While there are many perks to colouring your hair at a salon, sometimes you’ll find yourself in a situation where you have to do it at home. Maybe you had to choose between shoes and professional highlights, and this month, those killer heels were just that much more important. I’ll be honest, girls, DIY dye jobs can be a disaster but if you follow these 8 steps to successful home hair colour, you’ll have yourself looking glam with minimal fuss.
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Don’t Pre-Wash
Home hair colours don’t go well onto very clean hair. For best results, make sure you haven’t washed yours in a couple of days. This will ensure the dye coats every strand allowing for an all-over even application.
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Quality is Key
Colouring your hair at home costs just a tiny fraction of the price of getting it professionally done even if you buy the most expensive dye on the shelf. Make sure you go for a reputable brand, and if you’re worried, get the opinion of a hairdresser before you hit the shops.
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Pick the Right Shade
If you’re keen to go for a dramatically different look, ladies, it’s probably a good idea to go to the hair dresser. Home hair colour should be used for subtle lightening and darkening, not for going from chocolate brown to platinum blonde.
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Wear Protective Clothing
Not a chemical hazard suit, ladies, but definitely something old that you don’t mind getting ruined. Try to wear something that you won’t need to pull over your head if you’re planning on rinsing out the dye by simply jumping in the shower.
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Face Value
Apply a layer of thick, water-based cold cream to your forehead and ears. This will prevent the dye from sinking into your skin and colouring your face. If you do happen to get some of the product on your skin, massage the spot with warm soapy water until the marks begin to fade.
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Be Systematic
Divide your hair into sections with a wide toothed comb and clip these up with crocodile or butterfly grips before you even mix up the dye. Systematically work through each of these, ensuring you coat the hair from root to tip.
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Be Neat
Be sure to keep your bathroom, or wherever it is that you choose to do your colouring, relatively tidy in the process. There is a time limit to how long dye should be on your hair and so you can’t spend half an hour looking for a tool you can’t find because the room looks like a bomb hit it!
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Follow Instructions
Take extra care to read the printed instructions in the box from beginning to end and follow these to the letter. This is especially important if you’re using a new product for the first time. Not all dyes are the same, and this one might have a shorter leave-in period than your normal product. Since colour intensifies the longer it stays on your hair, you really need to know when you’re supposed to wash it out.
There we have it girls: 8 steps to successful home hair colour. Do you have any tips to share?
Top Photo Credit: Kennedy Garrett
