Dyeing your hair at home: Tips from professionals

Usually we would recommend getting your hair dyed by a professional, but these are unprecedented times. So instead, we’re bringing the professionals’ advice to you! After all, you might not be comfortable visiting the salon just yet and it’s totally understandable. But there’s not denying that you still want your hair to look its absolute best. Even if it means box dye and DIY! So keep reading for our tips and tricks to dye your hair at home.

Top tips to dye your hair at home

Do a strand test and a patch test

These sound similar but they’re pretty different. A strand test will show you exactly the shade your hair will turn out. This way, you can decide if you want to go ahead and dye your full head of hair, with the security of knowing whether you will achieve your desired colour.

A patch test, on the other hand, will tell you if dyeing your hair at home is safe for you. To do this, apply a small amount of product right behind your ear. Wait about 24-48 hours to see if any reaction occurs. If there are no reactions, you’re good to go.

More is more

If you have long hair, or very thick hair, we’d recommend you buy two boxes of hair dye. After all, you don’t want to run out dye halfway through the process. If you end up with an extra box dye, you can always use it to dye your hair at home the next time or to touch up your roots.

Avoid the bottle

Squeezing the dye from the bottle can be so satisfying and fun to do, but it’s an imprecise method of dyeing your hair at home. You’d rather mix the product in a bowl and apply it with an application brush. Split your hair into sections to really ensure an even application.

Don’t mix

We wouldn’t recommend mixing box dyes for a custom shade. The resulting colour is anyone’s guess, and why take that chance? Dyeing your hair at home would be much less stressful knowing exactly what your result will be.

Detangle your hair

This step is crucial to prep your hair for the dyeing process. After all, you wouldn’t want to encounter knots that stop the colour from applying evenly. Dyeing your hair at home can be difficult, and this step might just make it a bit easier.

Protect your skin

Dye doesn’t just change the colour of your hair, it can stain your skin too! So apply a generous amount of petroleum jelly to the areas around your hairline to protect your skin from being stained.

Be careful of what you wear

As the previous tip said, dye stains more than just hair. This means, when dyeing your hair at home, be sure to wear old clothes, or clothes that you don’t mind getting a few stains on.

Follow the instructions

Okay, so this one sounds a bit obvious, but you’d be surprised at just how easy it is skip this step. The best way to dye your hair at home and ensure your colour looks its best, is to follow the instructions on/in the box. So believe it or not, this is our most important tip for dyeing your own hair.

See from all directions

If you’re getting help with dyeing your hair at home, this tip might not apply to you. But if you’re going through this process on your own, we’d suggest having a mirror behind you, and one in front. This will allow you to see the back of your head with ease, so you can be sure that you’re doing a good job at the back.

Use colour-safe products

Once your hair is dyed and looking great, you definitely won’t want it to just fade. So when it’s wash day, be sure to use colour-safe products to cleanse and condition.

A great product to use is the Dove Colour Care Shampoo and Conditioner. This product is specifically designed to treat colour-treated hair, so your colour will look fresh for much longer.

Hair health is everything

This is another tip for after you dye your hair at home. The health of your hair is key to maintaining your colour, so you’ll want to invest in a good quality, nourishing and repairing hair mask. This is because dyeing your hair is a chemical process that damages the strands.

One of our favourite products to treat chemically damaged hair is the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque. This product is infused with raw shea butter, argan oil, olive oil and other amazing ingredients to give your hair all the nourishment and moisture it needs to repair and stay healthy.