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How to dye your hair at home: Experts reveal tops tips
1 April 2020, 13:15 | Updated: 15 May 2020, 11:09
Getting to the point where you're considering dying your own hair in lockdown? Here's how to colour your own hair and cover up those roots while you can't get to a hairdresser.
Being locked indoors has people doing crazy things to their hair as of late, with many shaving it all off, trying a super short cut or dying it silly colours, but the main thing we all want is fresh hair - so how can we dye our hair at home?
We've already covered how you should go about cutting your own hair if you really can't wait for the salons to re-open, but if you’re about to delve into the depths of home hair dyeing for the first time, we've thought of that too.
Heart.co.uk spoke to the experts at Knight & Wilson, creators of hair colour collection Colour Freedom and the sell-out home hair repair treatment Pureplex, who gave us their top tips for colouring your own hair at home.
This Morning shows how to blow dry your hair like a pro.mp4
1. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!
It goes without saying – fail to prepare and prepare to fail!
Make sure if your hair is longer than shoulder length to buy two boxes; there’s nothing worse than running out halfway through.
Grab yourself a glass or plastic bowl to mix your dyes in, invest in a brush to ‘paint’ the dye on with (it always produces more accurate results than the nozzle) and make sure you have some old clothes and towels handy.
2. Don’t skip the patch test
An essential part of hair dyeing; you wouldn’t skip the patch test at a salon so why would you at home?
Even if you’ve been a salon regular for years, every dye is different and allergies can develop out of the blue, so it’s essential to test before every dyeing session.
3. Take note of your texture
Your hair’s texture will affect the result, as dry, frizzy hair will suck up colour faster than hair that’s in good condition.
If in doubt, invest in a pre-dye treatment like the Pureplex Home Hair Repair System (£12.99), which helps repair hair’s keratin bonds from within, strengthening the hair’s internal structure and making sure it’s in the optimum condition to receive the dye.
4. Know the difference between permanent and semi-permanent
For experimenting without the commitment, semi-permanent colour is fairly low-maintenance, will fade within a number of weeks and are a good option for a boost in between salon appointments.
For the real deal, permanent colour will give you up to 100% grey coverage and a long-lasting result that will grow out, but you’ll need to pay attention to the roots as they will be more noticeable using permanent colour than a semi-permanent colour.
5. Clean up as you go along
Have a damp flannel or some cleansing wipes handy to mop up any spots that hit your skin as you go along, rather than leaving until it’s too late!
Prep the hairline with a swipe of a clear, solid lip balm before you begin and it will protect from any ‘bleeding’ into the skin.
6. Invest in aftercare
Freshly dyed hair needs looking after or all your hard work will be undone. Invest in a shampoo and conditioner without sulfates or parabens that won’t strip the colour.
Try the Pureplex Shampoo & Conditioner (£7.99 each, www.knightandwilson.com) to help keep your colour fresher for longer.
7. Be careful touching up roots
The ends of your hair are much more porous than the roots, so when touching up the latter take care that you only apply to the previously coloured hair towards the end of the development time, for a short period, if needed.
8. Sectioning is your friend
We all remember teen hair dyeing disasters when we thought we’d nailed it, only to discover the back was patchier than a moth-eaten jumper.
Use a tail comb to create a crisp middle parting and split the hair into four sections. Apply your dye from back to front so the back has the longest time to develop.
9. Leave it down!
Whatever you do, don’t scrunch hair up or twist into a bun during development, as you risk an uneven distribution of colour.
10. Never forget to condition
The final step of conditioner is there for a reason; it will seal the cuticle locking in the colour, leaving the hair feeling smooth and looking shiny.
The range is available from KnightandWilson.com and Superdrug.
Knight and Wilson are encouraging people to #GoBlueForNHS and are donating money from each sale of their Truly Blue hair dye to Southampton Hospitals Charity.
