SO YOU WANT TO DYE YOUR HAIR!
The dyes in the photos above (from top left, going clockwise):
Stargazer Purple and Special Effects Napalm Orange, Punky Color Turquoise, Special Effects Cupcake Pink and Napalm Orange, Directions Lavender, Directions Fluorescent Glow mixed with Directions Bright Daffodil, and Napalm Orange.
General advice
My only real advice for hair dying, and you’d think I’d have more after dying my hair for over a year, is:
- leave the dye in way longer than it says. 15 minutes? More like sleep with a bag over your hair. Or, if you’re impatient like me, an hour and a half minimum.
- Otherwise, though, just follow the directions and you’ll be fine.
- The best way to get even color coverage is to have even bleached coverage. I know it’s difficult to get your whole head the same tone (of any color), especially if you’re doing it yourself - ask a friend to help you!
- Try not to use a lot of shampoo to keep the color in there longer. But don’t skimp out on the conditioner! The more the better, really. And comb it through every time you shower. It’ll keep your hair soft and the color strong.
- Yes, I think pastels look good on tanned skin ( get this ? a lot). In fact I think bright and pastel colors look beautiful on people of all colors!!
Gradient color
One of the most frequent questions I get about my hair (and one of the hardest to answer) is about gradient colors. I am by no means an expert on the matter. But, having successfully faded pink into orange and lavender into pink into orange…I thought I’d do my best to explain my tips and tricks.
Firstly, I’ve done these gradient styles out of necessity rather than preference, mostly. By that I mean that my hair was fragile and I didn’t want to bleach the tips, so I just bleached my roots and it turned out like this! It’s a good approach because if you have two freshly dyed colors, the likelihood of them mixing in the shower and messing up the color(s) is higher (although I’ve seen lots of lovely ladies do it perfectly).
As for fading into another color: COMB IT. Just comb the dye at the top into the bottom so it’s less harsh of a change in tone. It’ll do most of the work for you when you wash the dye out and it bleeds a bit around the edges.
I hope I’ve helped at least a tiny bit! The most important thing to remember is it’s just hair. Meaning it will grow back if you damage it, the color will wash away if you don’t like it, and your confidence is the most important thing. HAVE FUN.
- Celia
