Are you fed up with spending big bucks on coloring session at salon and want to do it yourself at your home then here are the tips which will help you to apply the hair dye in a correct manner without spilling the dye on your clothes or floor.
Wash your hair 1 or 2 days before dyeing
Washing your hair prior to dyeing is necessary so that the color you are using stick to your hair and not on the dirt on your hair. This practice also allows the fresh production of natural oil in your hair which will help in easy binding of the pigment to your hair. Thus, the color will blend more naturally and stay for long time. Try to avoid conditioner after washing as it eliminates the natural oil which is needed for color binding. If you have extremely dry hair then condition your hair regularly for a week before dyeing by spending at least five minutes in a hot shower. Don’t condition your hair a day before dyeing as this will prevent your hair from drying out after dyeing.
Choose right hair color
There are many shades available in the market and if you are confused about choosing the right color for you as it is your first time then it is better to go for not more than two shades away from your natural color. You can also opt for temporary or semi permanent dye if you are doing it for first time so that in case you mess things up then you need not to live with the unfortunate result for long time. The lifespan of temporary dye is 6 – 12 shampoos while for semi permanent dye, it is 20 – 26 shampoos. Permanent dye doesn’t wash and stay until your hair grows out or you change your hair color. Therefore, choose the type of dye with care. If you are using temporary or semi permanent dye then you should damp your hair before applying dye on hair as it helps in the dyeing process.
Protect your clothes and house surfaces from staining
You would not want to spend rest of your time in removing stains from your clothes or floor after dyeing. Therefore, cover any surface with newspaper which might get stains on it and always keep paper towel to remove the spills. Wear an old top or t-shirt during dyeing because you can easily get stains on your clothes.
Cover your shoulders with a towel
Use a dark colored towel to put around your shoulders to catch any drip off from hair during dyeing. Secure the towel in front of you with the help of a safety pin or clip. You can also use a color cape which you can purchase at beauty supply store.
Remove tangles from hair
Brush your hair thoroughly to remove any tangles because if any hair remained tangled will become more tangled during dyeing and thus not get colored properly. Apply the dye when there are no tangles left in your hair. This practice will make dyeing easier and hair will get evenly dyed.
Coat the skin near to hair before dyeing
Apply a small amount of Vaseline, lip balm, any type of moisturizing cream or the conditioner provided in the kit to your forehead, ears and hairline on your neck. This practice will protect your skin from staining because the if any staining happens by mistake then the dye will not stick to your skin but it will get to the cream and then you can easily wash it off when you are done.
Wear protective gloves
Wear gloves before coloring your hair to protect your hands from staining. Generally, gloves are provided with the coloring kit but if it is not provided then you can use gloves made up of rubber, vinyl or latex. You can also use disposable surgical plastic gloves.
Mix the dye in a bottle or bowl
Most coloring kits come with a mixing bottle and you have to follow the direction given on the kit in order to mix the ingredients in the bottle. If your kit doesn’t provide a mixing bottle then you can use a bowl to mix the ingredients. Some dyes need to be mixed with the developer so that the color can get activated. Although, the developer is generally included in the kit but if your kit doesn’t have the developer then you can buy it from local medical store. If you are buying developer then choose a 20 % developer.
Separate your hair in four sections
Separate your hair in four sections by using large salon clips which you can easily get on local beauty store or drugstore. This method will help you in dyeing your hair evenly and without missing any patch of hair.
Start coloring from hairline
It is very important to color your hairline first if you don’t want to make the difference between your original color and dye noticeable to people. Therefore, color half inch of your hairline before coloring rest of hair.
Apply color to hair sections
Release one section of hair from the salon clip and make smaller subsections of it to dye your hair evenly. Use bottle or brush to apply dye on your hair and use your gloved fingers to work on the dye. If you have never dyed before then start applying the dye about an inch from your roots. In case of touch ups, apply the dye about half an inch from your roots. Use your gloved fingers to dye the hair in deep regions so that you not just simply dye the top layer.
Set timer as per the instruction
Follow the time give on the kit and don’t rinse the color before minimum time or let the color stay past the maximum time. If you have lots of gray hair then you can leave the hair for maximum amount of time. Never leave the hair after maximum time as it can dry out your hair and cause severe skin irritation.
Heat the color
When you are done with dyeing process then put all your hair in a shower cap or simple plastic bag. The color reacts better with your hair when your hair is heated a bit.
Wash the color
Wash your hair with a color protection shampoo and apply a color protection conditioner afterwards. Don’t freak out if you see color running out as it is totally normal and you have not messed up anything. Apply the conditioner to head and to the entire length of your hair as your hair needs extra care after coloring.
Dry your hair
Let your hair dry naturally or you can blow dry on medium heat. Don’t style or use flat iron on it as it has just been colored.