home hair dyeing tips

i am a home hair dye junkie. my hair started going white at 14. yes white, never grey. i was terribly embarrassed. while living with my parents, i was not allowed to dye my hair other than the occassional use of lemon juice or sun in which did give me slight auburn highlights but did nothing to cover the white hair coming in. once in college and out of my parent's house, i took the opportunity to dye my hair not only to cover the white but to experiment with other colors. orginally, i started out with shades of brown and red, but since i've had pretty much every color from jet black to platinum blond. me in high school in the bugs bunny sweater(remember the 90s now) with my boring brown hair

jet black march of sophmore year of college

one of my fave shades of red back in march of '04 growing my hair out which explains the completely uncute cut

multitonal hair descending from platinum blond to orangish shade not sure what i was thinking here, but it was not too long after one of my stays at the crazy house

very light red almost orange

couldn't find any of the platinum blond and there have been several other shades of brown and red. here's a closeup of the color i did last friday evening.

along the way, i've learned a few things about home dye jobs. its a great way to save money if done well. you can either buy it in a kit at a drug store, grocery, etc or go to a beauty supply store like sally's and get the individual components. so, here are my tips:

• if in doubt, get a friend to help you out. it really can be fun to have a hair dye party. i don't recommend this as a time to take pics except before and after pics. trust me, no one wants pics of themself with their dyed hair piled up atop their head.
• if possible, take off your bra. hair dye can easily seep through your shirt and ruin a perfectly pretty bra and with as expensive as they are who wants a ruined bra. even a little drop is enough to piss me off.
• even better invest in a cape. you can find them at beauty supply stores for a couple of bucks, and it will save you ruining some clothes.
• if you have thick hair, you may need to buy multiple boxes or bottles. unless my hair is super short, i always need to get two boxes for full coverage.
• they sell color remover if you get any on your skin in the same aisle as the hair color. but, you can also use ash mixed with water to remove the color on your skin on the cheap.
• hair dye will permanently dye just about anything it comes in contact with. if your going to do it at home in your bathroom especially if you have a small bathroom, some touchup paint can be your friend. if you get it on your sink though, you can usually prevent staining by immediately and i mean immediately wiping it up. if it even sets as long as it takes to finish dyeing your hair, you may have staining.
• dyeing your hair darker or red will improve the health of your hair but lightening is damaging. if you lighten, you really need to condition and use special oil treatments to keep up the health of your hair and prevent it turning to straw.
• if you are covering grey or white hair, you must be sure to look for product formulated to cover it or you will end up with uneven results. i learned this lesson the hard way buying clairol hydrience which is not for grey coverage and ended up with grape purple roots. i had to redye my hair to cover them up.
• it really is worth it to buy shampoo and conditioner specially formulated for colored hair. they are special formulated to protect your hair from uv damage and prevent fading.
• i have a special towel i use for when i dye my hair that way i don't ruin any other towels. mine is already red, and i have used it for almost 15 years now.
• combing your hair once you have applied the dye is a good way to distribute the dye to the ends.
• if you buy a kit and like the way the color turns out, keep the box end which has the brand and number. that way the next time you go to buy you can easily get the same color again.
• hair dye always stinks even if it is amonia free. so, turn the bathroom fan on.