Do you ever go to a salon and think, “if a Colourist could tell me their best-kept hair colour secrets, what would they say?” You’re in luck. Our expert Colourists want you know their secrets, so we rounded up our top 10 most important tips and tricks for getting and maintaining brilliant hair colour, right at home. Lean in and listen up.

01 Know how much grey you have.

First things first: get to know your greys. Simply put, greys happen naturally over time as hair loses pigment or melanin. To figure out your amount of grey hair, start by looking at your roots and checking out how much you see. Has only a little gone grey? Most of it? Dig around and try different part lines—you may discover greys that you didn’t even know about. If you’re still unsure of how much you have, we suggest going the safe route by overestimating your amount of greys rather than underestimating them. That way, you help ensure that your Colourist will formulate 100% grey coverage for your roots and beyond.

02 Know how often to colour.

Everyone’s colour is slightly different, and depending on the vibrancy, grey coverage, and tone of your shade, you may need a colour refresh more often than you think. On average, hair grows about ½ an inch per month, and tends to grow quicker in the summer and slower in the winter. Our suggested colour cadence? Find a frequency you are comfortable with and stick to it. If you over-colour, you can cause damage. Under-colour, and risk dull hair with sprouting greys (we’ll pass, thanks). Speaking of greys, if more than half your hair has crossed over to the other side, you’ll most likely need to colour your hair at a rate of 6 weeks and under. Long story short: the more greys you have, the more frequently you’ll need to colour. We also recommend pigmented formulas like our Tint Rinse to help to maintain your colour in-between applications.

03 If you're not sure, do a strand test.

We get it—you want to jump in and get-ta-colouring! But strand tests are key to ensuring that you're getting your dream colour before committing to a full application. Simply take a strip of hair that isn’t super visible, mix and apply your colour as directed, and see how the final result looks. Is it everything and more? Needs extra warmth or brightness? Use your strand test to gauge your colour happiness. It takes some patience, but we promise it’s worth it. Watch how it’s done here.

04 Use a hair mask the day before you colour.

Pretreat your hair to a deep conditioning hair mask a day before you plan to colour. (We may be biased, but we think our Weekly Retreat hair mask is the best of the best). By conditioning before you colour, your hair’s cuticle will open up, helping your hair colour deposit more seamlessly while also retaining moisture. Trust us, your hair will thank you.

05 Unbox everything before you apply.

So your custom colour kit arrived and you can’t wait to dive right in (understandable). We say pump the breaks and make sure you unpack and layout everything in your kit first, that way your tools are super easy to grab once you’ve got your gloves on. Also be sure to read through your instructions before jumping straight to the fun. Remember: our instructions are personalised to you, and may change each time you apply or reformulate your shade. Take your time and take it in.

06 Select the right tools for you.

Tools and technique can make all the difference when it comes to the ease and evenness of your colour application. Typically, we prefer the “bowl and brush” technique, which involves mixing your colour into a bowl and using a brush to apply and press the formula into your hair. This technique is also super precise, so that you don’t miss a spot. For shorter hair, we do have to hand it to the “bottle technique,” which involves mixing your formula directly in your bottle and using the nozzle to apply colour. This method will make for a speedier application. Of course, you can always get the best of both worlds and do a combination of the two, using the bottle to apply colour directly to the roots and the brush to paint it in. Pick your technique and Color Tools, and become the pro we know you can be.

07 Carefully follow your personalised instructions.

This is hands down the most important tip. Think of your personalised instructions as your passport and your dream colour as your destination: you won’t land without it. We advise that you read through your instructions before you begin. Again, they’re made just for you! So making sure that you soak in the steps before you start will ensure that your colour is oh-my-goodness-who-did-your-hair good. Oh, and remember: after you apply your colour, make sure you process it for the full time indicated. Keep in mind that while your colour is processing, it might look different from the colour you’re expecting—don’t worry. This is totally normal and is your colour “oxidizing” (fancy, huh?), which basically means that Oxygen is helping your formula to make its magic. Trust in the process and know that beautiful colour awaits.

08 Water temperature matters.

Whether you like your shower sauna-status or waterfall brisk, the temperature matters when it comes to maintaining your hair colour. Even though brighter shades like red or violet tend to fade much quicker than other colours, all shades benefit from rinsing with cooler water over steamier temps, which will open the hair’s cuticle and cause faster fade. Our mantra? “Cold closes the cuticle causing consistently coveted colour” (say that 10-times fast). Pro tip: a quick blast of cold water before getting out of the shower can help maintain your hair colour and even adds a glossy shine.

09 Use colour protective formulas.

If you’re not careful, some products can strip away that gorgeous hue of yours. Protect your shade from fade with a shampoo and conditioner that’s safe for colour-treated hair. Any product that says “colour care” and “sulfate free” is a friend of your custom colour.

10 We’re committed to your Colour Happiness.

Honestly. If you’re not 100% overjoyed with your colour, we can always reformulate and tweak your tone to make sure that we get it juuust right. Your colour is entirely customised, and we can even reformulate to an adjustment as small as ¼ of a shade (not even joking). There’s no such thing as settling in our world: just custom colour, made especially for you.