Great Looking Ways to Apply Overtone Color Conditioner

Co-authored by Michael Van den Abbeel and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: October 27, 2020 References

If you want to color your hair without drying it out or damaging it, look no further! Overtone Color Conditioner deposits color in your hair while adding in moisture and hydration to keep your luscious locks healthy. It doesn’t matter if your hair is bleached or completely natural—Overtone has a product for you. When your hair starts to fade, you can add more color to it by using the Daily Conditioner in the shower so your hair can look beautiful 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

First Application

1
Choose a Overtone shade that will show up on your current hair color. Color conditioner will look vibrant on platinum blonde and pre-lightened hair. If you have unbleached hair, use the For Brown Color Conditioner line for a highly pigmented color. Keep in mind that pastel shades will only show up if you have pale, bleached hair.^{[1]
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- You can also create custom colors by mixing 2 shades together.
2
Do a quick strand test before applying your color. Grab a section of hair near the base of your neck that’s about 1 in (2.5 cm) wide. Apply the Color Conditioner to this strand, let it sit for 15 minutes, then rinse it out with warm water. Dry that section of hair to see how the color turned out before you apply it all over your hair.^{[2]
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- Since Overtone is a conditioner, it won’t dry out your hair or damage it—you're just adding pigment on top of your hair.^{[3]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Michael Van den Abbeel
  Professional Hair Stylist
  Expert Interview. 7 January 2019.} It's even safe to use on bleached hair.
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3
Wash your hair and dry it completely. Color Conditioner works best on clean, dry hair. Give your head a nice shampoo and conditioning treatment, then air dry it or use a hair dryer on your locks.^{[4]
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4
Put on gloves to protect your hands. Overtone Color Conditioner does have a tendency to stain skin, especially the brighter, more pigmented colors. Grab a pair of rubber or latex gloves that you don’t mind getting dye on before you start.^{[5]
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- You can also throw on an old T-shirt that you don’t mind getting stained.
5
Add a thin layer of petroleum jelly to your forehead. Dip your fingers into a pot of petroleum jelly and smooth a thin layer onto your forehead, ears, and neck. This will help you avoid staining your face and neck with color as you apply the conditioner.^{[6]
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- This is especially important if you’re using a dark color, like purple or red.
6
Put up half of your hair to make application easier. To make the process easier, brush your hair out and pull about half of it up, going from the tops of your ears upwards. Secure your hair with a hair tie or a clip to keep it out of the way as you use your dye.^{[7]
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- Since you’re using a conditioner to color your hair, you don’t have to worry about sectioning it perfectly. The conditioner will spread out on its own as you rub it into your hair.
7
Spread a thick layer of Color Conditioner on dry hair from roots to ends. Using your hands, grab a glob of the conditioner and spread it between your palms. Starting from the roots of your hair, work the product into every strand before moving downwards. When you’re finished with the bottom layer of hair, take down the top layer and do that next.^{[8]
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- If you want to triple check that your color is even, use a wide toothed comb to comb through the conditioner in your hair.
8
Wait 10-15 minutes and rinse your hair with warm or hot water. Color Conditioner won’t take long to color your hair. After 10 to 15 minutes, head to the sink or the shower and use warm or hot water to rinse out the dye until the water runs clear.^{[9]
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- Watch out if you have a white tub! Overtone can stain your bathroom surfaces. To make sure that doesn’t happen, wipe the excess conditioner off ASAP.^{[10]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Color Maintenance

1
Shampoo your hair in the shower as you normally would. You can use daily conditioner every time you wash your hair, and you don’t have to dry it. Shampoo your hair with whatever you normally use in the shower before applying your conditioner.^{[11]
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- Shampooing your hair tends to remove some of the color, so you'll probably want to add more every time you wash your hair.
- To protect your hair, use a cleansing conditioner or a gentle shampoo that won't strip your hair of its natural oils.^{[12]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Michael Van den Abbeel
  Professional Hair Stylist
  Expert Interview. 7 January 2019.}
2
Rub the Daily Conditioner into your hair. Grab a thick glob of Daily Conditioner and work it into your hair. Make sure you really saturate every strand so your locks soak up the color.^{[13]
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- Since your hair is wet, it’s easy to just massage the conditioner into your hair like you would with a regular conditioner.
- This is a moisturizing conditioner, so it should add softness and shine to your hair.^{[14]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Michael Van den Abbeel
  Professional Hair Stylist
  Expert Interview. 7 January 2019.}
3
Rinse your hair out after 3 to 5 minutes with warm or hot water. Since your hair is already colored, you don’t need to wait as long before rinsing. Finish up the rest of your shower routine, then use warm or hot water to rinse your hair until the water runs clear.^{[15]
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- Now you can brush your hair, let it air dry, or style it.
4
Reapply the conditioner every time you wash your hair. Since the Daily Conditioner isn’t as strong as the Color Conditioner, you can use it to refresh your color anytime you’re in the shower. If you do want to switch to a new color or add more pigment, you can apply Color Conditioner the same way you applied it the first time.^{[16]
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- If you’re switching to a new color of Overtone, you should try to fade your hair as much as possible before changing colors. You can do that by shampooing more often, adding vitamin C tablets to your shampoo, or using a toner to get rid of that last bit of stubborn color.^{[17]
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5
Use Color Conditioner whenever you need a bigger color refresh. If you feel like the Daily Conditioner isn’t giving you enough color, you can refresh your hair with the original Color Conditioner that you used. Depending on how often you wash your hair, you might need to use it more or less, so just see how it goes.^{[18]
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- The Color Conditioner is stronger than the Daily Conditioner, so it will dye your hair a deeper, richer color.

Expert Q&A

Question

What kind of shampoo should I use on my colored hair?

Michael Van den Abbeel
Professional Hair Stylist
Michael Van den Abbeel is a Professional Hair Stylist and the Owner of Mosaic Hair Studio and Blowout Bar in Orlando, Florida. He has been cutting, styling, and coloring hair for over 17 years. Michael loves showing his clients how to wash and wear their hair easily and effortlessly. Mosaic Hair Studio and Blowout Bar is recognized as a Diamond Top Tier level Wella salon.

Michael Van den Abbeel

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Use a gentle shampoo so you don't remove any of the color you've added. However, when you're just using a pigmented hair dye, rather than bleach, your hair isn't damaged when you color it.