COLOUR YOUR HAIR WITH CONFIDENCE

NORMALLY get your hair coloured professionally? Why not ask your stylist for advice. Chances are they’re desperate to get back to the salon and will be happy to chat through what you need.

That said, there are some types of colour that should be given a wide berth. ‘I would never recommend bleaching your hair at home,’ says colourist Jo Hansford MBE (johansford.com), who has worked with everyone from Nigella Lawson to the Duchess of Cornwall. ‘There’s a real danger of it breaking off. Similarly, don’t try highlights at home, but what you can do in both these cases is use a touch of dry shampoo at the roots — gently brush it through to blur the line between light and dark.’

For most people the biggest colour concern is

roots. Once your hairdresser has recommended a colour to buy, Jo suggests only worrying about the bits you can see.

‘I only do my parting and hair line. Use Vaseline around the hairline before you start so you don’t give yourself a werewolf-like line of darker hair. Then, starting from your parting, work from your hairline back to your crown. Repeat in parallel lines across the whole of your head.’ While you can use a brush to paint the colour on, beginners will find a nozzle bottle easier.

‘If you’ve got blonde hair that’s gone brassy or brown hair looking orange, a blue tinted shampoo (shampoo with a blue tint which removes red and orange tones) is a great option. Use it over a few shampoos and it will build up and neutralise the brassy or orange shades.’ And if all this seems daunting, temporary cosmetic cover-ups, like Color Wow Root Cover Up or Josh Wood Colour Blending Brush, pictured, are the safest and easiest options.

Kit: Batiste Dry Shampoo Original, £2.99, nationwide. The Miracle System, £29, joshwoodcolour.com. Joico Color Balance Blue Shampoo, £9.45, allbeauty.com. Applicator bottle, £1.60, ellisons.co.uk. Color Wow Root Cover Up, £28.50, colorwowhair.com.