Stupid Questions (there's no such thing): Hair colour

Wash it a day or two before, so your hair is clean but not squeaky clean on the day. A little natural oil helps protect your scalp, especially when lightening, and any product buildup is gone so the colour takes evenly. If your hair gets oily quickly, washing the day before works well. If it's normal or dry, around two days before is ideal. Keep styling products to a minimum on the day. Some services, like a gloss or toner, are done on freshly washed hair, so your colourist will tell you if your appointment is one of those.

Sadly not. Colour can't lift colour, so putting a lighter permanent shade over hair that's already dyed dark won't make it lighter. It usually adds a little warmth or leaves it looking much the same. To go lighter, the old colour needs lifting first, with lightener or a colour remover, and then toning to the shade you want. Semi permanent colours fade more easily, so they can sometimes be lifted more gently. A colourist can look at your hair's history and plan the kindest route to the shade you're after.

Not at all. Plenty of people colour at home and love the result. A box offers one formula for everyone, which suits simple, all over colour close to your natural shade. What a professional adds is the personal touch. They look at your hair's condition, its history and your skin tone, then mix a formula and choose a developer strength just for you. They can place colour where it flatters most, protect your hair with a bond builder when lightening, and tone it to the exact shade you pictured. If you've used box colour before, simply tell your colourist so they can plan around it.

Orange is completely normal. Darker hair holds natural warm pigments, and as lightener works it lifts through red, orange, then yellow before reaching pale blonde. If it stops partway, you see orange. Purple shampoo is made to cancel yellow, so it won't do much for true orange. Blue shampoo is the one that calms orange tones between appointments. For a bigger change, your hair usually needs a little more lightening and a toner. A colourist can do this gently, often with a bond builder to keep your hair strong.

No, plucking a grey hair won't make more grow back. Each hair grows from its own follicle, so pulling one out doesn't affect its neighbours. What usually grows back from that follicle is another single grey hair. It just feels like more appear because greys tend to come through in little clusters, and once you spot one you notice the rest. Regular plucking can irritate and weaken the follicle over time, and it may eventually stop growing hair altogether. Snipping close to the root, or blending greys with colour, keeps every hair happy.

Stress can play a part, and sometimes hair can regain its colour, though not always. Research has found a link between stress and greying, and in some people a few grey hairs darkened again once the stress eased. This seems to happen mainly with hairs that had only just turned and were close to the tipping point anyway. Genetics and age still do most of the work, so hair that's been grey for years is likely to stay that way. If you're going grey very early or very suddenly, it's worth a chat with your GP or doctor.

Most research suggests colouring your hair in pregnancy is safe, because very little dye is absorbed through your scalp. Some people choose to wait until after the first 12 weeks for extra peace of mind. Highlights are a lovely option, as the colour sits on the hair rather than your scalp. Tell your colourist you're pregnant and have a patch test, even with a colour you've used before, because pregnancy can change how your skin and hair react. Keep the room well ventilated. If you have any worries, have a chat with your midwife or doctor first.

Yes, it's the safest habit. A skin allergy test 48 hours before colouring checks how your skin responds this time, and allergies can develop even after years of colouring with no problems. That's why home colour instructions ask for a test before every use, even with your usual shade. Salons follow their own safety policy and will always retest when it matters, for example if you're new, it's been a while, the colour brand has changed, or you've had a tattoo or a reaction since your last visit. It takes a minute and keeps your colour day relaxed.

The answer depends on your colour and your hair, so your stylist is the best person to ask. Advice ranges from washing the next day to waiting two or three days, because different colours settle in different ways. Your stylist knows exactly what went on your hair and can give you timing that suits it. Whenever you do wash, lukewarm water and a gentle shampoo made for coloured hair help your shade stay bright for longer.

Usually not, and that's good news for your hair. Dark hair has plenty of natural pigment, and it lightens in stages, passing through warm orange and gold before reaching a cool blonde. Lifting it all in one go puts a lot of strain on the hair. Most colourists plan a journey over a few appointments, several weeks apart, lifting a safe amount each time and toning to a lovely in between shade along the way. You get to enjoy each stage, and your hair arrives at blonde soft, shiny and strong.

It can lighten hair a little, though the result is hard to control. Lemon juice opens the outer layer of the hair and sunlight breaks down some of the pigment, so you might see a subtle, often brassy lift. It can also leave hair dry and brittle. Lemon juice on skin in strong sun can cause a painful, blistering reaction and dark marks that take a long time to fade. For sun kissed brightness, a few soft highlights or a gloss from a colourist gives you the look with none of the sting.

It's actually copper, not chlorine, that turns light hair green. Copper gets into pool water from treatments that stop algae and from pipes, and it clings to the hair. Chlorine helps it along by roughening the hair's surface, which is why lightened hair picks up the tint most easily. To keep your blonde bright, wear a swim cap and rinse your hair as soon as you get out. A swimmer's or clarifying shampoo, made to lift minerals from the hair, will clear any green tint that does appear.

Toner fine tunes your shade after lightening. It neutralises unwanted warmth, turning yellow or orange tones into the cool, beige or golden blonde you asked for. It doesn't lighten your hair, and it isn't permanent. Toner gradually washes out, usually over a few weeks, and the natural warmth that lightening uncovers starts to show again. Hot water, heat styling and sun can speed that up. A toning shampoo now and then helps it last, and a quick toner refresh at the salon between colour appointments brings your shade right back.

For bright colours, your hair needs to be a light blonde, around a level 8 or 9 on the scale colourists use, where 1 is black and 10 is the lightest blonde. For pastels, it needs to be lighter still, a very pale level 10. Bright and pastel shades are see through, so any yellow underneath mixes in: blue can look green and lilac can look grey. Your colourist will lift your hair to the right shade first, then the colour shows up exactly as you pictured.

If your natural hair is darker than the light base under your colour, then yes, the regrowth needs lightening so the shade matches all the way through. The good news is it's only the roots. Your colourist lightens just the new growth, carefully, so your already lightened lengths aren't lightened again, then refreshes the colour all over. If your natural hair is already very light, you may only need the colour itself. How often you book depends on how quickly your hair grows and how much contrast you're happy with.

Usually nothing dramatic. Permanent colour finishes working within its set time, so extra minutes won't make it much darker or lighter. What extra time can do is dry your hair and leave the shade looking a little deeper or uneven in places. Rinse it out well, follow with a nourishing conditioner or mask, and be gentle with heat for a few days. Lightener keeps working on the hair, so stick closely to timings with that. If your scalp burns or stings, rinse straight away and speak to a pharmacist or doctor.

Not reliably. The chemicals in permanent colour might kill some adult lice, but they can't get through the shell of the eggs, so new lice hatch around a week later and you're back where you started. Colour isn't suitable for children's hair either. Combing wet, conditioned hair with a fine nit comb is the trusted way to lift them out, alongside a lice treatment. A pharmacist can recommend one and explain how to use it, as most treatments need a second round about a week after the first.

No, the purple will wash out. Leaving it on longer just deposits extra pigment, so light hair can take on a lilac tint, but it's temporary and usually fades within a wash or two. To speed things up, wash with a gentle clarifying or plain shampoo, leave it on for a few minutes, and repeat if needed. Finish with an ordinary conditioner. Next time, a few minutes is plenty, and using it every few washes keeps your blonde or silver beautifully cool.

It's colour theory at work. Blue is a see through colour sitting on lightened hair, and lightened hair almost always keeps a little yellow underneath. As the blue fades, it mixes with that yellow and you see green. Copper in tap or pool water can add to it too. To keep your blue bluer for longer, wash in cool water, use a gentle shampoo for coloured hair, and refresh with a blue colour conditioner. A colourist can also tone the base to a cleaner, paler shade before the blue goes on, so it fades more softly.

Try a cotton pad soaked in full fat milk and rub gently. It's surprisingly good at lifting colour from skin. Many salons also have a stain remover made especially for hair colour on skin. Go easy, as the skin there is delicate, so skip scrubbing sponges and anything harsh. Any faint mark that's left will fade as your skin naturally renews. Next time, a little petroleum jelly or oil along the hairline acts as a barrier, as long as it stays off the hair itself so the colour can still reach your baby hairs.

It's a clever idea, though silver and grey shades actually need more upkeep. To show up, they need your hair lightened to the palest blonde and then toned, and that tone fades over a few weeks. Darker regrowth shows clearly against it too. If what you'd love is fewer root appointments, ask about grey blending. Your colourist uses fine highlights, lowlights and toning to soften the line between your colour and your natural greys, so regrowth looks gentle and you can go much longer between visits.