Dyeing for a new color?

On the Today Show this morning, a professional hair stylist offered some, sort of helpful, tips on how to dye your hair at home.  Though I’m certainly not a professional stylist, I’ve logged hundreds of hours in my make-shift bathroom salon playing with every color from platinum blond to midnight blue. My current color of choice is vibrant red.  I’m having a lot of fun with this look and find that the shade makes me feel bright, fun, strong, sexy and a little bit like a rock star.

Red being the most notoriously difficult color to maintain without hideous fading, I’m an absolute advocate for getting your own hands dirty with goopy chemicals in the name of affordable vanity.  After calculating my savings, I’m dahlighted to report that I save on average $650 a year by playing beauty school student at home.

Below are some dye-it-yourself tips and tricks that I’ve learned, sometimes the hard way, over the years.  Please note that these tips are specifically for use with professional dyes found in beauty supply stores, and not for those dyes found in grocery and convenient stores.  Why?  Because the product is superior and the cost and difficulty level are about the same.  Most importantly, professional brands offer the most unique colors with countless shade options, so you can have more fun with it.  So without further delay, let’s get this party started!

Choose the right color

It’s probably the most obvious and seemingly most difficult step of the whole process.  And, it’s the most important thing to get right.  Identifying the best single shade to suit you when choosing between thousands of colors made by dozens of companies is a dramatic and daunting task.  But don’t let that intimidate you.

Knowing that it’s hard to envision how a color will work against my skin tone, I’ve been known to try on wigs to get an overall idea when making a dramatic or non-natural color change. To get my current color, which is a revved up take on a potentially natural color, I spent some valuable time in my stylist’s chair and let her find the perfect shade for me.

This is my most favorite tip that I learned a few colors ago.  By allowing a professional to be the original chemist, you will forgo self doubt, achieve a dynamic and modern color, and avoid a tearful reveal.  Once you have the right color, it is much easier to match your hair to the dyes available at the beauty supply store.

My new favorite brand of dye is Schwarzkopf’s Igora Royal.  Offering seasonal colors, their chemists are always researching and forecasting trends to ensure their colors are fashion-forward.  They offer the most vibrant colors I’ve found (not including Manic Panic and other punk dye brands).  I also find my hair is softer after coloring with Igora and somehow their product doesn’t satin my skin!

P.S.  once you’ve settled on the perfect color be sure to keep the box or color tube after using so you don’t risk buying the wrong color next time.  A hard lesson learned.

Invest in professional tools

Likely, you’ll only have to buy tools once and you will get a lifetime of use out of them, so definitely invest in the proper tools for the job.  Folica is a great source for beauty supplies and they have even packaged all the perfect coloring tools for easy and convenient purchase.

Dress for success

If you’re ever a bit spacey like me, you will find this tip to be a humongous help.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this mistake (I did it 2 weeks ago), and every time I want to kick my own ass.

WEAR A BUTTON DOWN SHIRT or, as my husband prefers, wear no shirt at all.  You don’t want to find yourself all amped up to rinse and reveal your new color only to find you can’t get your top off to shower.  I only hope that I’ll remember to take my own advice next time, and the next…

Follow the instructions on the box

Each brand will have their own recommendations, so this is one time in life that you’ll want to read the fine print.  Generically though, it’s safe to say that you should mix equal parts 20% peroxide with equal parts dye and leave it on virgin hair for 30 minutes.  I always opt for the non-drip peroxides as they create a thicker consistency that’s easier for me to work with.

You can always consult the sales person at your beauty supply shop if you have any doubt about the lift (peroxide volume) your natural hair will need in order to achieve the color you want.

P.S.  Don’t be afraid to open up the color box in the store after you’ve purchased it to confirm that you bought all the correct things you’ll need.  Its not fun getting preparing everything only to find out you have to make a trip back to the store for missing items.

Avoid stains…on your skin, floors, hands, walls, pets, bathtub…

Outline your hairline and ears with Vaseline to minimize skin stains but be careful not to get it on hairs you want to dye as it will impede the process.  I personally prefer being left with a slightly red halo outlining my hairline for the following day than be left with uncolored baby hairs.  There’s just something strange about a redhead pulling her hair up to expose blond temple and neck hair.

Have plenty of rags on hand, remove all good towels and fabrics from your salon space, and drape porous furniture with more rags.

Ensure your pets are safely in another room so as not to inadvertently dye their coat if begged for a belly scratch.  Or, for some of you out there, to avoid the urge to consciously dye their coat a fresh new shade.

Clean up all skin stains immediately using diluted nail polish remover.  I also find that Lava Soap works well, but that’s mainly due to its exfoliating properties.  Your floors, basins and walls may take a bleaching product to remove all traced of darker colors.

P.S.  tile grout is especially porous and if you’re like me, you’ll prefer taking a little time in preparation to cover it up than a lot of time, and sweat, scrubbing it later.

Section your hair evenly

This is really just to give you an organized map of your head.  When you have smaller areas to work with you can focus on one specific section without loose hair interrupting your work.

Apply the dye

You can choose to begin applying color to any section you want first, but I find that by working from back to front I minimize my messiness.  Evenly coat your brush by dipping it into the bowl and apply color from scalp to the end of virgin hair (you will only color the roots if you are dyeing your hair the same color as before).

Use the pointy end of the brush to neatly grab a paper thin amount of hair to paint.  Paint it, then fold it over the other painted mini sections.  Repeat dozens of times through each section until every single hair is covered.

Begin timing – see details below.

P.S.  It helps me to get a detailed look at my head under different lighting, so go outside with a mirror to get a second look.

P.P.S.  Once each section is thoroughly covered, you can use any remaining dye to arbitrarily paint vertical low/high-lights on your head.  No fear, the color will not set dramatically but will rather result in a more natural, highlighted look.

Time it

I try to work quickly, but thoroughly, and begin timing my color with the final stroke of the brush.  While some sections will obviously be sitting with color longer, good professional dyes ensure that the color processes evenly.

Rinse thoroughly

Rinse your head with cool water.  Apply a little water at first and work the dye into a lather to loosen it up after being caked onto your scalp for 30 minutes.  Be patient and rinse until the water runs clear.

Condition, condition, condition

Refer to your product’s specific instructions as some brands will advise against shampooing immediately after color application.  I can’t come up with much of a reason for this, but I am one who washes my hair only when absolutely necessary in order to preserve moisture and vibrant color.  Regardless of your shampooing preference, use a color heavy duty, super charged conditioner after coloring for sure.

Maintain your color

I mentioned above that I rarely use shampoo.  It may sound weird and gross, but I have very fine hair, that’s obviously color treated, and I’m always working against my hair’s natural inclination to frizz (and fritz) out.  Nothing looks worse to me than parched unhealthy locks regardless of the color, which is why I quickly ended my fascination for platinum hair.

This means that I wash my hair every 3 or 5 days, depending on my activity level, and I alternate between a gentle shampoo and a color enhancing shampoo.  Currently in my shower are Bumble and Bumble’s Gentle Shampoo and Davines Alchemic Shampoo in red.  For those in between days when I need a little refreshing but don’t want to shampoo, I will thoroughly rinse my hair with cool water and apply a light conditioner.

By washing with cool water, reducing your use of shampoos and detergents, conditioning with color depositing products, and avoiding too much time in harsh sun, you will succeed in maintaining that freshly dyed.  Just be sure to keep those roots up, and always be open to shade changes (even if they’re slight) to keep things fun and new.

I hope you’ve found some of my tips helpful, and please comment with anything you’d like to add.  I’m always looking to improve on my techniques.

Wishing you a luxuriantly colorful adventure that delivers an inspired and glowing new look.

xx  laura

Final P.S.  If you want to get a better understanding of the whole coloring process and all its geeky chemistry, check out the links available at Style Hair Magazine