I have a pretty healthy fear of hair dyeing – given that I am a brunette, hair dyeing pretty much always involves hair bleaching which is SCARY to do yourself. I think as an attempt to stop her mildly rebellious daughter before she got started, my mom told me many horror stories of her and her friends self-dyeing mishaps. One of them vividly ends with a friend whose hair had turned pumpkin orange, without a salon open on the weekend to fix it. (It was a different time.)
So, young Ash stayed far away from box dyes for most of her life. But finally a year ago, I decided I was tired of shelling out hundreds of bucks for ombre dye jobs from salons that I just wasn't happy with. This isn't to bash stylists at all: the good ones are worth their weight in gold, and are able to do MUCH more with haircolor than an untrained muck like me could ever dream. At this time in life, I simply haven't found one I could trust or afford. And where there's a will, there's a way.
Since getting over my fear of the box dye, I've ombre-d my hair three times and have been pleased enough with the results to share my method. Here's the before and after on my most recent dye (it is a bit more intense than my previous dyes, as I've gotten more confident and also wanted a more obvious gradation):
(Nothing like a little mugging for the camera in the bathroom, ha!)
- Hair color: I prefer the Revlon Frost & Glow color kits. On myself, and on other people who’ve made box-color ombre tutorials, the colors turn less brassy than other highlighting kits. I have long, thick hair and haven’t needed more than one package, even for the two passes of color.
- Dyeing tools: almost everything you need will be in the Frost & Glow kit (toss the shower cap, you won't need that for this method of color). You will also need a bit of aluminum foil, and clothes / towels you don’t mind getting discolored.
- Post-dye hair care: bleaching/lightening your hair is NOT good for it, so be sure to treat your hair well in every other way after dyeing. You'll want to have a deep conditioner on hand, as well as your fav moisturizing shampoo/conditioner. If your hair tends to go brassy with lightening, you may want to have a purple toning shampoo on hand.
1b. Wash hair the night before dyeing. Your hair should be product free before dyeing.
1c. Pre-cut foil strips.
The number you need will vary depending on how long/thick your hair is…but you will need more than you think! And you don’t want to run out while working.
1d. Turn on some good music.
I am partial to kick ass girl tunes while dyeing, like these:
http://8tracks.com/heart-nouveau/burnt-sugar
http://8tracks.com/redcigar/feeling-good
1e. Mix hair dye according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Step 2. First dye pass: work on getting smooth gradation in hair, with the tips lighter than the roots
2a. Section off your hair
Decide how high you want the color to go. Divide hair in half horizontally from ear to ear. Pin up top half of hair. Divide the bottom half into three parts: left, right and back.
2b. Dye bottom half
Working with one section at a time, dye hair in strips of varying thickness. Dab a good amount of color onto the bottom of each strip, and use gloved hand to work color up the strand so the dye lessens towards the top. Vary how high you blend the dye up (I usually go anywhere from 25-75% up each strip). Wrap each strip of hair in aluminum foil while the color sets. If you want, keep a few strands naturally colored.
2c. Dye top half
Once the bottom half is colored, take down the top half and divide it into three parts: left, right and back. Work through each section, repeating the process in 2b.
Let color set, but check color periodically of the first strand you dyed. For me, this took about 40-60 minutes (which is the maximum time the package says to leave the color in). If necessary, rinse out portions of hair as you work (since I have long hair and am a tentative dyer, I had to do this to keep the first strands from over-coloring).
2d. Wash and condition hair with cleaners from the kit.
Dry hair, but don't add additional products. (Also I like to put the mixed hair color bin in a ziploc bag while I wash and dry my hair, just to keep it a little fresher.)
Step 3. Second dye pass: even out any mistakes from first dye, and add streaks for more dimension and visual texture
3a. Assess the last dye
Once your hair is dry, admire your handiwork and make sure everything is looking even and smooth. If needed, you can even things out in this step.
3b. Add more texture
- Part hair how you normally wear it. Rather than dividing hair, I now like to work with it all down, so I can imagine how the different color additions will look when finished.
- Section out small pieces of hair and repeat the streaking process, adding streaks wherever you want to increase color and variation. Continue varying the thickness of strands and the length you dye. Wrap each strand in foil as you work.
- Don't forget to add streaks underneath your top layer of hair, so it looks good when worn half-up or in a ponytail!
- Leave this dye in for a shorter period of time, to make sure you don’t over-process your hair. For me, this was 15-30 minutes. Rinse out portions of hair as you work.
3c. Wash and deep condition using your own products. Be kind to your hair over the next week with some extra conditioning, limit heat styling, etc.
Videos I found helpful in developing my process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qUJgpyLgBo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r7DoKz8J5E
- Read all the manufacturer's instructions, and watch a couple other tutorials from other people! Feel free to work out your own method...everyone's style and hair are different!
- If you’re a nervous dyer (like I was/still am), don’t rush yourself. While you are dyeing, work in sections and keep track of how long the color has been sitting on each section. Rinse the color out by section, rather than all at once. This will help keep your color more even, while allowing you to work at a slower pace. I usually take up to 5 hours with the method described above...so allot yourself enough time to work without feeling pressure.
- This color will not generally last as long as a salon-dye job, and will especially fade a bit in the first few days.
