Dyeing hair at home can be as easy as reading the directions on the box, but some work on your part is necessary to get great results. Here are some tips for before and after hair care that will allow for successful at-home hair dyeing.
Prepare for Dyeing
1. In the days before coloring your hair, be sure to condition well. You want the cuticle to be well moisturized and not dry. Putting color onto very dry hair can make it more brittle and prone to breakage.
2. Survey the available hair coloring products and fully read the boxes. Consider the example photos to get an idea of approximately how your hair will look, but remember that results often vary slightly and expect your hair to be a shade similar to what you see. Choose a hair color with a deep conditioning treatment to use after dyeing.
3. When choosing your hair dye, consider how long you'd like the color to last. Temporary hair color will wash out in just two to three shampoos; semi-permanent will wash out in seven to 12 shampoos; demi-permanent color lasts longer, taking close to 30 shampoos to fully fade; and permanent hair color should last until the hair grows out and to change, it must be dyed over.
4. At home hair dyes will instruct you to do an allergy test 48 hours prior to dyeing. To do the allergy test, simply mix and apply a very small bit of hair color to your skin (you can use your forearm or inside of elbow) and leave undisturbed for 48 hours to be sure that no allergic reaction appears. If it does, do not use this hair color and consider another brand.
5. You can also test the dye on a small strand of your hair to see how the color will turn out. This will help you gauge how long to keep the dye on your hair.
Dyeing Your Hair
1. Put on gloves to protect hands from dye.
2. Mix color according to product instructions. Be sure to follow instructions precisely. Apply color to hair immediately after mixing.
3. Apply color to dry hair, massaging from roots to ends. Without getting too much color on the face, still be sure that color reaches all the short hairs around the face, around ears, and nape of neck. Gently massage the color into the roots.
4. If hair is long, pile on top of the head and use a clip to keep it up and off of clothes.
5. Leave color on for the instructed time period. Leaving color on for less time will not allow color to fully develop in your hair, and leaving it on too long can cause hair damage.
6. If hair is long, pile on top of the head and use a clip to keep it up, off of clothes.
Rinsing Color from Hair
1. When the time is complete, carefully rinse all excess color from your hair. The instructions should tell you whether or not to use shampoo at this time. Generally, a color-safe shampoo will remove excess product from your hair while protecting your new color.
2. Finish the process with a conditioner for color-treated hair. This may come with the boxed product. Otherwise, use your own conditioner. Conditioner can be left on for 2 to 5 minutes to allow for deeper conditioning.
3. Repeat as necessary to maintain your new color and keep roots colored.
Hope this helped,
Pantress
