When I started colouring my hair a couple of years ago, friends warned me that, once I'd started, not only would I be unable to stop, but, like all good addictions, I'd need a bigger hit each time. "I just like a bit of colour to give it some depth," or "I'll always keep it natural looking", I'd reply, smugly eyeing their roots. Which goes to show what I know, seeing as I'm writing this with what can only be described as blonde streaks in my "natural" afro. Yes, blonde, as in white stilettos (got them, too) and having more fun. Not just blonde, mind - there's a touch of caramel in there as well, and some chocolate brown, in among the brown/black that is my natural colour. Um, not unlike a lion, then.
I came to colour so late because it's tricky enough finding a hairdresser who can style afro hair, never mind one I'd trust enough to let them loose with the dye. At least a bad cut grows out; bad colour looks bad a lot longer, and it cuts a swathe through your self-esteem, too. I've also always believed that colouring damages the hair considerably, though I've now learned that this is something of a myth. "When you go from extreme colour, say from dark to light, it really dries the hair, but if you look after it with treatments, it will be OK," says Katherine Milligan, senior colour technician at Errol Douglas, and a guardian angel, as far as I'm concerned, for giving me fab hair and single-handedly restoring my faith in the profession. "But people forget that, and they go home and don't use the right shampoos or conditioners."
It's more important to use a colour shampoo than a colour conditioner, says Milligan, as they contain less detergent than other shampoos, so don't strip away natural hair oils or the new colour. Colour conditioners have better moisture agents than regular conditioners, but as long as your conditioner is moisturising, it doesn't have to be a specific one. In terms of which colours to pick for the autumn, pretty much anything goes, the bolder the better, as long as there's plenty of contrast. Just remember that it's a slippery slope. I'll meet you at the bottom.
