Hair Color 101: Our Express Route To Safe, Stunning Summer Tones

It's official, folks — we've passed Memorial Day, the mercury is inching up, and the sun has been kissing your sleeveless shoulders for weeks now. Isn't it time your dark, winter tresses caught up with the changing seasons and flashed a little light? To kick off our Color Chameleon hair-care series, we've whipped up an easy and super-safe guide on how to bring a little summer heat to your locks that should last you well into September.

For a little summer brightness, we’re using John Frieda® Precision Foam Colour because it’s free of all the little dangers we’ve run across as hair DIY-ers — dripping, bunching, glopping, and so on. See, no matter how carefully you squirt liquid hair color on your head, it can still get out of control, ruining your tone and your towels. Foam, however, stays put, making it an invaluable plus.

As a matter of fact, the prep here is the hardest part — shampoo and wait 24 hours before beginning. Tough, right? Also, make sure you’re not allergic to the color by testing a drop on a bit of skin 48 hours in advance. Don’t wear hair accessories, use metal tools, or apply to recently treated or wet hair. Remember to wipe any hair color off your skin immediately.

Now, strap on a pair of pro-grade gloves and wrap yourself in towels, because we are ready to go!

Step 1: Empty the colorant into the bottle and make sure you put that cap back on extra-tight.

Step 2: Gently, slowly tip the bottle on its side five times. Note, you are not making Martinis, do not shake these delicate chemicals like vodka and ice.

Step 3: Place the easy dispenser top on your bottle and immediately get to using the foam — as good as this stuff is, it doesn't stay bubbly for long. Oh, and make sure you dispose of any mixture you didn't put in the bottle — you don't want that stuff lying around.

Step 4: To dispense the foam into your hand, just squeeze the middle of the bottle. No combs. No squirting mustard bottles full of wet, thick color onto your head. Just squeeze.

Step 5: Squeeze out about a tennis ball-sized amount of foam into your gloved hand. You are wearing gloves, right?

Step 6: Lightly apply the foam directly to the top of your head starting at the part moving downward. Just pretend you're using mousse in the '90s!

Step 7: Continue to apply those tennis balls of foam to the separate sections of your hair — at least five times for the front, three for the back — until you've covered everything — massaging all the while. By the way, the more foam you use, the better your color will turn out. If you're doing it right, you should look a bit like Mr. Frosty, a frothy cone of goodness.

Step 8: Flip through a magazine for 20 minutes (10 more if you're dealing with grays), then wash with lukewarm water until it rinses clear. Then massage in the conditioner, let it sit for five minutes, and rinse again. Boom! You're done.

To keep the color noticeable and boost your shine, add one of the John Frieda® Hair Care color-illuminating shampoo-and-conditioner combos — like the Brilliant Brunette ® Moisturizing pair — to your routine. After that, hit us up for some chic styling tips or cute braids, throw on a white dress, and get out there and flash your summer brights. Since clean up will take no time, you've got all afternoon to enjoy the sun and your perfect, safe, seasonal color.