DIY Hair Dye – How to Dye Your Hair at Home

Dyeing your hair at home is a great way to save money and avoid the hassle of booking an appointment at a salon. DIY hair dye is also easy to prepare and requires ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.

Before you start, protect your clothes and furniture from dye stains. Also, make sure to section your hair into sections for even application.

Ingredients

Many instant hair dyes claim to use all-natural ingredients, but in reality they often contain chemicals that may cause rashes and damage the scalp from which your hair draws its nutrients. Rather than expose your hair to these harmful chemicals, try these homemade natural hair dye recipes that contain only ingredients you can find at home!

Henna is a popular natural dye for hair, but it takes quite a while to work and is messy. To make a more efficient version, steep about a cup of dried sage in a quart of boiling water for about half an hour. Allow the mixture to cool, strain, and apply to clean, non-conditioned hair. This henna will last for two to four washes, but it will not lighten your hair or cover grays.

A more quick option is a coffee hair dye, which you can prepare by boiling ground coffee in water. This dye is not strong enough to darken your whole head, but will highlight highlights and hide grays.

Preparation

Dyeing your hair with natural ingredients is a safe and non-toxic way to change your color. However, it is important to keep in mind that homemade dye formulas may not alter your hair color to the exact shade you are looking for; a strand test is necessary to ensure an accurate result.

Before starting the dyeing process, make sure you have all the ingredients and tools necessary. This will help to reduce the chances of an accidental mistake, such as leaving the dye on too long or missing an area. Also, be sure to protect your skin and clothing from the staining effects of the dye by wearing disposable clear gloves and draping an old towel or color cape around your shoulders.

Determine how much dye and developer you will need. Most dye containers have measurements on the side that can be used to measure the correct ratio of developer to dye. For example, if you are dying all of your hair, the ratio will be 1:1; if you only need to retouch your roots, the ratio will be 1:2.

Mixing

Getting the right ratio of hair dye to developer is the key to having a good color result. It’s important to read the instructions on the box to determine how much color and developer you’ll need to get your desired hue.

Most dyes have measurements on the side of the bottle, like 100ml or 75ml, to help you know how much to add of each. The developer bottles also have these measurements on the side, making it easier to measure out the correct amount of each product.

When mixing, always use a plastic or glass bowl and utensil to prevent the chemical reactions from reacting with your metal tools. Also, it’s best to wear gloves while coloring to protect your hands from staining.

It’s also important to keep in mind that if you’re dying your hair two different colors, they will require the same amount of developer. This is because the different levels of color must be mixed at the same time in order to match the level of lightness.

Applying

Regardless of whether you’re coloring your hair dark or light, you need to make sure the dye is applied evenly throughout your mane. This ensures that each strand is fully saturated with the color and helps to prevent patchy results.

When working with a box hair dye, pay attention to the measurements on the side of the bottle and use these as a guide as you work. Almost all boxes have numbers on the side that indicate how much you should be using based on how large your head is. For example, if you have a medium head size, you should only need half the dye.

It’s important to also keep track of how long the dye is on your head, as it can stain if left in too long. Keeping a timer on your phone or a calendar handy can help to ensure you don’t overdo it. If you accidentally leave it in too long, wash your hair immediately with a clarifying shampoo to remove the excess dye.