by Pandora Hall

Created on: November 03, 2009

If you are bored with your current hair style and want to try something different, then maybe temporary color hair streaks are right for you. At home hair coloring can be simple and will save you lots of money by keeping you away from the over-priced beauty shops.

Choose a color that is complimentary to your current hair color, also consider other factors like the shade of your skin and your eye color. Light skin tones go with almost any color, while those with a darker or olive skin tone should stay away from reds and blonds and use a darker color like black or shades of brown. Lighter color highlights can always be applied to give a more personalized look.

If you have dark hair and want to streak your hair with a lighter color, you must lighten or bleach your hair first. For best results wait at least 24 hours before you apply any type of hair color. A friend of mine going through beauty school told me that the hair molecules stay open after the hair is bleached. This can be good for getting the new hair color into your hair, but it is likely that almost all of it will wash out as soon as you rinse your hair. This is especially true when you want a bright or vibrant hair color.

A handy item for putting streaks in your hair is the streaking cap. They are plastic caps with evenly spaced holes already pre-made that tie beneath the chin. Instead of parting and sectioning off your hair, you simply put all of your hair up into the cap and with the plastic hook that comes in the package you pull even amounts of hair through each hole. To get a more subtle look use every other hole, which on most caps is outlined in a circle. Make sure that all of the hair is pulled through the cap to the root, or as close to the root as you can get it. You don't want to end up with dye in only the bottom half of your streaks.

Another method of putting streaks into your hair is the foil method. Instead of using a cap that covers your head small pieces of aluminum foil are wrapped tightly around each stripe independently. The foil is placed onto the freshly colored hair covering as close to the roots as possible. Make sure that the ends are pinched tight; you can even wrap a second layer of aluminum foil around the strands to make sure that no hair dye escapes.

Save yourself lots of money for Christmas gifts this Fall and Winter by staying out of the salon and doing it yourself at home.

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