Slight Case of Insanity

As a follow up to my previous post Colour me a Rainbow! (A history of hair colour) I thought I would go through how I dye my own hair, as I know there are many different methods out there, and I would like to pass on my experiences to you to save you the stress and hair loss I have endured in my experimentation.

**Before I start, please be aware this is how I dye MY hair. If you follow my methods and your hair falls out or turns some nasty colour, I take no responsibility. Serves you right for being a moron and following the instructions of a completely anonymous and slightly crazy person you don‘t even know. If in doubt, go to a professional. And remember, different products will turn out differently from person to person, and even from use to use. This is simply what works (and doesn’t) for me and my hair.**

HAIR COLOUR:

You will need:

• The desire to stand out and be regularly stared at by complete strangers.
• Hair dye. If you have long or very thick hair (like me), you’ll probably need 2 lots.
• Wide-toothed comb (Not metal!!).
• Large plastic bowl (Not metal!!) that you don‘t mind destroying.
• Tint brush (optional).
• Latex gloves.
• Plastic hair clips.
• Plastic shower cap or Gladwrap.
• Old towel you aren’t particularly fond of.
• Old t-shirt you aren’t particularly fond of.

1. I always wash my hair before I re-dye it. I normally use an anti-dandruff shampoo as this removes more residual hair dye than regular shampoo. I do not condition my hair before dyeing. Conditioner leaves a coating on the hair strands and will stop hair dye from penetrating  into the hair effectively. Simply shampoo and towel dry your hair.

2. If you like your floors (and walls and sink), I suggest you cover them with old towels or something as I guarantee they WILL get dye on it, no matter how careful you are. This also helps to reduce the cleaning up required afterward.

3. Put on your old shirt and I normally also wrap an old towel around my shoulders and fasten it with a clip for extra protection.

4. Make sure not to dry your hair too much. Just a quick towel dry. Most hair colours are done on damp hair. This also makes it easy to spread the dye through and reduces tangles. If your hair is thick (as mine is) I normally give it a quick comb through now to remove tangles to make it easier to apply dye to later.

5. Section your hair into 4 sections; 2 on top and 2 on the bottom. Obviously if your hair is particularly thick, you should do more sections. Clip three up out of the way, leaving one underside section hanging down ready to be dyed first.

6. Put on a pair of latex gloves.

7. Pour dye into plastic bowl. It is easier to get it out of a bowl than from a tube or bottle when applying. Mix if required.

8. You can apply dye one of two ways; I usually just use my fingers as I find I can massage it in better, alternatively you can use the tint brush to brush it on. Whichever you feel more comfortable doing.

9. Starting with the section of hair you left hanging, start applying hair dye. I start at the roots and work my way towards the ends. If you are going a drastically different colour, you may want to start at the ends, as regrowth (un-dyed hair) will absorb dye faster than previously dyed hair, so you will want it on the ends for a longer time than on the roots. If you do it this way, do the same for each section then go back and apply to roots about halfway through dye processing time.

10. After applying dye over the whole section, and making sure you cannot see any missed spots, give that section a good comb through to make sure each strand is coated evenly. Don’t forget to check the underside and all around the hairline to make sure you haven’t missed any.

11. Repeat with the second underside section of hair. Once you have done the same for this section as the first, I recommend combing the two dyed sections together to make sure it is all covered.

12. Do the same again for each section of hair until you have applied the dye to all your hair. Make sure you comb it all through as you complete each section to ensure it is even.

13. Now go over your hair again and make sure there are no missed spots. Also make sure you have got all your hairline, not forgetting the fluffy side-burn bits of hair and those annoying wisps at the back of your neck. Pay special attention to your hairline around your forehead and around your ears.

14. You should still have some dye left in your bowl at this point. You are going to want to coat your whole hair in more dye. Yes, you heard me, MORE dye. I normally give my hair a good squish around, massaging it in (which also helps make sure the roots are coated completely). Slop on that extra dye until your hair is practically dripping (which it probably will be by this stage).

15. Pile all your hair up on top on your head and fasten with clips so it’s secure and not going to fall down and get hair dye over everything.

16. Now, take your shower cap and put it on over your hair and the clips, making sure it covers all your hair to protect the outside world from your chemical concoction.  If you don’t have a shower cap, use Gladwrap, as I do. Simply pull out a decent amount of it and wrap it around your head a few times (without covering your face!). I also use a few bobby pins to help keep it in place.

17. Yay! You’ve survived the hardest bit! Now is when I recommend you get cleaning, quick smart, on yourself and the bathroom. Do it now or you won’t be able to get it off. I promise you. Hopefully your towels etc have protected most things but there are always casualties. To get dye of the sink, I have found either nail polish remover or makeup remover work best for anything you can’t get off with hot water and soap. Scrub around your hairline, neck and ears (and anywhere else you managed to get dye) with warm soapy water. If this doesn’t work, go for the nail polish remover. Sometimes it will take a good hard scrub to get off but it’s better than the alternative.

18. Some people recommend applying heat to your hair at this time. I don’t normally do this. I figure after the torture you have already put your hair through, the least you can do is just let it relax for now. I honestly don’t think heat makes that much of a difference. But if you feel the urge, go for it.

19. Now to wait. Get comfy. Put on a long movie. Find a good book, because you will be like this for awhile. Most dyes say to leave in for 40 minutes on average. If you actually want bold colour, as well as colour that lasts, I suggest AT LEAST 2 hours. I have left dye in anywhere between 1-5 hours. It will not harm your hair to leave it in for longer (obviously within reason), and I have found it makes a huge difference in how long the colour will last.

20. After waiting as long as you’re prepared to wait, you can go wash it out now (was that a cheer I heard?). Take off the plastic and remove all the clips and jump into the shower (you can take your clothes off first, but that is completely up to you). Your hair will be pretty set so I normally add a little bit of water to it first and massage it through until it softens, and then rinse it out. Try to have the water warm, not too hot, as more dye will be washed out in hotter water unnecessarily. This rinsing can take ages. Keep rinsing until the water coming out of your hair has minimal colour in it, or as long as you can stand, whichever comes first.

21. I do shampoo my hair at this point. It just helps get out any remaining excess dye, and will help protect your pillowcases! Instead of conditioner, I use a hair masque. The best I have found is “Goldwell Colourglow Bright Shine Hair Masque”. Leave it in for the recommended time and rinse. I also always rinse my hair (after every wash) in straight cold water. This closes the hair cuticles and helps protect colour as well as helping your hair to really shine.

22. Dry your hair carefully. Just dab/squeeze it, without being too rough. Be nice to it, it’s been through a lot if it’s anything like mine. It’s earned some respect for not all falling out. I always leave my hair to dry naturally, as blow drying weakens it more. I also put in a leave-in conditioning treatment and comb it through gently.

And voila; beautiful, bold hair colour. Now go clean up the mess you’ve made!

Tagged as Bleaching, Blueberry Hill, Colour, Dye, Fudge, Goldwell, Hair, Hair Dye, Hair Product, Pretty Flamingo, Purple Haze, Raspberry Beret, Red Corvette, Redken, TRESemme, WAKK Stain + Categorized as Everything Hair, Me, myself and I