Kiss Hair Dye Disasters Goodbye!
Are you tired of breaking the bank by routinely forking over the extra dollars at the salon?
Have screaming toddlers and hundreds of chores that render a visit to the hairdresser an unlikely possibility?
Has every do-it-yourself attempt at dyeing your hair at home resulted in an unwarranted but predictable disaster?
If you want researched, valuable and practical tips on how to color your hair at home like a professional, this guide takes you along that adventure.
It is possible to dye your hair at home and avoid hair fall, hair matting, and stained necks. By following all instructions, the all-too-common aftermath of despair, a few choice curse words, and tear streaks can also be avoided!
Before we start, let’s watch Josh’s tips and tricks for applying your permanent color to cover your roots and refresh the ends of your hair.
Permanency isn’t Perfection
Permanent hair dyes, especially when they are a solo, DIY venture, aren’t the best route to take. Should a disaster occur, you would much rather have it wash off within a few days rather than stare you back in the face for weeks- choose temporary hair dye. There is a vast range of dye textures, and colors to choose from that don’t require a long-term commitment. Easy-to-apply non-permanent dyes can be chalk or powder dyes and touch applicators.
These temporary dyes can be as short-lived as your next hair wash or give you a new, fresh look for a few weeks. Whether you are looking to appear your best by touching up your roots at an event or color your hair uniformly, semi-permanent dyes are hardly ever a let-down. The most alluring thing about the dyes is that their harmful effects are also short-lived. The chemicals in temporary hair dyes don’t stay in your hair long enough to do permanent damage to your hair’s natural oils and condition.
Let There Be Light
Much like you love to give yourself a meticulously planned therapeutic spa day, learning how to color your hair at home shouldn’t be a 3 am, inebriated lousy decision! Dimly lit spaces are no place to mix colors from box dye or even attempt to section your hair, let alone apply the dye to your hair. The best results are achieved via mixing, testing, and then finalizing the color of the dye in bright light.
Therefore, it’s essential to undertake coloring your hair, preferably during the daytime. Dyeing your whole head when you cannot even visualize what it would look like is a one-way route to disaster, so choose a well-lit spot near windows if you are indoors. If you leave out large patches of hair because you can’t see them, your hair will adopt an ashy tone, and that’s not a good look on anyone. Home hair colors, much like any other hair dyes, look completely different in artificial and natural light, so make sure to visualize the color of dye in both kinds of lighting.
Patches Prevent Patchy Work
Whether you want to color in some gray strands, add highlights, or are looking for information on how to dye the underlayer of your hair at home, the cardinal rule is: do it in patches! Experimenting on a patch of your hair to see the full results beats out the unpredictability of the outcome. If you have somewhere to be urgently and want to color in those pesky grays, you should always use patches as a safety net to avoid dyeing disasters!
A pro-tip on how to color your hair at home like a professional is- applying a small amount of dye to a patch of your hair as a litmus test. Wait until it dries to picture the full color of the single-layer applied, and visualize if you would have to go in again with another layer or choose a different color altogether!
Section the Strands
Have you ever experienced those ghastly dye jobs where half the hair is natural and the other half is streaked with residual dye? That is what happens when you don’t take the time to dye your hair in sections! Sectioning your hair also ensures even coverage and absorption of dye throughout your head and provides the best results while coloring bleached hair. Use a fine comb to detangle and section your hair, then clip it into place when learning how to color your hair at home like a professional. Sectioning is essential if you are dyeing only the roots of your hair- an area otherwise impossible to reach uniformly with the dye applicator.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Dyeing your hair without a mirror is never a step in the booklet of how to dye your hair professionally at home. Just like the hairdresser holds up mirrors and offers you a good vantage point to see your hair, you should attempt to do the same at home. Having a partner help you by holding up a mirror to the back of your head ensures uniformly applied dye and, therefore, better results.
Getting every Hair-Root to Tip
Professional hair salon dye jobs and especially those done at home share a common problem- pesky, unsightly roots that begin growing out a few weeks down the line. What is the cardinal rule in how to color your hair at home like a professional? Keep up with root appointments! The frequency of root retouching differs from whether it was your first hair color or a routine retouching. Generally, a first-time hair dye requires re-touching every 4-8 weeks.Â
To maintain your hair gloss before and after, you should know that hair lengths are more porous and absorb color faster than roots, which take time to develop color. To maintain a glossy bounce to your hair after applying hair dye, apply at the roots first and then move downwards towards the hair strands. Start with a section of hair towards the front of your head, and use your brush or applicator to apply the dye.
Apply the dye meticulously, go over from root to length multiple thoroughly, making sure to dye the hairline and the parted section. Going from the roots to the lengths also guarantees maximum dye absorption in the most visible areas, notably your hairline and natural hair parts. Another crucial know-how of how to color hair at home like a professional is to not lather on dye, instead apply it like paint.
Lathering on the dye inevitably leads to run-off dye, which can strain your neck and hairline and look horrendous, along with being a nightmare to wash off! It’s worthwhile to remember that hair dyes contain corrosive chemicals, and applying more than needed will damage your hair.
Life’s Better Blonde
Going from a brunette or redhead to blonde is a big step- but if you want the iconic Monroe curls or the barbie-straight look, coloring your hair becomes a chore rather than an adventure. If you are indeed undertaking this Herculean task, there are some ground rules to keep in mind. Going blonde damages your hair. If you want to go blonder, that’s a safe undertaking, but if your hair is jet black, it will be hair fall galore!
If you love to live dangerously, what you need is blonde dye and blonde repair treatment- trust us, you will need the latter.
Step 1 in how to color your hair at home like a professional means full head of treatment- leave-in bleach and blonde hair dye. Choosing the correct blonde shade for your skin tone is also a must since we are sure you don’t want to look electrocuted. Prepare your workstation, mix your dyes, and start applying the bleach/color from the back of your head, working forward. Keep it away from your roots if you are a natural blonde, but if you are a brunette, you will have to bring the bleach in too close for comfort.
Massage in color or apply with the applicator. Let the dye sit for 30 minutes, but check on progress every 10 minutes. This prevents your hair from getting fried and allows you to switch things up before too much damage is done.
It’s normal to see bright orange or red tinges on your hair if you’re going from a brunette to a blonde. Knowing how to color your hair at home like a professional also involves knowing that if it burns, take it off your head! After 30 minutes of bleaching, apply the dye/solution to your hair and leave it on for an extra 10-30 minutes, depending on how light you want your hair to be.
The final step of coloring your hair at home– rinse a small patch of hair first- if it breaks, rinse your whole head immediately and get a protein treatment. You want to go blonde, not bald! A hair repair product will reverse some of the damage done to your hair. If you are happy with how the blonde has turned out, rinse the dye out, shampoo, and condition.
Do Away with the Salt and Pepper
Are you tired of breaking the bank trying to eradicate pesky grays in the salon? There are some mechanisms to adopt while learning how to color your hair at home like a professional that reduces the grays in your hair. The first option is adding highlights. This is not extremely easy to do at home but has the advantage of camouflaging your gray hair with the new tone of highlight. You can also look at other common ways on how to highlight your hair at home without a kit, such as cap highlights and scattered highlights. A common mistake made while highlighting your hair at home is the blotchy hairline that remains behind! For that reason, a hair glaze treatment is your best bet.
The best at-home hair glaze is semi-permanent, lasts around two months, and is relatively easy to do at home. Adding a hair glaze to the general coarse gray hair helps them look moisturized and blends them into your natural hair color.
Aftercare for Dyed Hair
Part of knowing how to color your hair at home as a professional is maintaining it- which is quite the task. You will save a pretty penny and have your hair look consistently spectacular if you do the following:
1. Correct products, better results
Reversing the damage done to hair after years of treatment isn’t plausible, but you can control the degree of damage if you use the correct products. Hair follicles are susceptible to heat and damage as your skin- treats them like your skin and notice a marked difference. Use sulfate-free, paraben-free, color preserver, shampoo, and conditioner. Get protein repair treatments if your hair looks too dry and frazzled.
2. Fix an Infrequent Wash Routine
Now that you know how to color your hair at home like a professional, you should space out your washing routine. Water and shampoo speed up the fading time of dye, and nobody has got time or money to attempt to color their hair every few days.
3. Conditionings and Glazes for the Win
A deep-cleansing conditioner preserves hair dye for as long as possible. It also reduces that electrocuted, dry and fried look by keeping your hair hydrated. Glazes and color-enhancing glosses give your hair a natural bounce and shine.
4. No Sun for You
Sunlight acts as a bleaching agent on hair dye, so keep out of the sun bare-headed. Wearing hats or carrying an umbrella can protect your hair dye from seeping away. If you understandably want to show off your at-home dye job, wear a UV protectant hair spray before going out in the sun.
FAQs – Don’t Suffer Alone
Is bleaching your hair permanent?
Dyes that don’t require bleaching are less permanent. However, hair bleaching is permanent because its aftermath is permanent. Bleach isn’t like dye, which clings to your outer hair and washes away over time. Instead, it is a chemical that lightens the natural melanin of your hair. This process can strip away natural oils, cause breakage to elements making up the hair follicles and shaft, and cause permanent hair damage.
Are roots dyed first or last?
The only situation where you should be coloring your roots first is when you are touching them up. How to color your hair at home like a professional? If your roots are darker or lighter than the dye, you should still start with the lengths.Â
At what age can I die my hair?
Dermatologists and hair specialists don’t recommend dyeing your kids’ hair below the age of 8. Even after age 8, it’s recommended that thorough testing be conducted for allergies and only semi-permanent dye be used. Older people, especially those past the age of 65, should also avoid hair dyes since it causes a further weakening of the hair roots.