Changing your hair color is something that all fashion and beauty lovers experiment with. Amid the hype surrounding pastel color hair this summer, I could only bring myself to try out a purple color—being time, I’m the least excited to end up looking like a peacock.
The shop assistant at the store where I got my hands on a hair-dyeing product had showered glowing praise on a particular product, referencing how a lot of Hong Kong YouTubers had conferred unanimous support for this Korean pudding-like hair transforming product.
She claimed that despite having raven black hair, the purple color would still show up on me in a vibrant manner. It was an instant deal—and an instant mistake.
Black hair doesn’t color easily
As soon as I arrived home, elation had me open up the product and I immediately mixed the two liquids in the container provided and shook it until it reached a deep purplish color. Without a comb, I sectioned my hair into three parts: two parts tied up separately on the right side and one let down on the left. Then, I started to comb color through my hair from my scalp.
That’s when things started to go wrong. I realized the difficulty of working through tangled hair as I had not combed or conditioned my hair the night before. As a result, almost half the time spent on the dyeing process was wasted on detangling my hair while trying to remove all the hair that was falling out during the detangling process. I eventually managed to finish the color job, but when I finally rinsed off the dye, there was no color change!
I knew that what the shop assistant had said sounded fishy as it is an universal rule that the darker the hair, the less vibrant the color change is. Therefore, when she claimed that even my pitch black hair could be transformed by a $69 product without any peroxide, I had my doubts.
The good news is that I have learnt from this experience, so others don’t have to waste their time and money for the same disappointing results that I had. Here’s what I’ve learnt.
Prime your hair
First, use conditioner and comb your hair the night before! If you do not do so, it is practically asking to double the amount of time spent on the hair-dyeing process as you need extra time to detangle your hair while coloring it.
Bleach!
Many fear using bleach as they see the disastrous YouTube videos of hair falling out from over-bleaching. However, doing it the correct way without applying it to your scalp can actually aid your journey in getting the exact vibrant hair color you desire. As the base tone of your natural hair lightens, hair dye naturally shows up more clearly.
Kick brown to the curb
Do not start with a brown base. When you have originally dyed your hair brown, your base tone affects how the hair dye performs like any other dye products.
My friend used the same product and with her brown hair, she ended up with a raccoon red color, which she hates. Do not shy away from bleach in favor of a milder alternative, a brown hair dye, because even though they both lighten black hair, the former gives you razor sharp color while the latter alters the color possibly into something unwanted.
It is worth noting that usually there is a showcase of estimated color based on your base tone color. If your hair is naturally brown or dyed, the outcome of applying say a purple color will not be the exact same as those with lightened hair.
Be aware of your hair length
Many women like to keep their hair long and silky. When coloring your hair, though, you need to consider your hair length as there may not be enough hair dye in a single purchase of the product to color all of your hair if you have very long or very thick hair. Usually, for hair dye to perform well, you need around four coats and a tremendous amount of massaging to get the color onto your hair.
Beware of red
Last but not least, for people with pale skin, it is advisable to stay away from chemical red dye. While natural red hair is very flattering on pale skin, chemical red dye at your regular mom-and-pop store just does not seem to contain hair dye products with formulas replicating that natural fiery color. Therefore, unless you are going for a fire red look, try to avoid these products.
Now that you know these tips and tricks, get ready to rock your summer look! Also, share your trial-and-error dye stories as well as tips and tricks with our other readers by commenting below.
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