Goal #90: Color my own hair. Accomplished on 1/7/2012.
A few years ago I started getting those first pesky greys. The ones you just notice when you are brushing your hair and suddenly you see a streak of white. You're not sure you saw it right because you can't possibly be greying. You're YOUNG. I'm still young, right? Right??
Well over the years, there is no doubt that the greys aren't some optical illusion. They have snuck up around the crown of my head and there is no denying they are there. They are not elegant greys to be worn with dignity. They are ill distributed and look horrible, so about an year or two ago I went to get my roots done for the first time. I have had my hair colored three times so far and each time I've dropped around $100-150 for a basic root color job.
If you listen to people at the salon, they convince you that if you ever try to dye your own hair, it will either all fall out or turn bright orange so I'd been hesitant to try it on my own. But I realized that the older that I get, the more I'm going to have to dye my hair. Not only is it such an expensive thing to do every six weeks but it takes SO much time. So, I decided that I wanted to have a go at it at home and it was so easy!
First, I watched a bunch of youtube videos that gave me some good tips. If you are dying your hair for the first time at home, here are some recommendations:
-Put down some newspapers on the surface you are working on. I didn't and then it was a bit of a pain to get the color out of the sink.
-Put vaseline around your hair line so the color doesn't get on your face, ears, etc. It will keep your skin from taking the color.
-Make sure your hair has no product in it and try to have washed it a day or two ago.
- You can buy dye brushes, which I did, but I found they are not necessary. You can just use your fingers or a comb or an old, cleaned toothbrush fro the same purpose.
Now you are ready to color! I used Clairol Natural Instincts in Ebony Brown because I had read in a few magazines that it is the best home hair color. It only set me back eight bucks and I think it did a great job.
The instructions were really easy to follow and I was all done applying the color in about 15 minutes. I prepared some cookie dough while I waited for the color to set. You can help it along by hitting it with a blow dryer to create some heat and then covering it with a shower cap. The box said to leave it on for 10-20 minutes but I left it on for an hour. This might not be good for everyone's hair so do a test strip if you are not sure.
Once I finished my cookies, I rinsed out my hair and instead of using the conditioner that came in the box, I used the Bumble and Bumble quenching masque since it is sulfate free. My hair came out so soft for having just been dyed.
My conclusion is that I will never go to a salon for a color again. Dying at home is so easy and I actually like my result better than any I've gotten at the salons. I basically look like the model above now.
 |
| I wish dying my hair made me look like this. |
A few years ago I started getting those first pesky greys. The ones you just notice when you are brushing your hair and suddenly you see a streak of white. You're not sure you saw it right because you can't possibly be greying. You're YOUNG. I'm still young, right? Right??
Well over the years, there is no doubt that the greys aren't some optical illusion. They have snuck up around the crown of my head and there is no denying they are there. They are not elegant greys to be worn with dignity. They are ill distributed and look horrible, so about an year or two ago I went to get my roots done for the first time. I have had my hair colored three times so far and each time I've dropped around $100-150 for a basic root color job.
If you listen to people at the salon, they convince you that if you ever try to dye your own hair, it will either all fall out or turn bright orange so I'd been hesitant to try it on my own. But I realized that the older that I get, the more I'm going to have to dye my hair. Not only is it such an expensive thing to do every six weeks but it takes SO much time. So, I decided that I wanted to have a go at it at home and it was so easy!
First, I watched a bunch of youtube videos that gave me some good tips. If you are dying your hair for the first time at home, here are some recommendations:
-Put down some newspapers on the surface you are working on. I didn't and then it was a bit of a pain to get the color out of the sink.
-Put vaseline around your hair line so the color doesn't get on your face, ears, etc. It will keep your skin from taking the color.
-Make sure your hair has no product in it and try to have washed it a day or two ago.
- You can buy dye brushes, which I did, but I found they are not necessary. You can just use your fingers or a comb or an old, cleaned toothbrush fro the same purpose.
Now you are ready to color! I used Clairol Natural Instincts in Ebony Brown because I had read in a few magazines that it is the best home hair color. It only set me back eight bucks and I think it did a great job.
The instructions were really easy to follow and I was all done applying the color in about 15 minutes. I prepared some cookie dough while I waited for the color to set. You can help it along by hitting it with a blow dryer to create some heat and then covering it with a shower cap. The box said to leave it on for 10-20 minutes but I left it on for an hour. This might not be good for everyone's hair so do a test strip if you are not sure.
Once I finished my cookies, I rinsed out my hair and instead of using the conditioner that came in the box, I used the Bumble and Bumble quenching masque since it is sulfate free. My hair came out so soft for having just been dyed.
My conclusion is that I will never go to a salon for a color again. Dying at home is so easy and I actually like my result better than any I've gotten at the salons. I basically look like the model above now.
