You want to dye your hair brown. You drive to the nearest drug store like CVS, Target or even Walgreens. You buy the brown hair dye that comes in a box with ready to go instructions. You go home, read the instructions, mix the ingredients in a bottle and apply dye to hair. You wait 30 to 45 minutes. You have now dyed your hair brown. You have now dyed your hair at home. That is the simplest way to explain Do It Yourself hair dying. Do you really want to know how to dye your hair at home? Keep reading. Here are some essential steps to dying your hair.
1. Read the instructions that are given to you in the box. This will save you problems later.
2. The first thing to remember when dying hair is looking at the base color (the original color you have on your head). Chances are if you have dark hair (brown to black) and you want to go lighter, it will take multiple applications before you begin to see results (you might even have to bleach it). If you have light hair (blonde to brown) and you want to go darker, you might not have to leave the hair dye in for too long to get results. Quick tip: If you have medium to long hair, you might want to purchase two to three more bottles.
3. Make sure you are wearing a button down top that you no longer want to wear in public. By using a button down shirt, this gives you the decision of jumping straight into the shower or washing your hair in a tub without having to pull the shirt over your head while in hair dye mode.
4. Using a comb, start by separating your hair into four sections. Put the hair comb aside as you will need this later into the hair dying process. Tie the top two sections toward your forehead and the bottom two sections away from each other. Applying lotion around the crown of your face, behind your ears and around your neck is a good tip to preventing hair dye stains.
5. Once you’ve separated the sections and applied the lotion you can begin the process of mixing the ammonia and developer together. The home hair dye products make it easy. Just squeeze the tube of ammonia (hair dye mix) into the bottle which already has the developer (clear-glue like substance), shake and cut the top of the bottle applicator.
6. Apply the hair dye to the crown of your hairline, around the ears and the hairline on your neck. Take your top left section and apply hair dye to the roots. Repeat the same steps for the other sections. Once you’ve completed this portion, begin applying the dye to the remainder of the top left section until the ends are completely blended and moistened with hair dye. Repeat the steps for the other sections.
7. At this point, your hair should be completely filled with hair dye. Take the hair comb that you used to separate your hair into sections and comb through the sections. This will guarantee an even coat has been applied to all four sections.
8. Depending on the color of your hair, waiting time will be between 30 – 60 minutes. I usually look in the mirror every 15 minutes to check on the hair color. If you like what you see and feel certain that the hair dye has given you the color you want, wash off the hair dye in warm water. You can either wash your hair in the tub or shower. For first time hair dyer’s, I recommend using the hose in the tub if available.
9. Don’t forget to condition your hair for at least three minutes. This will soften your hair and prevent hair from drying out.
10. Dry dyed hair with towel and let air dry for 15 minutes. Make sure never to use a brush on wet hair. This will damage the hair and create split ends. Using a hair dryer and hair comb can quicken the hair drying process.
Congratulations on your new hair color. If you don’t like it, wait three months and try another hair dye color. One thing to consider is being open-minded to trying different products that are available on the internet or at your local drug store. You’ll be a pro in no time.
