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How to try a hair colour before you commit

Thinking about a new hair colour but worried it might not suit you? Good news - you can test a hair colour before making any long-term commitment! Whether you want to try different hair colours using a virtual hair colour try on tool or by applying hair dye straight to your hair, there are lots of brilliant ways to try different hair colours and experiment with your look.

Shopping for clothes is easy - you try things on, buy what you love, and return what doesn't work. With a new hair colour, the process is a bit different. However, you can still try different hair colours risk-free, and if you don't love the result, there's no awkward returns process. So how can you test hair colours without any commitment? Here are four simple ways:

1. Colour Advisor Tool: Try hair colour online

If you’re not quite ready to dye your hair, try it digitally first. A virtual hair colour try on session is simple – just open an online colour advisor tool and upload a photo of yourself. Some tools even let you try different hair colours using your camera in real-time. The best part? When you test a hair colour online, you see results instantly.

Top tip: Try a hair colour online and for free right now with The Schwarzkopf Colour Lounge, which puts a virtual hair colour advisor at your fingertips. Try different hair colours in three simple steps: upload an existing photo or use your phone camera live, select your current hair colour, and then try different hair colours at the press of a button. The tool will also pick the best shades for you automatically. Finally, you’ll even receive recommendations for suitable hair colouring products.

2. Highlights – Easing into the new colour

If you want to try different hair colours but don't quite dare to go through a complete transformation just yet, highlights will let you ease into your desired colour. Whether it’s blonde highlights in brown hair or light brown highlights in dark brown hair – you'll get a feel for how the new shade works with your skin tone and style. Perhaps you'll stick with the colour mix of highlights, or it might convince you to go for the full colour transformation.

Top tip: You can create highlights at home! Dyeing your hair at home shows you that colouring highlights yourself isn't nearly as tricky as you might think.

3. Semi-permanent dyes and tints – Washable and wonderful!

A classic among hair colour testing methods is a semi-permanent dye. If you've pretty much decided on a new hair colour but still have some doubts about whether it really suits you and whether you want to wear it long-term, this is the solution. Different colouring products have different permanency levels, and semi-permanent dyes last six to eight hair washes – perfect for a commitment-free trial run. If you're concerned about maintaining healthy hair while experimenting, you might want to explore how to dye and repair your hair for healthy-looking results. 

4. Try a bold hair colour risk-free with a wig

Choosing an unusual different hair colour or one completely different from your own can feel like a bit of a gamble. What if you try a hair colour and you don't like it? One final way to overcome this hurdle is by using a wig to see the hair colour on yourself in real life. This way, you can try ultra-bright colours, discover whether you suit ash blonde or black hair, and even try a hair colour like pastel pink! Give it a go with a wig, then commit later.

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