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Five home hair colour myths busted

Take radiant hair inspiration from Christina Hendricks Photo:iStock

Here’s the thing about colouring your hair at home: if it’s done right- and by right we mean a natural-looking colour that covers all your greys- then it can be your little secret for hair that helps you look and feel forever young.

More than 30 per cent of all Australian women choose DIY for their hair colour, which means that someone you know is probably doing it right now. But, like driving a car or cooking a soufflé, colouring your own hair for the first time can be a daunting prospect.

While we can’t help on the roads or in the kitchen, we can put to rest some of the more persistent myths around home colour jobs. The bottom line: it’s much easier than you might think!

Myth 1: It will look unnatural
Like many good myths, this one actually begins from a kernel of truth. After all, if you trade your light-brown locks for deepest, boldest burgundy, no one is going to believe that Mother Nature played a part in the transition.

The trick to getting it right? “Never steer too far from your natural colour,” says Aleks Abadia, founder of Esstudio Gelleria in Sydney. He recommends going no more than two shades lighter or darker than your natural hair colour. Stuck on what your natural hair colour actually is? Try using the shade guide on the side of each Clairol Nice 'N Easy packet to pinpoint your current hue– as well as discover where it’s likely to end up.

Myth 2: Finding the right shade is too difficult
In the old days of home hair colour (we’re talking the 1990s), you were lucky to find ten shades in a range. Fast-forward to today and Nice 'N Easy offers 42 natural-looking shades. This makes it easier to find your match but also opens up a lot of other choices.

Sticking to the two-shades-from-nature rule helps to instantly rein in your options. Another trick: if you’re unsure, look for an ashier shade, recommends Abadia. This will help to counteract the reddish undertones that many of us have in our natural strands.

Envious of Diane Kruger's buttery blonde hue? Photo: Getty Images

Myth 3: It’s too time-consuming
Funnily enough, more women are opting to colour their hair at home because it actually saves them time. After application, colour should be left on for 25 minutes (or up to 45 minutes if you have stubborn greys to cover), so you can let the colour develop while watching another episode of The Real Housewives. Too easy!

The precision tip on the Nice 'N Easy applicator bottle also makes it faster to target greys around the hairline and easier to work the colour from the roots right through to the ends.

Myth 4: Colour will look uneven
When the goal is natural-looking hair colour that’s free from greys, an uneven or patchy result is the last thing you want, hence the importance of choosing a shade that's no more than two shades lighter or darker.

Conversely, flat, all-over colour can be just as undesirable as a patchy result, especially when you consider how hair naturally has a mix of tones that catch the light in subtly different ways. To help mimic that natural, yet radiant finish, each Clairol Nice 'N Easy shade blends at least three different tones so your colour won’t fall flat. Formulated with Colour-Blend Technology, Clairol Nice 'N Easy offers the solution for hair colour that actually brings out highlights and lowlights in hair naturally.

Myth 5: It fades too quickly
Good hair colour should never be a washout! A quality permanent colour should hold its lustre and cover any pesky greys for up to eight weeks.

To keep colour locked into place even weeks after you’ve finished colouring, continue to use the ColourSeal Conditioning Gloss that’s included in each Nice 'N Easy pack.

Discover your next natural hair shade at: www.clairol.com.au