How to Skip the Salon and Freshen Up Your Hair Color at Home
Looking to revitalize your hair color without burning a hole in your wallet? Check out these beautiful styles for inspiration. We sent five Woman’s World readers to New York City’s Nunzio Saviano Salon for a hair color seasonal refresh. Here are a few easy tricks to achieve the same results — at home!
Brighten up dirty grays.
The best way to ensure silver strands appear modern and not matronly? A “soap cap” technique. “It gently lifts dulling and dingy pigments for more vibrant color in an instant,” says Bruno Lepine, who illuminated Marguerite Guglielmo’s salt and pepper locks.
GET THE LOOK: Mix 1 ⁄4 cup each of powder bleach, developer (both can be found at Sally Beauty) and shampoo. Apply all over damp hair; rinse after 10 minutes.
Volumize brunette hair.
Infusing one-dimensional color with soft highlights gives hair oomph, says Marc Daniels, who added dazzling dimension to Ariel Yamus’ tresses. Bonus: The lighter streaks create the illusion of shiny, lustrous locks.
GET THE LOOK: Apply the bleach from a highlighting kit like Garnier Nutrisse Balayage Kit in Icing Swirl BY1 (Buy at Walmart, $7.97) onto various 1/4 inch sections of hair throughout throughout the head using a clean lie brush (it allows for precise highlight placement). Let sit 30 minutes, then rinse.
Rejuvenate brassy blonde tresses.
The combination of paper-thin, cool-toned highlights and a brass-neutralizing toner used post-bleaching eliminates that aging tinge to provide youthful brilliance to blond hair, says Felicia Dosso, who brightened up Deborah Mallow’s hue. “The icy color also helps skin look luminous!”
GET THE LOOK: Grab a kit that comes with both bleach and toner, like Madison Reed Light Works Balayage Highlighting Kit in Sorrento Cool Vanilla (Buy on Ulta, $45). Paint bleach onto 1/2 inch sections of hair with a clean toothbrush. Let sit for 30 minutes and rinse. Then, apply toner all over damp hair and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing.
Beautifully blend incoming silvers.
Embracing those grays? A platinum hue applied one inch away from the roots helps them blend in as they begin to grow out, says Donna Izzo, who strategically diffused the lines of demarcation in Jill Gatcombe’s incoming grays. Plus, the lighter hue brightens up the complexion.
GET THE LOOK: Brush the bleach from a kit like Clairol Born Blonde (Buy on Ulta, $11.99) onto one inch sections of hair, starting one inch away from roots. Let sit for 45 minutes, then rinse. Finally, use the kit’s conditioner to cancel out any brassy tones.
Enliven inky locks.
Using semi-permanent dye that’s two shades lighter than hair’s natural color will deposit a sheer wash of soft color. That should restore movement to a harsh hue, says Lepine, who gave life to Ginger King’s flat black locks.
GET THE LOOK: First, “strip” old color with a remover, like Color Oops Hair Color Remover (Buy at CVS, $17.49). Next, apply a semi-permanent gloss, like dpHUE Gloss+ in Dark Brown (Buy on Sephora, $35) all over damp hair. Rinse after 20 minutes.
A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.
