So, you’re thinking about dying your hair a funky color. There are a few things you should know before you try this out, as well as a couple of neat tricks to do with your hair.
- Will it look okay?
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The first thing to know about dying your hair a weird color is that it’ll look good on you no matter what. It didn’t come out as expected? That’s okay, you’re still bright and cheery to everyone around you; it’s bold of you to do something like this. Who doesn’t like someone with an adventurous look? If you’re on the fence about it because you’re not sure it’ll look good on you, that’s totally okay. Everyone looks nice with a color or two in their hair and you can have a funky new hairdo. You can do it; you can be the you you’d like to be. Be sure not to forget that it’s highly recommended to condition your hair and wait a few days for maximum hair dye intake.
- What’s the easiest color to dye?
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Secondly, fair hair colors are the easiest to dye, as darker colors like dark brown and black typically don’t take that well. The colors that’ll show up are usually deep reds, dark green, dark blue, and purple. Those colors aren’t any less “cool” than lighter colors, so don’t worry about it. The darker ones are typically seen as better for office jobs, but I guess it depends on the office. If you have darker hair and you want a bright color, you’ll always need bleach. You’re usually able to buy some bleach at Sally Hansen, Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall, or basically any beauty store or drugstore. Be prepared for your scalp to be kind of itchy during the process, but a helpful trick to get your hair lighter is to use plastic wrap, a plastic bag or even a shower cap over your bleached hair. The heat in an enclosed space with the chemicals of the bleach help it come out much nicer, as a more natural looking color, than it would without the plastic over it. You might need a friend’s help to make sure the bleach is done evenly. After you’ve bleached it, you’re now able to pick out a funky color or colors.
- What if I want a funky color?
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The funky colors that are easiest to dye are blue, green and some purples, depending on the shade. They tend to take the quickest and stay the longest so they’re less maintenance. So, if you’re the type of person who just likes to roll out of bed and go, these colors are recommended. Plus, because they have less maintenance, that means you get to save on hair supplies and special shampoos. A couple of good hair dye companies are Arctic Fox, Lunar Tides, and Lime Crime’s Unicorn hair for blues and greens. Manic Panic is also good to use but the color does fade away faster. The great part about these is they’re all cruelty free. A cool trick to do with your hair and these colors is galaxy hair, where you take small sections, or even just randomly apply it to your hair so it looks like a galaxy. Just remember some blues will turn green, so don’t be surprised if that happens.
- What if the color doesn’t match the box?
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Like suggested earlier, it really does depend on the color that’s in your hair, as (for example) some purples do need actual maintenance, and can be quite expensive to keep up. Usually lighter purples and grays can have this problem. Gray is based off bleached hair and added purple to help take away the brassiness from the bleach blonde, so they can be finicky colors to keep up with. The good part about this is that you don’t have to continue buying new dye for it. Amazon, drug stores, Walmart or beauty supply stores usually sell purple shampoo and conditioners. Overtone is an amazing brand to help keep up with the colors, John Freida is also a good one on the cheaper side. If you don’t mind the money, Sephora sells a bunch of different types that have more specifications like hair texture included that help. Just remember these colors are more of a pick-and-choose sort of thing because not all dyes work the same on different hair textures.
- What colors are the trickiest to deal with?
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The most difficult colors to keep up with are yellow (not blonde, but neon yellow), neon green and neon orange. They do tend to need more constant dyeing to keep up with the beautiful and rich tones that you’d get when you first dye it. The yellow does turn into a brassier blonde when left alone for too long, and the same goes for the orange. Even if we were to talk about neon green, the color would fade into a hay yellow. With all that being said, there are ways to help prevent the fade, one being to continuously dye it over again every two to four weeks, depending on how it fades. Arctic Fox is mostly recommended for neon colors. Another way would be to use color treatments, like Olaplex No. 4 Bond or Celeb Luxury Viral Colorwash. They’re both on the pricier side, so be warned when dying your hair. If you have a budget, think about it before you commit to it. If you do commit, you’ll have some super crazy hair to show off.
Lastly, to complete the bright colors, red would be the harshest but also a super cool color that reminds us all of Gerard Way in Danger Days. It’s a brash and bold color but looks absolutely amazing with red lipstick. It does fade a bit into a dull red, rather than the candy apple red, no matter what color you’re using. Lime Crime does have an excellent candy apple red. John Frieda and Joico both have very good red hair shampoos if you’re worried it might not last as long as you’d like it to. The shampoos help to soften your hair from any damage that might’ve been made along the way, so that’s a bonus to the hair routine.
Now if you’re on the fence about any color, don’t forget there are temporary dyes that last about a day, like Good Dye Young Poser Paste temporary hair makeup. You can test the waters with that first and see what you think suits you better. Just remember to be yourself and enjoy the hair colors. With all this information remember, it’s just for fun.