Do you want to try a new hair color? If you want to dye your hair yourself at home, you should know this!
Blonde, brunette, redhead … No matter what hair color Mother Nature has given us, at some point, all women have the desire to change color. Much more when the first gray hairs begin to appear. Going to the hairdresser is, of course, the easiest solution, but not necessarily the cheapest. It is much cheaper to dye your hair at home.
But even if the product is “easy to apply”, things can go wrong. We show you the seven most common color mistakes and give you tips on how to avoid them.
Table of Contents
1. Incorrect evaluation of initial hair color
Light brown or medium brown? Or dark blonde? Many women find it difficult to determine their own hair color correctly and rate it as too dark. For the coloring result to be the desired one, it is important that the initial hair color is correct. Only then does a medium blonde really turn hazelnut brown.
Here’s how to avoid this mistake: Compare the hair color (whether dyed or natural) with the images of the hair strands that are shown on most color packaging. This is a good clue.
If the original hair color does not appear there in any case, you should look for an alternative. If you are not sure, ask your hairdresser trusted what is your hair color. You don’t have to tell him that you prefer to dye your hair at home rather than at his salon.
If you are unsure of your hair color, instead of using a permanent color, you can try a color bath first , because it will wash off after 6 to 8 washes.
If you do not like the result, the color can be removed from the hair without much effort and in the short term. A good alternative between the color bath and the dye is an intensive dyeing: it lasts from 6 to 8 weeks.
2. Color error: Expectations are too high
Being a blonde was once your dream for a long time. But instead of looking like Marilyn Monroe, your hair looks more like Pipi Longstocking right now. It is orange and not evenly distributed, but rather stained in pieces.
Here’s how to avoid this mistake: You can get great results with household coloring products. But not all color changes can be done in your own bathroom. Extreme changes require a precise analysis of the hair structure and a good understanding of the chemical processes that take place during coloring. If you bleach your hair yourself, you run the risk of the product working too long (causing additional damage to the hair) or too short (the result: orange!).
Therefore, if you want highlights or radical color changes, go to your trusted hairdresser. If you just want to change your natural shade to one or two shades or overcolor a gray root, you can do it at home.
3. Preparation error: take your time to prepare everything
You have bought a hair dye for your home and you would like to get started right away, after all, it doesn’t take long to do it. Run, wrap an old towel around your shoulders and you’re good to go …
Watch out! You may have forgotten important things like hair clips, a comb, and a stopwatch. Prepare it well because once you start with the mixture, there is no time to search, after preparing it you have to apply it immediately …
This is the best way to do it: take your time for a good preparation before coloring your hair. Make sure the following tools are close at hand:
- Dyeing Brush – Makes it easy to apply, especially if you just want to dye the roots.
- Hair clips (made of plastic!) And fine-tipped comb: allow to divide and fix individual locks.
- Towel and old clothes: this way you won’t leave a nasty paint stain on your favorite clothes.
- A watch or mobile phone alarm: helps to control the exact exposure time.
- Vaseline: prevents skin discoloration.
4. Dye amount error: make sure you have the right dose
You have already prepared everything correctly: the old towel and the mobile alarm are ready to control the time, the petroleum jelly applied to the skin to protect it … and now there is the last step: the application. Suddenly, you realize that there is not enough dye!
At the roots you had dosed generously and now it is falling short for the length of your hair . The consequence may be the irregularity of the result. Because not all parties came into contact with the product equally..
Here’s how to avoid this mistake: do you have short hair ? If so, no problem. Surely you have product to spare. But if the length of your hair is shoulder length, you will need two packs of dye to avoid the application problem. Mix up the second pack right away so you can use it without wasting a lot of time.
It’s great that you want to dye your hair yourself to save money, but don’t do the same with the second pack, otherwise you won’t get the result you want.
5. Dye choice mistake: organic dyes or chemical dyes?
You were very sure that you had chosen the correct color but somehow the light brown you wanted turned out to be quite uneven. Only the first ten centimeters of the root have the correct color but nothing has changed in the rest of your hair.
Here’s how to avoid this error:
This is how this error is avoided: natural dyes or henna extracts nutshell dye hair according to a principle different from the action of chemical dyes. Some natural hair dyes also contain metal salts to intensify the dyeing process. This in itself would not be a problem, the only problem is that hair that has been colored once with natural hair dyes should not be treated with chemical dyes afterwards.
Wait with the chemical coloring until the dyed hair has fully grown out or has been cut. Otherwise the result is unpredictable, in case of whitening it can even lead to a permanent green coloration.
6. Coloring error: always dye all hair, not just the roots
When the first gray hairs appear, many women start looking for a dye and, if most of their hair is already gray and they have dyed hair from before, they begin the fight against the roots. Quiet, in principle, there is no problem in dyeing the gray excessively.
However, many women make the mistake of dyeing their roots a different color than they already had, but only the roots. The color result is then often uneven: the roots have a different color from the rest of the hair. For this reason, it is always better to dye your entire hair.
Here’s how to avoid this mistake: there is a trick to achieve this: apply a little conditioner from roots to ends, or in all areas that still have the desired color. Wrap the hair in plastic wrap and wait a few minutes for the product to absorb.
Then apply the dye with a brush only to the roots. Do not apply the dye to the locks and ends until the last twelve minutes of the application time. This will refresh your color without making it too harsh. Rinse your hair after the application time is over and treat as described in the instructions.
7. You don’t usually read the instructions: mistake!
“It’s not the first time I’ve dyed my hair” , at least that’s what you thought before and that’s why you didn’t read the instructions carefully. It is rare that the result is different from the last time. Hair appears more damaged than normal.
Here’s how to avoid this mistake: Even if you have a routine of coloring your hair: you should always read the instructions!
On the one hand, this will help you not to forget important steps in the coloring process. On the other hand, the manufacturer may have changed the composition of the coloring agent and, for example, reduced the application time. If you expose your hair to color for a long time, you won’t get the color you want. You should avoid this at all costs and always read the instructions.
A good question is … Do you wash your hair before you dye it?
Normally the instructions for use say that you should moisten your hair before coloring it, but not wash it. And there is a good reason for this: it is important to wash your hair before coloring it to remove any residue from products such as hairspray, gel, hair treatments, etc. This must be the case because otherwise a film will be created around the hair and the dye may not be permeated well. With which, you would get an unwanted coloring result.
Therefore: You should not wash your hair with shampoo before coloring it, but only with water. The last shampoo should have been 1 or 2 days before.
Remember that: Dyed hair wants to be cared for!
After coloring, use a special shampoo and conditioner for this type of hair so that the new color lasts longer and the hair is always shiny.
It is also important to supply nutrients to the hair structure after coloring. Especially in summer, you should use a shampoo or special care products with sunscreen.
