Beauty Tips
By Jeri Guest Writer

Hello my beauties!!! Its me again, the Beauty School Dropout!! Joni is still on LOA, so I'm filling in again this month.

Since we talked about hair last month, lets take it a step further.....each of us is born with soft, silky, shiny hair. As we grow older, our hair loses those beautiful qualities...stress, diet, illness, environmental troublemakers....not to mention what we ourselves do to it (hummmph...are you still brushing that wet hair?????) But we all want beautiful hair, right?? And since we are never born with the exact color and texture we want, there are ways to change it to your liking, but don't go hog wild. Lets explore some of the different possibilities...

Hair color
Ok, so you want to color your hair. Gone are the days when women colored their hair in secret, worrying that people will think "Does she or doesn't she??". Todays hair colors are so much more hair health friendly; gone are the days of harsh ammonia and damaging chemicals. Today's versions are actually kinder to your hair. But there are things to consider before you buy a box of brilliant red or plantinum blonde...

First of all, you should consider your skin tone before choosing a color. Are you a warm skin tone, or cool skin tone?? Here's how to determine. In a strong light, hold a white piece of paper next to your inner wrist. Does your skin look pink or bluish pink?? If so, you have a cool skin tone. The best shade of color for you is ash. Ash shaded colors go best with cool tones without overpowering your delicate skin tone. Is your skin ivory or yellow toned next to the white paper?? If so you have warm skin tones. The best shades for you are golden shades. If having reddish tones is not your cup of tea, go with the neutral tones. This is also true for cool skin tones.

Now, having done that, you're ready to decide on your color. The rule of thumb is to select a color that is no more than 2 shades lighter or 2 shades darker than your natural color. If you are a medium blonde, please please PLEASE do not go to platinum!!! It looks completely unrealistic on you!!! If you must have lighter than light blonde hair, add it as highlights (more on this below). Same goes for being a lighter shade of anything and going complete black (hellloo...can you say Priscilla Presley???) Complete black does not look good on anyone except those who are born with it!! If you have red hair (and I do) and want to tone down the brassiness of the red, you can go with a golden blonde (making you a strawberry blonde) or golden brown (more auburn) But caution here applies too; only 2 shades from your natural color. My sister is an auburn haired but went completely blonde. UGH...no amount of teasing, advice, or threats work with her. She looks pale, wan, and her skin tone is totally off for the blonde she went. And the red eyebrows are a complete giveaway...but she never listens to me, so I give up.

Ok, you have chose your shade and color...what next?? Next, if you've never colored your hair before, you should do a patch test. This is to see if you have an allergic reaction to the chemicals used. Please do this...its better safe than sorry!!! I have never had a reaction, but if I change brands, or if I've developed new allergies, I will do the patch test. The instructions on how to do this are in your box of color.

So, you've done the test, no reaction, and you're ready to rock and roll. You wash and dry your hair and you're all ready, right??? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRT!! put on the brakes!!! Do NOT wash your hair just before coloring! You need to wait 24 hours after shampooing to allow your natural oils to redistribute along the hair shaft, which will protect your hair. Unless you used a ton of gel, mousse, or hair spray on your head, you wont' need to worry about washing it.

Now, lets get started...have a couple of towels, your box contents, and your reading glasses handy. You want to read through ALL of the directions before starting. Next, clip a towel around your shoulders and sit in an open space to begin (I have a tiny enclosed bathroom and the fumes can be very overpowering!) with a mirror in front of you. Mix your color as directed (make sure the tip of the bottle is open) and then begin (do you have your colorist gloves on???)

Start at the hairline at your forehead. Make a part to the back of your head using the tip of the bottle, squeezing the color out as you go. Don't rub in...just continue making close together parts with the color down to your ear. Do the same on the other side. Now with your fingertips, gently work the color through you hair, and not worrying about the ends...we'll get to that soon. Now, turn your head upside down, and work from the hairline at the nape up to where you ended when working on the top. Continue as you did. When you have it all covered, again work through with your fingers. Do NOT scrub onto your scalp...just work it in on the hair. Now, squeeze some in your hands and spread through the length of your hair. Continue until all the strands are covered. Pile your hair on top of your head and gently work color thorughout your hair. When everything is completely covered, start timing according to directions.

During this time, its a good idea to wipe any color remaining on your skin off. If you miss a spot, here is a top colorist trick. If you are a smoker, or have a smoker in the house, mix a bit of ashes with water to make a paste and rub on your skin. It takes all the color off!!! Makeup remover will work too, if the color hasn't had much time to dry. When timing is up, head for the sink!! Adding a couple of handfuls of warm water to you hair, work into a lather. Now rinse....rinse....are you still rinsing?? When the water from you hair runs clear, you have gotten all the color out. Make sure to rinse your temples and nape well too. Now squeeze as much water out of your hair and add some (but not all) of the conditioner that comes with your kit. Leave on for 2 min. Save the rest to use once a week to keep your color in good condition.

Wrap your newly colored hair in that thirsty towel and have a nice cup of coffee or tea!!! Now that your hair is colored and conditioned, when its been in the towel long enough to be damp, comb it out and style as usual.


If you perm your hair, wait 2 weeks before coloring. Do NOT color then perm...perm solution lightens your hair and can change your new color to something not found in a box!!!

Colored hair is of course more fragile, so do not brush this vision of loveliness when wet. Also do not rub it with a towel and be extra gentle with shampooing.

Use a conditioner for color treated hair...it helps keep the color longer.

To touch up the roots 6- 8 weeks later, apply only at the roots and leave on the entire time MINUS 5 minutes. Then 5 minutes before the time is up, work the rest in to the tips of your hair. This will refresh the color there too without making it darker.

If you have hair below shoulder length, do buy 2 boxes. One is just not enough.

Highlights: Use of highlights are great ways to add dimension to your hair. Do make use of a strand test first. That way you won't end up with white steaks (unless, of course, you want them!!) nor orangy streaks. The pull-through-the-cap kits are ok...a pain though. It takes forever to pull that amount of hair through with the crochet hook!! I like the hair color/highlights kits that come together. The main thing to remember is placement of the highlights. Look at your hair in sunlight with a mirror. See where the sun puts those lovely lighter shades??? Thats where you want to put yours. If you use the color/highlight kit, there is a mascara type brush in there with a pointed end. Don't do like I did once and brush the stuff through your hair; use the pointed end to lift up a small top amount, hold it with your hand, and then brush through the strands. Its ok to let go; the mixture is thick and usually doesn't affect the hair below. A few highlights are subtle; more are flashy. Its all up to you and how you want it.

Don't be afraid to do the coloring yourself. With a little care, thorough reading of directions, and good conditioning, your color can be more of what you want!! And not even your hairdresser will know for sure ;-)

Stay beautiful!
Jeri