Whether you’re stuck on campus or at home, it’s common for girls to want to spice up their look by changing their hair. A color change now and then adds new confidence and spirit to your look. The only problem is, as all college students know all too well, getting your hair dyed professionally costs a pretty penny. Going to the salon, depending on the length of your hair, is usually up to a hundred dollars. It’s important to feel good about looking good, but it’s never worth that much. For those willing to be brave enough, here’s a few tips from someone whose dyed her hair herself since she was fourteen.
Color
What color have you decided on dyeing your hair? Dyeing your hair always depends on what color it is now, because going from a dark color to a lighter color is a completely different dyeing process than otherwise.
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Light to dark – going from light to dark is pretty easy, you just have to work around any undertones in your hair. Light brown hair will darken the color you are trying to achieve in dyeing, and any red hair will increase the warmth in your new color. The hardest thing about darkening your hair is how your roots will look when they grow back, so invest in a dye brand that sells root touch-up kits of the same dye color.
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Dark to light – when you have dark hair, and want to dye it a lighter color, it’s almost impossible to avoid bleach. The thing about bleaching hair is that the first time you bleach your hair, the damage is minimum. Volume 10 or 20 bleach is less strong, and will do less damage than 40 volume. Remembering to condition your hair in between bleach and dye is very beneficial, and never leave bleach on too long. Trying to go from black hair to blonde is the worst you can do, and the best way to go about that is bleaching in sessions across multiple days instead of just leaving bleach on too long in one day. If the color you are doing after bleaching is cool toned, and the bleach left a brassy color on your hair, use some toner before your dye.
Type of Dye
Permanent dye or temporarily permanent dye? Depending on the color you want, there may not be an option of what type of dye is available.
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Permanent – most permanent dyes are natural colors, like brown, black, blondes, and red colors. Permanent dye can still fade out of your hair with lots of shampooing, but it just takes longer. Nonetheless, it also means permanent dye stains clothes, furniture, and skin more than temporary dyes, so be careful.
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Temporarily permanent – unnatural colors, like blues, pinks, purples, and anything else in the rainbow are mostly temporary, also called semi-permanent, dyes although natural colors do also exist in semi-permanent dyes. One may want to use semi-permanent dye if you plan on changing the color of your hair often. Someone who wants black hair for two years should just use permanent dye, but if you like to change the color every few months to something new, semi-permanent will fade just in time so you don’t have to bleach your hair again.
Materials
What supplies you will need for the actual dyeing process. Some you can re-use each time you dye your hair, but some you need to continue replacing
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Bowls to mix the dye in, sold especially for hair dye, not just any cereal bowl
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Brushes that can be purchased with the bowls for application
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Latex gloves, wear for applying dye and when washing it out in the shower
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Foil or a shower cap, some way to keep your hair contained when sitting with the dye in. Foil will help trap the heat in from your head to the dye, which assists with bleaching.
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Wear a shirt you hate, and towels that are able to be ruined
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Giant hair clips can also help with separating hair to dye it in sections, or to clip the towel onto you when dyeing
How to Dye
Every type of hair dye has a different hair dyeing process, and there are ways to learn that process. But, once you know the color you want, how are you supposed to pick a specific dye out of so many companies that offer that color?
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Do research on the dye you want to use. Blogs, videos, anything online. Even asking a professional will benefit you. Dye isn’t as simple as semi-permanent and permanent, because every brand is different. Some dyes can be mixed in with conditioner to help nourish the hair, and some don’t have big enough bottles to cover a lot of hair. Take your time making the decision.
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The biggest factor between different dyes is how long it has to sit in your hair. Some take twenty minutes, and some sit for hours. Most dyes have to be washed out with cold water, but some don’t. Do tons of research.
There’s tons of things to look into well before dyeing your hair for the first time, and I promise, it gets easier the more you do it. The hours after you’ve dyed your hair are important. Adding in leave-in conditioner to your hair after the shower will help it, and any other hair treatments you have. It’s easier to blow-dry your hair instead of letting it air dry so the wet hair doesn’t drip colored water. If your fingers are turning colors from touching your hair, it’s a sign you didn’t wash it all out. Take caution the first time, especially for semi-permanent dyes, and cover your pillows overnight so they don’t get dyed. The next day your hair might feel and smell different, but that will go away with time.