The Good. Clean. Fun.™ BLOG

 If you color your hair at home but notice that sometimes the result appears darker than you would like, you’re not imagining things! However, there’s no reason to unintentionally skew Goth when you’re armed with the right information. The pros at Better Natured™ are here to help you decipher the reasons and find the fix.

Follow the Two-Shade Rule

Better Natured™ Liqui-Crème Hair Color lifts up to two levels. And the rule of thumb in hair color, whether you are looking to go lighter or darker, is to choose a shade that’s within two levels of your own. If you are a level 4 the product will lighten your locks up to a level 6. If you are looking to get a deeper hue that won’t look too drastic and dramatic it’s not recommended that you darken past a level 2.

It is helpful to know the percentage of gray in your hair before coloring. If you are 40% gray or more going two levels darker may result in a harsher contrast between your colored hair and your grays. According to Better Natured™ celebrity hairdresser and brand ambassador Marcus Francis, “When in doubt, start by going up or down by one shade versus two. It’s always easier to add color than to subtract it!” 

So remember, knowing your level, tone and the percentage of gray in your hair are all instrumental in choosing the right shade to give you the desired result. There is excellent information on the Better Natured™ website including a shade finder quiz that you can take here.

Don’t Get Distracted

Yes, when it comes to hair color there can be too much of a good thing! Leaving pigment on the hair for longer than the recommended time can result in a shade that appears darker and more intense than perhaps you were going for.

Better Natured™ Liqui-Crème Hair Color comes with easy-to-follow directions including guidelines on how long to process, and tips on how to check your progress. Now is not the time to get lost in a Pretty Little Liars marathon, reorganize your closet or call a long-lost friend! Once the product has been applied, stay focused because as Marcus says, “Hair color is a mix of art and science where timing matters!”

Stick To Your Roots

You may have heard the expression ‘Color doesn’t lift color.’ Translation: applying hair color over already colored hair will only make it look darker. So if your resulting hue is looking way more intense than you would like, just focus on applying color to the regrowth at your roots. 

According to Better Natured™ Hair Color Expert Melissia Wade-Smith, “You should only color your entire head if coloring for the first time, changing your hair color, or every so often depending on how your mid-lengths are looking.” She explains that our hair from mid-lengths to the ends is typically more porous than our roots and regrowth.

Hair growing from the root is healthy ‘new’ hair, whereas the mid-lengths to ends are more fragile because they’ve been exposed over time to stressors like sun, hot styling tools, tight ponytails, aggressive brushing, and hair color or other chemical treatments which require opening the cuticle. “The more open the cuticle is the more porous, or sponge-like, the hair becomes,” she says. “Higher porosity increases the likelihood of hair color deepening to a shade or two darker than envisioned because those areas absorb more pigment.”

Love Your Locks

The good news is, keeping your hair hydrated and nourished is exactly what Better Natured™ hair color does. The formula is highly naturally-derived* and infused with gentle and super moisturizing Coconut Oil plus a signature triple plant-milk blend of Tahitian Palm Milk, Coconut Milk and Orchid Milk. In fact, 90% of women who tried it agree that their hair feels dramatically conditioned after coloring**. And is stands to reason that stronger, healthier hair provides a more even canvas for your at-home hair color artistry.

*Better Natured™ Liqui-Creme Hair Color shades range between 87% - 92% naturally-derived depending on the shade. We use the Global ISO Standard 16128 which defines naturally-derived as a plant or mineral derived material and water which is found in nature and has undergone limited processing.  

**Independent salon panel test of 50 women.