Note: Tons of people say that the only “safe” way to dye
your hair is to have a pro do it for you.
If you’re really concerned about the risk of hair damage, I wouldn’t recommended
that you do it yourself. However, most folks
should be able to do it without a problem.
I’m not a professional hair stylist, so take my advice with a grain of
ale. However, I have been dyeing my own
hair for several years now.
Using natural hair colors:
Aside from Platinum blonde, dyeing your hair a natural color
is the best and easiest option. Most pharmacies
will have several options of red, brown, blonde, and black hair dye in various
shades and tones. You can also purchase different colors like blue-black and
burgundy.
You can purchase natural hair dye in semi-permanent and
permanent colors. Semi-permanent dyes are less likely to damage your hair than
permanent dye. While permanent dye opens
your hair follicles and therefore actually changes the color of the hair (and
doesn’t wash out), semi-permanent simply stains your hair with a color that gradually
washes out over one to six weeks. If you
want a lighter hair color than your natural color, then semi-permanent hair dye
is not a great option, because it stains, and does not alter the actual color
of the hair the same way permanent dye does.
Using unnatural hair colors:
Because hair doesn’t come in too many natural colors, people
get the urge to do something different. Obviously,
there are no natural occurrences of permanent bright red, blue, green, orange,
or pink dyes in nature.
If your hair is a naturally light shade, you can achieve some
of these unnatural colors without any pre-processing (e.g. bleaching), however,
the color won’t last nearly as long as it does when you add color to bleached
hair. Perhaps surprisingly, the damage to
the hair from bleach allows the semi-permanent vegetable dyes to stick to the
hair for a longer period of time, although they too will wash out over time. Your new hair color will also be a more vibrant
shade when applied to bleached hair.
The four major manufacturers of unnatural dye are: Manic Panic, Raw Color, Special
Effects, and Punky Colors. There are
tons of different shades available, ranging from green and turquoise and purple
to pink, blue, red, yellow, and orange.
They’re all good options – it just depends on what type of look you’re
going for.
Once you’ve made a decision regarding whether to bleach your
hair before dyeing, you then apply the new, unnatural color.
Important note #1: Follow the directions if you use bleach!
Thankfully, applying it is simple. The unnatural dyes come in
either a cream or paste form, which you apply to your hair by hand.
Important note #2: Semi-permanent dye stains your hair, and
can therefore also stain your clothes, skin, towels, or any other porous
material that it may come into contact with.
Be careful. One
helpful tip is to cover your ears and hairline with petroleum jelly (e.g.
Vaseline) before applying the semi-permanent dye. This creates a barrier between your skin and the
dye.
Finally, apply the hair dye.
Important Note #3: If you’re looking for a very vibrant, shocking style, you
will actually want to ignore the package directions. Instead of letting it sink in for 15 minutes,
as the package will often tell you, you should actually let it go for 4-6 hours
– or even 10 hours, for that matter, if you’re really going for a punk-rock
look. These dyes are vegetable based and
will be staining your hair, so they won’t do damage. Actually, they may even help condition your
hair after the bleaching, because they coat your hair with color and as a
result, make hair thicker and more vibrant. To be clear, 15 minutes isn’t going to do much
except add a little subtle color, and I know this from experience.
A special note regarding black dye:
Dyeing your hair black is a big deal and a serious
commitment. Although you can strip black dye out of your hair, this is a tough process
that can damage your hair. So my word of
advice is to really make up your mind and be certain that you really want black
hair before choosing black as your color.
And a note on blonde and bleach blonde kits:
Bleaching and blonding can also do real harm to your hair. You
shouldn’t let the bleach remain on your hair for too long. While I recommend
letting the hair dye sink in longer than the recommendations – you should NOT let
the bleach remain on your hair for a longer period of time than the
manufacturer recommends. After bleaching,
you should apply a high quality conditioner to your hair.
The key thing to keep in mind when dyeing your own hair is
this: you know your own hair better than any one. Is it damaged or dry? Do you think it can
withstand dyeing without getting damaged?
If you don’t know the answer to this question, then I recommend you buy
a high quality conditioner and conditioning treatments and re-assess after a
week or two. If you’re still not sure,
then it’s probably time to consult with a professional. Above all, have with your
hair!
The author of this article is affiliated with Shoutmouth.com, an
emo community covering
emo music bands, fashion, and more.
