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Ever wish your hair could have that fresh-from-the-salon look all the time? Same. If you can’t make it to the chair as often as you’d like, the best at-home hair color treatments—whether you’re touching up grays, applying permanent color, or going big with bleach—can help.
With the right products and some advice from a professional hairstylist, you can refresh your look or try something new from the comfort of your own bathroom. Dive into our favorite permanent and semipermanent options below (and get ready for tons of compliments).
Our top picks
- Overtone Coloring Conditioner, $32
- Clairol Professional Beautiful Collection Advanced Gray Solutions, $9
- Kristin Ess Hair Gloss, $15
- Wella Colorcharm Demi Permanent Hair Color, $10 and Wella Colorcharm 10 Volume Cream Developer, $5
- L’Oreal Paris Excellence Creme Permanent Hair Color, $19
- Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Color Crème, $8
- Rita Hazan Root Concealer Spray, $18
- Artic Fox Bleach Please Hair Lightening Kit Cream Bleach, $24
- Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector, $30
Shop the best at-home hair color products
Dying to switch things up? Here are the best tools for the job.
Best semipermanent color
Overtone
Coloring Conditioner
Clairol
Beautiful Collection Advanced Gray Solutions
If you want to hard launch a new ’do without making a major commitment, a semipermanent dye is your best bet. “[It] doesn’t use developer and only coats the outside of the hair shaft,” Jennifer Korab, a hairstylist based in New Jersey, tells SELF. “It typically lasts 4 to 10 shampoos and is great for subtle color changes or refreshing faded tones.”
If you’ve never colored your own hair before, Korab recommends Clairol’s Advanced Gray Solutions because it’s ammonia-free and very gentle. Overtone’s Coloring Conditioner is another great option for more vibrant shades—it comes in several brights, like pink and teal. “It’s perfect for fun colors or even subtle toning,” Korab says. “Just apply it to dry or damp hair, leave on for 10 to 15 minutes, and rinse.” Bonus: It deeply nourishes hair with a variety of oils and butters.
SELF’s senior commerce writer, Sarah Felbin, also swears by Kristin Ess’s Hair Gloss. You can use it as a treatment in the shower to tone your color and add shine. “It only takes a few minutes, and the color payoff is great,” she says. “I’m a brunette, but the Copper Penny version helped me go auburn for a few weeks without bleach. And I love that it didn’t make a mess in my bathroom—it left my white bathtub looking pristine.”
Best demi-permanent color
Wella
Colorcharm Demi Permanent Hair Color
Wella
Colorcharm Cream Hair Color Developers
Demi-permanent color needs to be used with a low-volume developer, which “allows the color to penetrate just beneath the surface of the hair” instead of sitting on the surface, Korab says. “It lasts around 20 to 28 shampoos and is great for toning, blending grays, or adding richness.”
Wella’s Colorcharm Demi Permanent Hair Color is her go-to for all three. Her instructions: Mix the color with Wella’s Colorcharm 10 Volume Cream Developer and apply to towel-dried hair. Allow it to process for 20 minutes, then rinse it out thoroughly (and admire your new hue).
Best permanent color
L’Oreal Paris
Excellence Creme Permanent Hair Color
Garnier
Nutrisse Nourishing Color Crème
Permanent dye chemically lifts your natural pigment while depositing new color into the hair shaft—and it won’t wash out, Korab says. So instead of coloring your whole head routinely, you’ll just need to touch up your roots as they grow out every four to six weeks (more on this below).
LzOreal Paris’s Excellence Creme is easy to apply and covers grays really well, according to Korab. Plus it comes with a pretreatment serum that protects your ends from damage.
If you don’t have grays, try Garnier’s Nutrisse Nourishing Color Crème. “Formulated with avocado oil, this is a good choice for full-head coloring with rich tones and added moisture,” Korab says.
Best root touch-ups
L’Oreal Paris
Magic Root Cover Up
Rita Hazan
Root Concealer Spray
Just looking to touch up your roots—gray or otherwise? You have a few options. If you’re already using a permanent dye and want to match your roots to it as they grow out, try Clairol’s Root Touch-Up. It’s permanent, so you don’t have to worry about it washing out, and it comes with a brush that makes it easier to precisely place the color.
For a temporary solution, reach for L’Oreal Paris’s Magic Root Cover Up or Rita Hazan’s Root Concealer Spray. These tinted sprays provide a quick hit of color that shampoos out. “Both products are easy to use, fast-drying, and great for quick fixes between coloring sessions,” Korab says. Finding the right color match is key—good thing both come in a range of shades.
Best bleach
Arctic Fox
Bleach Please Hair Lightening Kit Cream Bleach
Olaplex
No. 3 Hair Perfector
While it’s a little risky, Korab says you can bleach your hair at home. The process is easiest if you have light-colored or virgin hair (meaning you’ve never chemically altered it by using a dye or texture treatment before). “If your hair is dark, previously colored, or damaged, consult a professional first,” she suggests.
Ready to go for it? Korab recommends picking up Arctic Fox’s Bleach Please Hair Lightening Kit, which lifts up to eight levels—meaning it can take your hair from medium brown to light blond, for example. “It includes everything you need in the package and has a violet base, which will help tone out brass as it’s lifting,” she says. A few of her pro tips to keep in mind: “Always work in sections, avoid overlapping on previously lightened areas, and monitor closely every 5 to 10 minutes.”
Post-bleaching, Korab recommends using Olaplex’s No. 3 Hair Perfector. It’s designed to repair broken hair bonds using bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, a chemical compound patented by Olaplex, and moisturize your strands with glycerin, aloe vera, panthenol, jojoba seed oil, and vitamin E.
How we chose the best at-home hair color products
The SELF team has tested dozens of hair products as part of our Healthy Beauty Awards. But for this story, we wanted insight from a professional who’s been around the block (and seen some DIY hair disasters). Korab shared her expert advice with us about how to do your own color at home quickly and easily. Our final list of tried-and-true products comes with her stamp of approval.
Frequently asked questions about at-home hair color
Which at-home hair color lasts the longest?
Permanent dye—it might fade over time, but it never fully washes out. Just remember that you’ll need to touch up your roots every four to six weeks if you want them to match.
Looking for dye that’ll wash out? Demi-permanent is the next longest-lasting option. It takes 20 to 28 shampoos to fade, according to Korab.
Should you bleach your hair at home?
You can—but, as Korab says, it’ll be a smoother process if you have light-colored or virgin hair. Darker or processed hair might be resistant to lifting. In that case, it’s a good idea to visit a stylist, who can monitor your hair’s progress during the bleaching process and get you to your desired result safely (while causing minimal dryness and breakage).
Related:
- The Best Conditioners for Thinning Hair That’ll Make Your Strands Stronger
- 8 Excellent Scalp Serums for Acne, Dandruff, Dryness, and More
- 6 Scalp-Friendly Shampoo Bars That’ll Leave Your Hair Feeling Squeaky Clean
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