Beauty Boss: Take care... but home hair colouring can be crowning glory

You can still achieve colourful statement hair at home

We’ve all had mixed results from experimenting with home dye kits – the good, the bad and the ugly.

And during lockdown, many of us will be tempted to once again reach from a bottle of over-the-counter colour. But before you breakout the bleach, Stuart Whitelaw, founder of Glasgow salon Mesart Hair, shares his tips for keeping your dyed ’do turning into a don’t.

Dye-IY disaster

According to Stuart, home hair dye could be a solution for some, but it may turn into a costly temporary fix.

He explained: “Although I can’t say everyone’s attempts would be a disaster, I’m quite sure it would be for a large majority. Pigment in a lot of home hair dye kits is very difficult for hairdressers to remove in the salon, often with many visits required to remove or correct the colour – which can be a very expensive job!”

Getting to the root

“If you’ve made up your mind on dyeing your hair at home, here’s how,” said Stuart.

“Part your hair as usual. From there, only colour the root areas you can see, which will minimise the risk of anything going wrong. When you apply the dye, do not overlap on to your existing colour!

“Drop your hairstylist a message, ask for advice on which shade will work best.”

Blonde to brown?

Blonde highlights can be hard to maintain without regular trips to your stylist, but Stuart advises not to simply go back to your brunette roots as a back-up plan.

He said: “Unless you’re thinking of going to the dark side, with no plans to return for a very long time, don’t cover your blonde hair.

“Embrace the roots and try different ideas to take attention away from them, such as twisting a colourful patterned scarf through your hair.

“Rooted blondes are a trend now, so it’s definitely nothing to worry about – just own it!

Cover and conceal

Stuart advised: “Colour Wow’s Root Cover Up (£28.50) is a favourite product for covering roots. Opt for a shade darker than you are normally to get the best coverage.

“L’Oreal’s Magic Retouch (£8.99) spray is slightly messier to use but available in supermarkets, so you can grab a can while doing an essential shop.”