Getting Started with Hair Dye (Patreon)

So you’ve grown tired of your natural hair color and you want to do something about it, but don’t know where to start? One of the more popular and easy ways that people can express themselves is through their hair! While cutting and styling for your face shape is another big topic, today we are diving into just the process of dying your hair and what to expect at the salon, and how to care for colored locks!

Bleaching
Hair has 10 natural shades that we categorize 1 being the darkest black, and 10 being the lightest blonde. If your hair is a 1, you will have a hard time getting to a 10 without destroying your hair and causing a lot of breakage down the road. Good stylists will only “lift” a healthy amount of color from your natural hair in order to avoid dryness, split ends, and breakage. If you want to dye your hair a fun and bold and unnatural color, those with natural hair color between a level 1 and 7 will always need to bleach their hair before adding in the fun colors.

Bleaching chemicals are a two part mix, a powdered bleach mixed with a volumizing peroxide. Peroxide comes in 4 strengths between 10 and 40, a 10 volumizer will lift 1 layer, while a 40 volumizer will lift 3-4 layers. The chemicals open the cuticle layer of your hair and react with the melanin at the core of the hair shaft, removing the color permanently. This process can dry the hair out, and it is never recommended to bleach hair twice without a 6-8 week rest period in order to give your hair some time to recuperate.

I never suggest DIY for bleach unless you are a trained professional, but here is what to expect from your stylist. You need clean hair for bleach, so after a quick wash, your stylist will begin mixing up the bleach and volumizer/developer chemicals in a plastic bowl (bleach reacts to copper and metal bowls, creating stains and corroding the metal.) Your stylist will then section your hair and begin applying the bleach, starting by the nape of your neck and moving up to the crown. Hair closer to the root processes faster than at the tip, so they usually want to get those parts started before going back and doing the roots if you are getting a full head bleached. If they are lifting a lot of layers of color, you may find yourself under a heater to help the bleach process faster and other times they may not need the extra heat and you may just find yourself sitting and waiting a bit. Once your hair has reached the correct shade, your stylist will wash the bleach out, condition your hair, then dry and style and you’re all done!

Tinting
Tints can be added to natural hair without bleaching, like in the case of henna and other natural hair dyes. Usually in the case of permanent dyes, this tinting step also happens at the same time as the bleaching process. Tints will usually be in natural colors, as other unnatural colors use a different process.

Highlights/Lowlights
Highlights are more of a technique than a process. The goal of highlights is to highlight your hair, giving it the look of dimension. Many people with naturally light hair have natural highlights and this technique is definitely meant to imitate that. Usually a stylist will use the pointed tip of a comb to weave layers in and out in order to create strips of lightened hair.

Lowlights are the same technique, but in reverse, so you are tinting the hair darker to create shadow rather than lightening to create highlights.

Bold Colors
These colors are always semi-permanent or temporary. My hair has been every color of the rainbow and I find that reds and pinks fade much faster than blues. Unnatural colors are usually acid based and should be added to already bleached hair for the best, most impactful results.

I am personally a fan of the Adore brand, but I find that the formula is more liquid than other brands and is tougher to control. But once you get a hang of using a hair color brush I find that this brand has better pigmentation and seems to last a bit longer than other brands.

For beginners, I suggest Ion’s Color Brilliance line. Their formula is creamy and easy to apply while also packing a vibrant punch. Their Jade and Orchid colors are my favorite and I like that I can find them at Sally’s Beauty Supply whenever I am feeling whimsical and wanting to change up my color.

Hair Trends - Ombre & Bayalage
There are lots of hair trends that come in and out of style. Right now the biggest two lasting trends have been ombre and balayage.

Ombre is just a gradient. The goal is to have the best gradient from one color to the next, or from the darkest of the shade to the lightest in the most smooth way possible.

Balayage is a highlighting technique that is less rigid than older highlighting techniques. Stylists will paint layers free hand to create highlights with more dimension than traditional weaving techniques. The result is a more free form look that looks best when hair is curled.

Aftercare
Now that your hair is beautifully colored, you’re going to want to keep it as vibrant as the day you got it done. If you have added a tint/color to your hair, a bit of it will always wash out every time you shower and wash your hair, but that can be minimized with color safe shampoos. Always use conditioner to help bring some moisture back to your hair and prevent dryness and breakage. If you are like me and you have heavily bleached hair, you may find that just conditioning isn’t enough. Use other leave-in conditioning products, being careful to stay away from silicates that will weigh down hair without actually helping heal the hair. Only you will know what feels best for your hair depending on the type, style, and color. I like using Marc Anthony’s Leave-In Conditioner. 

Try to also avoid too much chlorine exposure in the summer months when you’re hitting all the pool parties. Chlorine reacts to the copper found in water and oxidizes, those particles stick to your porous hair and can cause a greenish hue to your hair. This can be fixed by being sure to wash your hair right after you finish playing in the pool.  But if you find yourself with green hair anyway, don’t fret! Just make a paste with baking soda and water and apply to your green hair, massaging it in, then rinse with clean water, shampoo and condition normally and that green will be gone!

Hair grows back at an average of a half inch per month, so get those roots touched up every 4-6 weeks and most of all, have fun!

Read this post for a full list of Getting Started Articles! 

xoxo,
thelibrarian