Dying or colouring your hair at home can be a somewhat thorny subject. With the straggly, orange-haired survivors of failed attempts being visible on the street every time you leave the house, you may be understandably nervous about home dye treatments.
Our honest opinion is that a professional hair salon should always be your first port of call when you decide to go for a new hair colour. However, this isn’t always practical or affordable, and with a little care and attention there’s no reason why you can’t produce excellent results at home, as long as you use salon quality products and a little care. Here are our tips on how to dye your hair at home in a sensible manner, which won’t leave you with a result that can only be repaired with a buzz-cut.
Wash your hair 24 hours before
This allows the dye to bind to your hair more effectively. Whilst you generally shouldn’t condition before dying, if you have naturally dry hair you should use a conditioner from a reputable manufacturer such as Aveda or Moroccanoil every night for a week before you dye your hair. This will prevent the dye formula from drying out your hair further and damaging it.
Protect Your clothes and Home
Dye has a real tendency to cause permanent discolouration to anything it comes into contact with. Wear old clothes you don’t care about and cover any nearby surfaces during the dying process.
Brush Your Hair
Using a professional quality brush, such as one from Kent Salon, thoroughly brush your hair. This will ensure that the dye binds to your hair evenly, and also makes it easier to apply the formula.
Take Due Precautions
In order to avoid walking around with blonde/brunette/neon green hands for the next week, ensure you wear gloves during the entire process. Also, carefully read any instructions that come with the formula, and follow them to the letter.
Separate your Hair
Using a comb, separate your hair into four sections and clip them in place. This makes it considerably easier to apply the dye, and ensure that no areas are missed.
Apply the Dye
Making sure you apply the dye at least half an inch from your roots, use your applicator bottle to start dying your hair. Once applied, manually work it into your hair with your gloved hands. Work it in really well, otherwise you run the risk of merely colourising the top layer of hair, and losing the vibrancy of your new colour within a few days.
Wash your Hair
Waiting until the complete process time is up, start to rinse your hair. The colour will most likely run in the shower for your first wash, but don’t worry, this is completely normal. After an hour, wash your hair using a reputable shampoo and conditioner such as those sold by Neal and Wolf.
After that, all you need to do is dry and style your hair, and appreciate your colourful new look!
Dying your hair can be a nerve-wracking process. If you have any questions about which products would best suit your hair type, contact Quartz Hair and Beauty on 01606 330 866 or email us at contact@quartzhairandbeauty.co.uk, and our team of professionals will be happy to offer their advice.
