Did you know over 43 million women in the United States dye their hair?
Women dye their hair for a variety of reasons, such as covering gray hairs or switching up their style. A visit to the hair salon can set you back a few hundred dollars, but what about box hair dye?
If you’re ready to dye your hair at home, you came to the right place. Read on to get started.
Should You Dye Your Hair at Home?
Although many people think you have to go to a hair salon to get your hair colored, you can achieve a great hair color at home. Dyeing your hair at home is also pretty safe unless your hair has been relaxed or permed it recently.
As long as you follow these tips below, you can achieve a great hair color.
1. Get the Right Shade
Before you start applying the hair color, you need to select the right shade. When you arrive at the drug store, you will notice all of the boxes arranged by color.
Try to find the box that matches your hair color the best. Once you find it, you can pick the shade two boxes down on either side.
Applying this technique will ensure you get the best color possible. If you decide two go more than two shades lighter or darker, you might not achieve the desired color.
2. Buy Two Boxes
Once you have selected your desired shade, you should buy two boxes. Even if you have short hair, you never know how fast your hair will absorb the color. If you have thick porous hair, you could end up using the entire box and some.
However, if you already have medium and long hair, chances are you will need more than one box.
As long as you keep the receipt, you can always return the box you don’t use.
3. Don’t Get Creative With the Shades
No matter what you do, don’t mix multiple shades to achieve a custom color. Only professional colorists know how to work the color wheel. Mixing two different boxes of hair color is not how hair colorists achieve the desired color.
If you decide to mix two shades, you never know what you will end up with. Leave the color to the professionals and stick to a single color box.
4. Perform a Strand Test
Although this might seem like a time-consuming and unnecessary step, you should perform a strand test.
Dyeing your hair a different color is a big risk when you don’t know how it’s going to turn out. Before you commit to coloring your entire head, perform a strand test.
Grab a strand of hair that is hidden and color it. Once you wash it off and you blow dry it, you will get an idea of what it’s going to look like.
If you don’t like how the hair turns out, then you just saved yourself from having bad hair. However, if you like the color, then you can proceed with the rest of your hair.
5. Wear the Right Attire
At the salon, you can get away with wearing regular clothes because your colorist works clean and protects your clothes.
It’s important you wear old clothes that are easy to take off if you can choose an old button-down shirt or put on an old robe.
It’s not a bad idea to lay down a garbage bag to protect your bathroom floor. If you spill hair color, make sure you clean it right away to avoid stains.
6. Protect Your Skin
Do you want to walk around with hair dye on your forehead for a few days until it washes off?
Protecting your skin from hair dye is quite easy and simple. All you need to do is glide chapstick along your hairline.
The chapstick will act as a barrier between the hair dye and your skin. You only need to use a small amount.
7. Read the Instructions
Because you’re not a professional hairstylist, it’s important you familiarize yourself with the instructions. Don’t think it’s as easy as mixing it all together and applying.
Make sure you also read the warnings.
8. Get an Extra Pair of Gloves
Although the box comes with a pair of plastic gloves, it’s best if you get a pair of latex gloves. You will need to wear them as you apply the hair color to protect your skin.
Some people like to also wear gloves when they wash the dye off their hair.
9. Prepare the Mixture and Your Hair
To prepare your hair for coloring, you need to make sure it’s dry, and you brush it through. Don’t dye your hair when it’s wet, or else the hair dye might get diluted, and the color will not turn out as well as it should.
If your hair is wet, make sure you dry your hair. Make sure you know how to dry your hair, so it’s easy to work with.
Once your hair is ready, you need to mix the color. Although the box comes with a squeeze-in applicator, try not to use it. Instead of using the applicator, you should get a mixing bowl and a brush, which you can get at any beauty store.
You will get a more professional result if you use a brush.
10. Start Applying the Product
Start applying the hair dye at the roots since it’s the least damaged hair. Also, your roots need the longest processing time.
Separate the hair in small sections and apply the color all over your head, starting at the roots. Once the roots are done, you can comb it through the rest of your hair.
After you’re done applying, make sure you use two mirrors to ensure you covered your entire head.
The last step is to wait for the color to process and wash it off.
Time to Rock the Box Hair Dye
Now that you know how to achieve a great hair color using box hair dye, you’re ready to transform your hair. Start by getting the right shade, perform a patch test, get the right tools, and prepare your hair.
If you enjoyed these DIY tips and would like to learn more, check out the rest of our blog.
