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Lighten Up
"Every three months," Papanikolas says, "Any sooner, and you risk damage." Highlighting may seem like it does minimal damage. But because you're using direct contact of chemicals onto a smaller portion of hair, doing it too often can cause breakage.
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Yes, Ginger
In a word, yes. "Going darker usually causes the least amount of damage," says Papanikolas. "Going lighter causes the most damage. Any time you go more than four shades lighter than your natural color, you are risking the most damage. Brunette to red is easy if you are starting with natural hair color. If it's been previously colored, then you need to strip the color out first, and then add the red � this will cause more damage."
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Golden and Gorgeous
"Be sure to use a gentle, color-safe shampoo to keep fading to a minimum, allowing you to go longer between color visits," Papanikolas says. "You will also want to use a conditioner that repairs and softens the hair." Our pick: Joico's K-Pak Color Therapy, $39.90.
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Effortlessly Emma
Trick question. Their hair may look healthy, but Papanikolas says it's only because they hide it better. Or, rather, their highly paid professional stylists help them hide it better. "Celebrities like Emma Stone have hair stylists on call to professionally style their hair, and add hair extensions to hide the damage," says Papanikolas. "It's virtually impossible to do this many color changes and not cause some damage to the hair."
We do a lot of damage in the name of beauty. The blisters and bunions from jamming our feet into high heels. The flaming face after an aggressive chemical peel. But one of the silent victims in our pursuit of gorgeousness is ... our hair. All the dyeing, drying and frying we do frazzles it, and hair coloring -- stripping, bleaching, foiling and heat activating -- is one of the worst culprits.
Which is why we're flummoxed when we see a color-crazed celeb like Emma Stone -- who seems to change her hair color every other day -- with a healthy, shiny head of hair. It's like she's figured out the sorcerer's secret to changing color like a gecko ... with zero damaging side effects. Emma has had had dramatically different dye jobs throughout her career: bright and flaxen, moody brunette, perky auburn, you name it, she's had it.
So we reached out to celebrity colorist George Papanikolas -- a man who has worked his magic on paparazzi bait like Sofia Vergara, Mila Kunis, Miranda Kerr and the Kardashians -- to get the final word on how the rich and famous get away with so much hair coloring, and whether it's possible for the rest of us dye-junkies to pull it off without our hair turning to hay. What we found out? Sure, it's a matter of money, but it's also about time. Dyeing your hair isn't just an hours-long process ... it's a long-term commitment.
Which is why we're flummoxed when we see a color-crazed celeb like Emma Stone -- who seems to change her hair color every other day -- with a healthy, shiny head of hair. It's like she's figured out the sorcerer's secret to changing color like a gecko ... with zero damaging side effects. Emma has had had dramatically different dye jobs throughout her career: bright and flaxen, moody brunette, perky auburn, you name it, she's had it.
So we reached out to celebrity colorist George Papanikolas -- a man who has worked his magic on paparazzi bait like Sofia Vergara, Mila Kunis, Miranda Kerr and the Kardashians -- to get the final word on how the rich and famous get away with so much hair coloring, and whether it's possible for the rest of us dye-junkies to pull it off without our hair turning to hay. What we found out? Sure, it's a matter of money, but it's also about time. Dyeing your hair isn't just an hours-long process ... it's a long-term commitment.