FOR MOST WOMEN, coloring their hair at home sounds like a mild form of torture. Between the anxiety of picking the right shade, the toxic reek of the formulas and the mess of the dye, not to mention the potential for regrettable results, it’s not a tempting project. But salons eat up both money and time—committing to regular coloring can leave you feeling like you took out a second mortgage and started a second, very tedious job.
There may be a better way: A new breed of progressive, at-home hair-color systems promises to...