How to Color a Long Hair System

At some point during your tenure as a hair wearer, you're likely to have to color a hair system. Oxidization is inevitable. There's tons of information online (including on our own site) about how to color a hair unit, but a lot of the information does not take long hair into consideration.

When coloring a system with long hair (or even a larger base size), it is harder to get aneven result from the color. It is also harder to keep the color off of the base of the unit! So with all of the information out there telling you how to color system with short hair,what are you supposed to do if you do not fall into that category? A lot of the instructions are the same, but a question in our Community inspired me to provide some additional tips and tricks for coloring a system with long hair!

[For the record, the crazy red color used in these photos is just for contrast, so you can clearly see the color and where it is applied.]

Special considerations for mixing and processing

Regardless of the hair length, color for a hair system must be processed and mixed a little bit differently than if it was being applied to your growing hair. In house, we use Wella Color Charm on systems that need to be colored. You can find instructions about how to actually mix the color in the learn section of the website. As mentioned on that page, the color is also only processed for a few minutes, unlike the 30 minutes that you would leave it on your growing hair.

Please note that we do not follow the instructions on the color box since it needs to be diluted and mixed with different proportions than recommended for growing hair. This is because the cuticle (or outer layer of the hair shaft) has been removed, causing it to absorb color much faster.

So first things first: make sure you mix the color properly for a processed hair system and make sure you don't leave on your system too long.

Work in small sections

Since the color processes so quickly, I recommend working in small sections. If you are trying to evenly apply color to a full cap unit that has long hair, you may run into some problems getting the color on quickly enough so that it is an even color after it processes for 3 minutes. If it takes 10 minutes to get the color on, the area where you started applying the color is going to be pretty dark by the time you rinse it off. I recommend splitting the hair into smaller sections. 

How to do it:

• Make sure the hair is dry.
• Start at the back of the unit. Apply the color, process it, rinse it out.
• Dry any hair around it that got wet in the process.
• Follow the same steps on the sides, then the top, and do the front last.

It can be time consuming, but as you are getting more comfortable applying the color and increasing your speed in doing so, it can help you achieve a more even hair color throughout the unit. Just be sure to clip the hair that you are not coloring out of the way, so that you can clearly see what you are doing and have better control over it.

Back to front

If you're working in larger sections, it is always best to start in the back of the unit and move forward.  Most people's growing hair is darker in the back, and it just looks natural to have a little bit of a lighter color framing your face. If you start in the back, apply the color in the front of the unit last, and then let it process for an even amount of time, the front of the unit will be slightly lighter than the rest, and the darkest color will be in the back. 

How to apply the color

When mixing the color as instructed and then diluting it, the color is bound to be a bit runny and thinner than what you may be used to working with. This can make it more difficult to actually apply and keep off of the base. I recommend using a hair color brush and parting the hair in very thin sections (within the smaller section that you are working with) to actually apply the color. Make sure that you do not have too much color on the brush so that you are able to control the amount of color being applied to the hair, which will help prevent it from running it down onto the base.

Tip: When applying color to a system, use a fine tooth comb. Comb the color through a small section of hair. This allows you to really control how much color you apply to the hair, but also helps you move faster and ensures the hair is evenly saturated.

What if it's too dark?

If the color ever gets a little bit darker than anticipated, don't panic! Just wash the hair as soon as possible with a good clarifying shampoo, and it will help lighten the color. You may have to do it a few times. Of course, it will also fade over time. Until you determine exactly what color is the perfect match for your system, you may want to err on the side of caution and pick a color that looks a few shades lighter than what you are aiming for. It is much easier to color a system again to get it darker, than wait for it to fade.  If you are shooting for a huge change and you are not comfortable doing it on your own, just send the system to us and we will take care of it for you!  

Everyone has different methods for applying color, but hopefully these suggestions will help make it a little bit easier for you. If there is something that works well for you, please share it below! I am always looking for new techniques to try!

via:http://www.hairdirect.com/community/blogs/hdblog/archive/2014/02/18/how-to-color-a-long-hair-system.aspx