Colour me free

The large window next to the bed allows the early morning sun rays shine onto your hair and that is when you notice the first sight of fading colour, lightening highlights from your roots and the big question pops into your mind - should you maintain the hair colour or make an all at once rapid transition for the coming season?

A hair makeover, especially one like colouring your hair, depends largely on seasonal changes. Hair colour is largely affected by rising humidity index and increased sun exposure. The extent of the change itself depends on individual hair quality such as porosity and texture. 

Those with a golden hint of colour in their hair will notice the most prominent changes as their hair starts to grow paler. On most occasions, colour shifts are not too pleasing to the eye and that is why most people tend to colour their hair during spring or early summer.

Finding the right colour 

There is just so many things that can go wrong while choosing the right hair colour. Imagine the look of horror on your mother's face when you come home from the salon with neon pink highlights. Did an image pop into your mind? Well I lived through it and it's not fun, at all.

Most hair professionals find it really disturbing to see ladies opting for hair colour too far from their natural one. It's mostly recommended to lighten your hair colour during spring and summer, but that is no reason to colour it blonde if you are not comfortable with it. 

It is best to change within three light levels of hair's natural colour. The less drastically you lighten your hair, the less damage it is likely to do. 

On the other hand, darkening your hair colour must be subtle too. When darkening is too radical, it causes you skin tone to appear pale and makes the lines and wrinkles in your face more noticeable.

Chocolate brown

It is one of the safest and trendiest hair colours, and also a contrast with spring's bright shades and bold print fashion trends, making your hair look beautiful against all skin tones.

Sweet strawberry

Strawberry blonde is an all-time hot trend. Whilst it is one of the sweeping hair colour change, it will add colour to your skin and create a warm golden glow, especially if you are light skinned.

Sunny side up

Yet another version of blonde, sunny side up is done by adding highlights to frame the face and give a brighter look. Start with a golden base, and then slowly add golden blonde and baby blonde with each layer. Lastly, go slightly lighter on the ends.

Just like honey

For most of us with dusky skin tones, this is the most comfortable hair colour to begin with. It is not quite brown, nor quite blonde. Honey can have a lot of variations, but this season it is best to start from a warmer brunette at the roots and gradually add colour to the tips.

Red head

Red is a very bold colour but when the right shade is chosen, it accentuates the features of dusky complexions. Cherry red, auburn, and the likes are well suited for those who are dark skinned. 

Red is also one of those colours which need low maintenance. When it wears off, your natural hair colour is restored without much damage.

Auburn brown

This is yet another choice of hair colour for dusky complexions. It is a very subtle shade that accentuates the features of your face without drawing too much unnecessary attention to your hair.

Pink

Dark shade of pink and magenta are very attractive colours and are for those who opt for a wild and bold look. Combine your pink streaks with a touch of burgundy to create a sassy look.

For those who cherry-pick to dye their hair to extreme shade of the colour spectrum such as emerald green, royal blue or neon pink usually have an explanation behind it. Often it is the response of an impulsive decision in times of boredom and a need to see a change or an effort to cheer themselves during a tough time.

Where to go and what to use? 

Dhaka city is known for its mushrooming growth of salons and parlours but do not make the mistake of choosing a random salon for something as sensitive as colouring your hair.

Hair Bar Bangladesh located at DOHS Mohakhali has a reputation for being excellent in colouring your hair.

Although lying on the higher end of your budget, Prive' Salon & Spa Ltd at Gulshan 2 is also a well-known for providing good service when it comes to hair colour.

Other choices include Studio Salon, Instyle Salon and Banthai - all of which are reliable and great for hair colour and care. The cost of hair colouring is charged according to the length and colour of your natural hair. 

However, many of us still feel hesitant and prefer to do it yourselves at home. In that case, it's best to use brands that provide ammonia free colours. Your best choices include L'Oreal Paris. L'Oreal's excellence crème colour range is highly popular. Being ammonia free, the hair dye imparts excellent colour and conditions your hair without damaging the roots and scalp. 

Clairol is another available choice that gives healthy looking hair colour in no more than 10 minutes. Lastly, Garnier and Revlon are reputed brand names in the industry. With the availability of their wide hair colour range, they have become leading choices among consumers. 

Tips and Tricks to maintain hair colour

After finding the gorgeous hair colour that suits you perfectly, it is vital to remember few things to maintain lasting hair colour. 

Don't wash your hair too quickly. Avoid washing your hair for 48 hours after your colour service despite how strong your post colouring smell may get. Protect your hair from the sun exposure by applying products with UV filters. Use sulphate free shampoos for colour treated hair. Do not use hair styling products containing alcohol. Make sure to colour correct by washing your hair with clarifying shampoo every other week.

The age old tale about blondes and red heads is so overrated. Nonetheless, we often do tend to form our opinions and judgements of people sporting a certain hair colour based on these impressions. 

No matter what, the most important thing that you should consider is whether the colour of your hair matches your persona and sense of style. Unless they complement each other, you might just end up with a look that has no reflection of your inner being. Avoid a fashion faux pas, be true to yourself.

By Mayesha Raidah 

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed