Dying your own Hair

I don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to spend a lot of money on my hair. When I hear the price some people pay for simple haircuts or hair colour treatments, I am appalled. I prefer to do it myself!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about helping out small businesses. They will have it for my eyebrows and……um…...nope……..nothing else. I cut my hair, do my own nails and dye my own hair. This is how I save money.

Believe it or not, I’ve found the cheapest hair dye brand, Revlon to work effectively for me. I have tried L’oreal and Garnier and was very disappointed. I recently used L’oreal’s Bright Auburn. It was messy from the start, and the red kept washing out with each wash until my original colour resurfaced. Garnier took forever to change my hair colour and when the timeframe was complete, the change was barely noticeable. Revlon has never let me down. Perhaps the experience is due to my hair type? Let me know if you’ve had good experiences with L’oreal and Garnier below.

In this post, I wish to share a few tips for you who are thinking about dying your own hair.

#1

Wash your hair a day before dying hair to ensure that most of the oils are removed. I remembered a time when I disregarded washing out the products that were in my hair and realised that they acted as a barrier to my hair reacting to the dye. Unfortunately, the colour didn’t show up.

#2

You should always buy an additional box. So for my long hair, I use three boxes. It’s always better to have more than less since the excess can always be used to recoat your hair. In the event I don’t use the third, I keep it for hair root touch-ups in the future.

#3

Spread old newspapers on the floor and wear old clothing that can afford to get trashed. It’s ideal if you have a salon cape to cover your upper body. If you don't, a simple garbage bag will work. It can get messy and you don’t want to spend too much time cleaning up after.

#4

Don’t keep a hair dye in your hair too long. I know it can be tempting to wait longer than the stipulated time to see an emerging colour that you want. I strongly advise against it. You can severely damage your hair. If you don’t see the colour coming in after the allotted timeframe given in the specific instructions, wash your hair and wait for it to dry in order to properly re-assess its actual colour. If you still aren’t satisfied, colour again in a month or two! It’s better to have the option to colour again than have brittle and weakened hair.

#5

Don’t start colouring at the top of your hairline in front of your face! I’ve paid a dear price for this poor decision many times in the earlies…..It’s the worst thing when you end up with very light hair at the top and darker shades at the base. It is better if the error occurs the other way around. I recommend you start at the ends of your hair and work your way up. Many times, the virgin hair roots easily absorb and react with the chemical dyes, and tend to change faster. Regardless, try to move fast when you are colouring. The aim is for all areas of your hair to look generally even.

#6

If you have black or very dark, and thick hair, choose a colour two shades lighter than the colour you actually want. Be very careful with this as different people have different hair types and this may not work for everyone. If I want a medium to light brown shade, I usually choose light blonde shades. In the end, I get the colour I want.

Share your experiences and tips below! I look forward to reading them J