Get a sexy new hair color: thanks to Cosmo's so-simple advice, you can switch up your hue right in your own home, no sweat.(COSMO BEAUTY BOOK)

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You might guess that the most popular time to change hair color is during the long, dark days of winter, but experts report that we're most likely to use at-home hair color between spring and summer. "That's when women feel really carefree," says Marcy Cona, Clairol's creative director of color and style, "and they're open to playing with their looks." It's actually never been simpler to do it yourself. Our guide shows you how to get the best--and sexiest--results.

What's New

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* Some of the latest dyes do the job without drying or damaging your hair. Clairors new Perfect 10 line, for instance, uses a gentle AminoGlycine complex instead of the traditional (and totally harsh) ammonium-hydroxide chemical. The difference: It works in about half the time of typical kits and won't strip your mane of the molecules it needs to stay healthy, says Steve Elstein, head of research and development for Clairol. We tested the stuff out and really noticed a difference in how glossy our color came out.

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* Next month, L'Oreal Paris will offer an updated, lower-ammonia formula in its Feria line for the first time. The coolest part is that they figured out how to inject deep-conditioning polymers directly into the dye, so you'll get a rich conditioning treatment--and supersilky locks--while you color.