How do I apply chunks of color in my dark hair?

Question

I have dark long hair and I want to add some color to it. I want to apply some chunck of burgundy color, hopefully it will match my skin color. Can some one tell me how can I apply them at home and if there is a website that will show me how. thanks.

Answer 1

well im not going to get the best answer :[ lol.

oh, you dont apply hair color in chunks!!

good luck!

Answer 2

I am a licensed Cosmetologist and there is alot of options with this. Of course, the best way is to see a Professional. But, if you can't and you want to try it at home, then it just depends on how obvious you want the new color to stand out. Depending on how dark your hair is, There is a lot of possibilities. Just remember that hair has both levels of color and tones of color. And you have to know what yours are exactly to closely or exactly determine the results you will get.
"Dark Long Hair" could mean alot of things to different people. I would talk to them at the beauty supply store and ask them to help you determine what level and tone you are before beginning. Don't just go to the supermarket and purchase color because alot of those aren't calibrated right and/or they could have their own version of what color they are. And/or they won't give you a chart to follow depending on your level and tone. So go to a beauty supply store where if nothing else they might have some color books with swatches in them. Compare these swatches to your own hair in the mirror. Find the one that is most closest to your own hair in darkness or lightness, this will be your color level. Approx. Then determine if it has warm, (red or gold) tones or if it has cool (blue or ash) tones. This will be what tone your hair is.
Now, it gets complicated. Once you have determined what level and tone you are. You have to also understand that the same color can react on different levels and tones differently, even though the color applied may be the same. For instance, if you apply a color that has alot of red in it on a person with ash tones and a person with red tones, the person with the red tones will have a brighter finished color than the person with the ash tones. Vise versa if you put an ash on a person with already ashy hair, they could end up with gray or even green hair.
So you can see the dilemma.
Then you also have to decide what color you want the end result to be. Most color lines with lift 2 maybe 3 levels. But that also depends on the condition of the hair, porosity, damage, old color (no matter how old it is), elasticity, lots of other factors. If you want it to show alot then you may even have to prelighten the peices that you want burgandy with bleach, keeping it separated from the other hair with foils, which is not easy to do yourself. Then you have to take those foils out, wipe each peice clean with water, add another clean foil and apply the color you want. All the while keeping that peice from touching any other parts of your hair. And not getting the bleach or color too thin or thick so that you don't have what's called "bleeding". This is when the color or bleach leaks out of the foil while processing, usually at the top of the foil near the scalp. This usually ends up with uneven lightening or coloring and you could end up with strips of orange or yellow going cross ways on your scalp or uneven color at the scalp in small stripes. Not to mention you will have to buy the color, and developer, foils, a color brush, a color bowl, gloves (color usually have Aniline Derivitives in them that cause allergic reactions and burns on the skin or scalp, gloves are a must), possibly some bleach if you need to prelighten, plenty of towels you don't mind ruining, and that's just for starters.
Personally,I think you should have a hair dresser do it the first time at least. Ask them questions about what they are doing, what level your hair is, what tone it is. What color they are putting on and why, also what level of developer, how long the processing time is for the roots versus the ends if any, etc.
Otherwise, you could end up with a real mess on your hands. If the color and developer, application method and timing are not determined correctly, you could end up with either hair color that just blends in with your own color or you could end up with even pink or purple hair. It's a crap shoot when you are guessing.
This is why you have to go to school to become a Cosmetologist. There is a lot of science that goes into it. That's why you shouldn't attempt this until you consult a professional and understand alittle bit more about it. It's a tricky business, with lots of possible hazzards.
Whatever you decide, just remember, it's cheaper to pay for it to be done the first time right, than to have it fixed. Once your hair requires a color correction it can and usually does cost at least double what it will cost just to have someone professional do it the first time. Good luck!!