Just as you would never apply an expensive facial moisturizer without first cleansing your skin, salon beautiful haircolor should first begin with clean, well-conditioned hair. This very easy first step will make the difference in how your haircolor turns out, so that it looks like an expensive, professionally done job.

Clarifying
Begin with a clarifying shampoo. A clarifier will remove mineral deposits left over from hard water, a common problem. Conditioners as well as styling products also leave residue on your hair that normal shampooing cannot completely remove. Left unattended, these buildups can hinder the porosity of your hair, affecting how haircolor is accepted by your hair.

Remember, hair absorbs everything you digest. For this reason a clarifier is essential, especially if you are on birth control pills, taking antibiotics or any other medication. Uneven or unwanted color may be the outcome if you fail to use a clarifier. There's always the possibility that you won't encounter a negative result, but hey! a clarifier is so easy to use, why risk it? Prevention is the key and like many things it's much easier to prevent problems from occurring from the onset, rather than having to correct complex color problems after the fact. How to tell if a clarifier is necessary? A strand test is always a smart technique.

Equalizing
The second half of a clarifying treatment is an equalizing treatment. Though not necessary for every athomehaircolor, equalizing balances the hair's porosity, thereby improving the final color that much more.
Porosity relates to a substance's ability to absorb. When out of balance, 'pockets' exist along the hair shaft where color can 'grab', becoming darker than desired. These same pockets, caused by day to day wear and tear or by chemical over-processing-can create discoloration (a very unhappy result!) as well as dry, frizzy hair. I want your color to be beautiful! The difference that an equalizing treatment on previously colored hair, one length long hair and longer (averaging 4" or longer) layered hair is worth the extra time and effort.

Maintenance
Finally the proper products will help maintain your color as well as its condition. As unimportant as a shampoo may seem, the right shampoo will help keep your color longer with less fadeage. A few extra pennies spent on not only better quality, but products best suited to colored hair is money well spent.