How to Get Marcia Cross' Hair Color

Red hair color is hot this season and a great way to make your hairstyle stand out in a crowd. One of the most coveted colors is Marcia Cross’ brilliant copper blond color. Read on to learn how you can get this fabulous hair color for yourself.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sink to rinse your hair
• Old shirt
• Hand cream
• Large hair clip
• Old towels
• Hair coloring kit (2 kits if you have long hair)

1. Marcia Cross' hair color (copper blonde) will work best on a natural hair color of medium brown to dark blonde.

2. If your hair is previously colored, you must choose a new hair color carefully. Your previously colored hair should be lighter than--or the same color level as--the new red hair color that you choose. New color will not lighten your older color, so going darker or adding a hue of red when re-coloring is fine, but don’t try to lighten previously colored hair yourself.

3. Take a trip to the drug store and choose a copper blonde shade that will compliment your coloring. To match Marcia Cross’ hair color, try Garnier 100% Color Intense Gel Crème in #743 Deep Copper.

4. If you have long hair, play it safe and buy two hair coloring kits. You don’t want to run out midway through the coloring process.

5. Carefully read the instructions that come with the coloring kit before beginning.

6. Use a well-lit room that is close to a sink for your color transformation. A bathroom is best, but a kitchen will do as well.

7. Put on old clothes and have at least two old towels to catch drips and to dry your hair. Remember—these towels will likely become stained with color, so don’t use your good ones.

8. Drape one of the old towels around your shoulders and secure with a large hair clip. This towel will catch drips and can be used to wipe excess color off your skin to prevent staining.

9. Put on the kit-provided protective gloves and mix the color according to the directions.

10. Red hair colors have a tendency to stain skin. To avoid having a pink halo around your hairline, apply a thick coat of hand cream to the skin around the hairline. Be careful not to get any of the cream in your hair or that portion will not take the color.

11. Decide if you are performing a virgin color application or a retouch color when striving for Marcia Cross’ hair color. For retouches, first apply at the re-growth (or root) areas. After color is applied to the roots, apply color to the rest of the hair. If your ends are very dry, only apply the color to them for the last 10 minutes or so. Dry hair is more porous and will absorb the color faster (which may cause your ends to turn lighter than the rest of your hair).

12. For virgin hair, apply the color as directed. (Virgin hair is hair that has not been previously colored with a permanent color or has re-growth of more than 2 inches.) Some kits tell you to apply the color all over the hair from the start, while other kits tell you to apply the color to the mid-shaft of the hair first. Follow the directions of your product.

13. Leave the color on for the recommended time and keep the head warm. Avoid going outside if it is cold, as the cool temperatures will slow down the coloring process.

14. When time is up, place your head in the sink and get the hair wet. Turn off the water and lather up your wet hair as you would when you shampoo. Massage your scalp to remove any color from your skin and pay special attention to the areas around your hairline to lessen the chances of staining your skin.

15. Turn the water on again and rinse your hair until the water runs clear from every area of your head.

16. If a conditioner is included in the kit, use it now. Follow the directions of the hair-coloring kit.

17. Red hair colors, such as Marcia Cross', are known to fade quickly. To close the cuticle (or outer layer) of the hair and help prevent premature fading in the first few days, turn the water to a cool temperature and give your hair a final rinse.

18. Place the unused towel around your head and remove as much moisture from your hair as possible.

19. To see your new and true version of Marcia Cross' hair color, blow-dry your hair in the presence of good lighting and have a look. If you notice any problems, contact the hair color company via their toll-free help line.
    
    

Tips & Warnings

• Help maintain your version of Marcia Cross’ hair color by purchasing a color-enhanced shampoo designed for red hair. It will give your hair a burst of red pigment and help restore any color that has faded away.
• Don't attempt to use the hair color suggested if you have light blonde hair. Your hair will end up neon red (not pretty!). If you have light hair and want Marica Cross' hair color, you are better off using a light copper brown to avoid too intense a red.

[darlenevile]

on 1/8/2007 I'm very disappointed that this article mostly recites the instructions off of a coloring kit box, with a few remedial tips on general hair coloring--and minimal information on how to really achieve Marcia Cross's bold n' fiery red hair color. You will definitely NOT get this brilliant red hair color unless you do a few things first:

1. YOU MUST PRELIGHTEN. Unless you already have light blonde hair, you will end up with a dark brownish red, or a deep burgundy red, neither of which will give you that shiny coppery fiery red we know and love on Marcia Cross.
If your hair isn't too dark, like medium blonde to light brown hair, or light to medium auburn hair, you can prelighten without bleach. Use a high-lift 'ultra' or 'maximum' shade of sun or golden blonde from a good brand like Feria or Herbal Essences (not a cheap $3 brand like ColorSilk). Stay away from terms like 'ash', 'champagne', and 'beige' blondes because they eliminate warm sunny tones, which you need when going bright red.

If you've got medium brown or darker hair, you must prelighten with a bleach. Yes, it's drastic, but regular hair coloring kits can't lighten dark hair enough on it's own--and you can't get that really bright red color if your hair is dark. So get a bleaching kit, one that does NOT say it prevents brassiness, and leave the mixture on until your hair's a light yellowy/orangey blonde. You don't gotta bleach it till it's white or anything crazy like that, just make sure you get all of the hair a lfight blonde. Don't worry about brassiness or yellowy-orange tones, because they will actually help you in this process. Only after the prelightening stage is complete can you start shopping for that special red hair color worthy of Bree Van De Kamp herself.

2. Find the right shade. Don't go buy any old red color, because they can be misleading! The girl on the box may look like a funky Cyndi Lauper, but then you use it and end up looking like a dull Laura Ingalls. To avoid this, stay away from shades with the word 'auburn' in it, as they're usually brownish reds. Words like 'copper' and 'fire' are good, but stay away from 'burgundy', which usually gives you a gothy purplish-red result. Unfortunately, the best shade, in my opinion, is currently out of production, and that's the Clairol Ultress shade 'Hot Red' (sometimes labeled as 'Brightest Red'). It's a fantastic shiny coppery red that is unmatched by any other shade you can buy. I can still buy it at a few different Dollar General stores in my area since they have a bunch of it left in stock. Ebay's got some too. Other than that, I recommend a shade by Garnier Nutrisse called Brilliant Copper (Luscious Mango). Nice and bright, but Nutrisse does fade a bit quicker than other brands. Feria also has a great shade called 'Flaming Red'. They actually don't recommend putting it on light blonde hair because the results will be very vivid, but that's the point! After carefully picking out a shade, apply the color to your hair like instructed.

3. Once you've got that Desperately Brilliant red hair, apply a thin coat of shine gloss or defrizzer to give it that extra coppery sheen magnified by light. Then smooth a small amount of hair texturizing gel over the top layer to give it that beautifully controlled, Bree-like appearance.

Remember, getting your hair to look exactly like someone else's hair, (especially a tv star's hair!) can be very difficult. But following these tips should put you on the right track. :-)