. Highlights require less maintenance than all over color. You can go 2-3 months between touch ups. However - if you used permanent color for your highlights you also need to watch regrowth so you don't end up with one color on top and a different color at the bottom of your hair.

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The Gray That Started The Quest for Hair Color Ideas

I never considered hair color ideas until I finally found one. Actually my sister found it while I knelt down to tighten my roller blade.

"What's that in your hair?", she asked.

"I don't know. I don't have eyes up there," I said, "Get it out....Ouch! I said get it out - not yank out my hair!"

"You said 'get it out' so I did. And look what it is!" she said with a bit too much glee. "A gray hair! You've got gray hair!"

Are you kidding me? I'm not old enough for gray hair. I was getting ready to roller blade 12 miles and people with gray hair are too old for that. AND - I don't have kids so I really can't have gray hair.

Once I admitted they were there, they had to be dealt with - immediately. I thought this would be a simple trip to the store for a box of dye close to my natural color, but that was not to be. First I had to figure out what brand to go with. I could rule out the one just for men. But then what? Do I go with the one that's nice and easy or the one that makes me feel like I'm worth it? Once I got that sorted out I had to find a shade.

There are unlimited shades of brunette. Am I Natural Golden Brown, Natural Auburn Brown, and exactly what is Natural Medium Neutral Brown? It sounds so "average." I decided to find a color by holding my hair against the picture on the box. That worked until I noticed the pictures on some of the Medium Spice boxes didn't match. I finally decided I wasn't ready for a commitment and bought a "glaze"(or semi-permanent color) that would only last about a week. After coloring, my hair was a kind of muddy reddish brown, so I wasn't thrilled with the results. I can't prove it, but I suspect someone switched the colors in the box.

After this debacle, I wanted information before another attempt at coloring. As you read this blog, you'll see there's lot of information to think about (types of dyes, how long they last, how much they change your color, benefits or drawbacks, coloring techniques, etc). We've all seen botched dye jobs, so you need to know this before thinking about hair color ideas.

Did you know permanent dye is the only way to completely change color or lighten hair? If you want to go lighter, cover grays or dye your hair purple, now you know you need a permanent dye. Once you know how things work, you can think about hair color ideas and techniques. I never knew about lowlights and then learned they're good for blending grays and great for brunettes!

As the saying goes - knowledge is power, so you can make informed decisions. Also, the more you know, the better chance of getting results you want whether you color at home or go to a professional. An even better solution - try hair colors on before you make any decisions.

Hopefully you'll find this information useful and avoid wasting an hour and a half of your life standing in a drug store perplexed by hair dye.

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Temporary Hair Color Ideas - For the Commitment-phobe

One of the easiest hair color ideas is temporary colors. These usually come in rinses, gels, mousses or sprays. They usually wash out in 2-3 shampoos, so there's even less of a commitment than with the semi-permanent colors.

The main reasons to use a temporary hair color are to restore hair to it's natural color if it's fading, neutralize a yellowish tinge in gray or white hair, tone down hair that's been over-highlighted so you don't have to do another chemical process or to boost your natural color. Results on gray or graying hair will be very subtle, so this is probably a good option if you have the few random gray hairs to disguise. Temporary color is not the way to go for big changes or to really cover/color gray.

The good thing is that you can really play with temporary colors. A lot of temporary colors come in sprays, gels and even hair mascara in some really funky colors. Some of them even work well on really dark hair. However, these products don't look remotely close to natural but are a lot of fun to play with!

The bad thing about temporary colors is they may not evenly cover your hair. They can also rub off on pillows or clothes and can also start to run if you get caught in the rain. (This happened to me in high-school when I was experimenting with blue hair. I ruined my favorite shirt, so that was the end of that.) Temporary color doesn't have much impact on dark hair but it can stain your natural color if you use it on light hair. The best bet is to stick to something close to your natural color if you use a temporary color.

If you're looking for temporary, fun hair color ideas, you'll find a lot of options in your local drug store. You can easily do these on your own and if you don't like it - just wash and rinse!

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Semi-Permanent Hair Color Ideas Are A Good Way to Test the Waters

If you're looking for hair color ideas that aren't as permanent or you're just starting to explore hair color ideas, semi-permanent may be for you. These are also knowns as "glazes." Most semi-permanent colors last 6-12 shampoos (depending on what type you use), so if you don't like it it will be gone in a few days. In addition, you won't have to deal with the root problem since the color will just fade away.

Semi-permanent color basically justs coats the hair shaft with color. Since semi-permanent color doesn't have to strip your hair to deposit color, it's less damaging than permanent color. However, since it doesn't remove the original color, you won't get a dramatic change if your hair is dark and you want to go lighter. (Remember - only permanent dye can lighten your hair or drastically change the color.) Semi-permanent colors don't use ammonia or peroxides, and those are the agents you need to lighten your hair.

If you want to deepen your natural color or add a layer of color to make it "pop," semi-permanent color will do that for you. I used a semi-permanent color for my first (and only) attempt to color my hair on my own. My hair was redder than I wanted, but I was impressed that it really did boost my natural color. I was also very glad that it was gone in about 2 weeks and I could go back to square one!

Semi-permanent also doesn't really cover gray hairs. What it does do is coat them with color so they blend with your hair and don't stand out as much. If you have only a few grays popping up, semi-permanent may work for you. As a rule of thumb, if a third of your hair (or less) is gray, you'll still get good results with a semi-permanent color. In fact, since the grays are lighter than your natural color, they may actually look like highlights once a color/glaze is added to them.

Semi-permanent is an easy and low risk dye process that you can do at home since it doesn't last long. There are still tips and information to help with the coloring and maintenance. You can also have a "glaze" done at a salon to add shine and pump up your color.

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