Before dyeing your hair at home, consider these stylist-approved tips
Whether you’re on a budget or don’t have time to sit in the hair salon, sometimes dyeing your hair at home is your best option for changing up your hair color.
If you're adamant on skipping the salon, you don’t need to sacrifice achieving salon-quality results. But if you're ready and willing to take matters into your own hands, there’s a few things to consider.
Is box dye ever a good idea?
If you’re dead set on coloring your own hair, proceed with caution if you’re tempted by that $15 box dye. No matter the shade, it’s always best to use professional-grade hair color, recommends David Connor, a stylist and owner of ANTI-GRAVITY salon in New Orleans. Lower-quality hair colors contain direct dyes, which have a greater likelihood of staining your skin and fade much faster than professional-grade products. Ideally, find a color that’s formulated with low amounts of ammonia, or none at all. Bonus points if it contains extra conditioning agents that will help nourish the hair while the color is still processing, Connor says.
Should you have clean hair on color day?
It’s true that the scalp’s natural oils can counteract potential irritation, but if you’re someone who regularly uses products like root cover-up spray or thick, moisture-rich conditioner, you could run into some problems. If you haven’t shampooed thoroughly enough, buildup that’s accumulated on the scalp can create a barrier between your hair and the hair dye. So, once the color is applied, it can lead to inconsistencies in the coverage, and make the hair look hollow.
Invest in the right tools
What’s the difference between a successful color application versus a botched dye job? There are many factors at play, but investing in the right tools is one of them. “Generally, the applicator brush and bowl that comes in the at home kit is very low quality,” Connor says. So, if you're truly committed to coloring your hair on your own, he suggests purchasing a professional grade brush and hair color bowl.
Is the strand test really that important when dyeing hair?
Step one to avoiding a colossal color mishap: Please don’t forget to read the directions on your dye kit of choice. If you apply the dye throughout your hair without actually knowing how it’s going to process or oxidize, your at-home color experiment could end quickly in disappointment, Connor notes. On top of that, strand tests are crucial for identifying if you have an allergy or sensitivity to a product, helping to prevent further scalp irritation or damage to your hair. “So, I always recommend doing a small color patch in the back of the hair near the occipital bone, just to see what the color would look like before it's applied everywhere,” he says.
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How to get the best results with at-home hair dye
Use a color barrier. Apply it to the skin around the hairline, but be careful to not cover your baby hairs. It’s also a good idea to apply the color barrier to your ears, he suggests.
Section the hair before application. If you begin brushing the dye into the hair without sectioning it out first, color inconsistencies could arise. To avoid any potential mishaps, start by separating the hair into four quadrant sections. Then, work quadrant by quadrant from the back of your head to your front hairline.
Let your hair down during color processing. Despite misconception, you don’t need to touch, move or wrap the hair during color processing. After the color is applied, pull it back loosely and away from the face, Connor recommends. If you’re coloring gray hair, this is especially important.
Follow-up with a hydrating hair mask. Once you’ve rinsed and shampooed the color from your hair, follow it up with a hair mask that will hydrate and repair the hair.
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How do you get hair dye off of skin?
Coloring your hair on your own is always going to be a little messy, and despite even the best of attempts to prevent dye from staining your skin, it’s sometimes inevitable. The good news: Color removers formulated for the skin make it a fairly seamless process to fade the stains. These products typically come in liquid form, but Connor has also seen them available to purchase as small pads.
At the end of the day, dyeing your hair at home is no small feat. If you’re not happy with your at-home results, it could take multiple color correction appointments with a stylist to meet your desired hair goal, which is why Connor always recommends visiting a salon to change up your hair color. However, taking everything into consideration, it’s definitely possible to do this at home.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How do you get hair dye off of skin? More hair color, dye FAQs