Haircolor is one of the quickest and easiest ways to take ten years off your looks. Having your hair professionally color treated in a salon is the beauty equivalent to having your clothing custom made... only much more affordable! Choosing the best type of hair color for your hair depends on several factors: whether you want to blend or cover your gray, the condition of your hair and and how much maintenance you’re willing to do. Discuss these options with your haircolor expert, but here’s a quick guide for reference.

• Semi-permanent hair color is ideal for trying out a new color shade, and only lasts through four or five shampoos. Used straight from the bottle, it contains no ammonia or peroxide, so it is mild enough to be used on fragile, permed or relaxed hair. It blends or covers gray (if hair is less than 25% gray); adds richness to natural hair color; gives highlights and shine, but does not lighten hair color.
• Demi-permanent hair color, or long-lasting semi-permanent hair color deposits color but cannot lighten hair color. Demi-permanent uses a dedicated developer that allows color to penetrate the hair shaft and lasts up to 25 shampoos. Demi-permanent color produces natural-looking results and blends up to 75% gray. Shades that are two or more levels lighter than your natural hair color create natural-looking highlights when used on gray hair.
• Permanent hair color penetrates the hair shaft, giving hair new, permanent color that gradually grows out. Ideal for 100% gray coverage and for dramatically changing hair color, permanent hair color may be a single process, in which new, darker color is applied to the natural color; or double process, in which the natural color is pre-lightened before new color is applied. At the salon, your colorist may use a single shade overall or may use varied shades or highlights for a more natural look.
• Beautiful salon hair color is worth every penny, and most women who pay for expert color also want to do everything possible can to keep it looking like the day they stepped out of the salon. It’s always best to use color-treated hair care and color-treated styling products because they are specially formulated to protect hair color from fading and discoloring, while adding the extra moisturzing that color-treated hair requires. Also, because sulfates can dry, strip, and damage hair color, sulfate-free shampoos offer extra longevity.