For best results, follow our hair colour advice

Colouring your hair is a great way to appear instantly younger and update your look

First-time must-dos

Read the product instructions carefully from beginning to end.

Do an allergy test. A small percentage of people are allergic to hair colour. Even if you've coloured before, you can unexpectedly develop an allergy. So always do an allergy test 48 hours before each colour application.

How to test

Mix a small amount of the hair colour according to the package instructions for "Allergy Test". Then apply a small patch of hair colour with a cotton swab or ball to the inside of your elbow or behind your ear. Leave uncovered and do not wash off for 48 hours. Use the remaining mixture for your strand test.

Results: If no redness or irritation appears after 48 hours, go ahead with your hair colour application. If there's any redness, burning, or itching, you may be allergic and must not use the product.

Also, please remember that the absence of a reaction in this instance does not guarantee that you will not have a reaction in a future colouring process.

If you have any questions regarding an allergic reaction, call a Clairol personal consultant on 1800 226 524 (Aus) or 0800 800 044 (NZ)

Take a strand test to preview the colour you'll get. Because the finished colour is a combination of your hair's current colour and the hair colour you add, a strand test helps you know how much time it takes to get the colour you want and whether your chosen shade gives the desired result. Follow the instructions inside your box of hair colour.

Time to Colour

Get ready. Read the instructions. Gather together everything you need.

Colour. Follow the instructions. Use enough colour. If your hair is below shoulder length, or very thick, you may need two boxes or more of colour to fully saturate your hair. Remember that the ends of long hair tend to absorb more colour (or any other liquid), so you may need less time for your ends. Put colour on the ends last. Apply the hair colour as quickly as you can without rushing.

Finish up. Discard any unused hair colour already mixed with developer. It will lose its effectiveness after one hour.

Time to re-colour

Your hair looks its best when the colour is fresh. But with weekly use of Nice 'n Easy ColourSeal you can maintain that freshly coloured look and feel for up to 6 weeks. In between colour treatments, use Nice 'n Easy Root Touch-Up to maintain all-over hair colour. At the 6 week mark, it's time to re-colour.

Re-colour technique

Step 1: Part your hair into four sections: left back, right back, left front, right front. Use a clip to hold each section in place.

Step 2: Mix the hair colour according to the package directions. Make sure to put on your gloves.

Step 3: Touch the nozzle to your scalp and squeeze the hair colour onto the roots using small partings on each section. If you need to, use your fingers to spread the colour across the roots. Continue applying the colour section by section until all of your roots have been coloured. Set aside the remainder of the hair colour to use for the rest of your hair in Step 5.

Step 4: Now wait for your colour to develop on your roots. Leaving it until five minutes short of your usual timing.

Step 5: Apply the remaining hair colour to the rest of your hair for the last five minutes of processing only. This colour will freshen the colour on your ends and give you beautiful, consistent colour. Follow the package instructions for rinsing and conditioning. Note: If your hair has lost a lot of colour from the previous application, take the colour through the rest of the hair for the final 10 minutes of your development time.

Fix uneven hair colour

If after colouring the result looks darker on the mid-lengths and ends than it looks at the roots, you're over-colouring the already-coloured hair. For your next application you need to do a re-touch application, not an all-over-the-head application. Next time roots appear, colour the roots only. Don't apply hair colour to the rest of your hair. Soon your colour will look more consistent.

Hints and Tips

  • Always do your allergy test 48 hours prior to application.
  • A strand test lets you preview the colour before you colour your whole head.
  • Wear old clothes and cover furnishings or fabrics.
  • Put a little moisturising cream or Vaseline around your hairline to keep colour off skin.
  • Rub talcum powder on your hands so gloves slide on and off easier.
  • Use a timer, so colour timing is accurate.
  • Start timing immediately after completing your hair colour application, not before.
  • Don't throw away the gloves. You'll need them to check colour or, when retouching, to work colour through the rest of your hair.