Dye your own hair

Note: Many people will tell you that the only “safe” way to color your hair is to go to a salon and have a professional do the work for you. If you are extremely concerned about damaging your hair or messing it up in any way, it is not recommended that you color your own hair. That said, most people should be able to do the job themselves without much trouble. The advice in this article is not from a professional stylist, it should also be taken into account. It’s just from a girl who has been coloring her hair in all colors under the sun for about 14 years.

Dyeing your hair with natural colors:

Aside from the platinum blonde, this is the easiest thing to do. Most drugstores carry box after box of brown, black, blonde, and red hair dye in every shade imaginable. You can even get some slightly unnatural colors like burgundy or blue-black.

Natural hair dye comes in semi-permanent and permanent colors. Semi-permanent dye is less likely to damage your hair than permanent dye. The permanent dye opens up the hair follicles and actually changes the color of the hair, so it doesn’t lighten. Semi-permanent simply dye your hair a color that slowly fades over a period of one to six weeks. If you want to end up with hair that’s lighter than your natural color, semi-permanent hair dye won’t work as it stains and doesn’t change the actual hair color like permanent dye does.

Note about the black tint:

Dyeing your hair black is a long-term commitment. While it is possible to remove black dye, it can be a very difficult process that often damages hair. Make sure you really want black hair before choosing black dye … it’s not as easy to walk away as most other shades.

Note on blonde / bleach kits:

Bleaching / lightening your hair can cause significant damage. It’s important not to let the bleach sit on your hair for too long (certainly no longer than the instructions on the box) and to use a really good conditioner afterward.

Dyeing your hair in unnatural colors:

Since hair doesn’t come in so many colors naturally, sometimes you feel the urge to do something different. There are no permanent bright red, blue, green, orange or pink tints, and achieving these colors can be a complicated process.

If you have naturally light hair, you will be able to achieve some of these colors without any pre-processing, but the color will not last as long as bleached hair. Believe it or not, bleach damage actually helps semi-permanent vegetable dyes adhere better to hair, though they will wear off over time anyway. The color will also be more vibrant on bleached hair.

The top four non-natural dye companies are Special Effects, Punky Colors, Manic Panic, and Raw Color. You can get countless shades of red, blue, green, turquoise, purple, pink, yellow, and orange from each of them. As for which one is better, it is a matter of personal preference.

Once you have decided whether or not you want to bleach your hair beforehand [follow the directions if you do!] It’s time to go for the unnatural color. Applying it is easy. Dyes are a paste or cream that you apply to your hair by hand. One very important note: remember how I said semi-permanent dye stains your hair? That means it can also stain your skin, clothing, towels, and anything porous it comes in contact with. With precaution. You can coat your hairline and ears with petroleum jelly before applying the semi-permanent dye, as it will create a barrier between the dye and your skin.

Apply the dye. Now is the time to ignore the instructions on the package. 15 minutes? I’m not going to cut it. Test for 4 to 6 hours. Or 10 hours, for that matter. These dyes are plant-based and will stain your hair, so they won’t damage your hair. In fact, they will help condition your hair after bleaching by covering it in color and making it look thicker and more vibrant. The recommended 15 minutes are not going to do anything, and I know that from experience.

The most important thing to remember when coloring your own hair is this: you know your own hair quite well. Does it look damaged? Is it too dry? Can you bear to be dyed? If you’re not sure … invest in a good conditioner and conditioning treatments and re-evaluate after a week or two. Do you still have doubts? Consult a professional and get their opinion. Otherwise? Have fun!