It's always best to have the salon pros touch your hair when it's comes to dye jobs, especially for something complicated, like a balayage. But when you're just starting to experiment with colors or if you don't want to spend too much on something you don't really need, get creative and find ways to have a nice, colored 'do without burning a hole in the pocket.
1. Go for a solid color.
Using a store-bought hair dye? Go basic with one solid color that's not too far from your natural shade. Also, before anything else, DIY hair color is risky. You need to do an allergy test first on a small area of your skin to avoid flare-ups. Plus, there is a risk that the result is patchy—to override this problem, use a foam hair dye so you can just apply it like shampoo. Oh, and ALWAYS follow and read the instructions on the box.
TRY: Liese Creamy Bubble Hair Color in Marshmallow Brown, P449, at department stores and BeautyMNL
2. Try going organic.
The number one culprit of color fading are sulfates. This ingredient that is found in almost all shampoos strips out the color and and dehydrates the strands. Most sulfate-free shampoos in the market can get quite pricey. This organic find, though, is free from harsh chemicals, and can pamper your dyed tresses, too!
TRY: Human Nature Professional Salon Care Shampoo, P199.75, at department stores
3. Use a smart conditioner.
Sure, the salon-only available masks and conditioners do a divine job in preserving the brilliance, strength, and softness of colored hair. But this affordable and widely available find can rival them: its color-protecting and moisturizing formula is backed by hardrcore experiments and science.
TRY: Pantene Total Damage Care 3-Minute Miracle Conditioner, P159, at department stores
