5 tips for dyeing your hair at home

If you’ve ever waded into the perilous depths of dyeing your hair at home, you’ll know that major mistakes are easily made. From staining your hairline to getting the colour completely wrong, there are so many ways that you can mess things up.

But when you get it right, dyeing your hair at home can save you wads of cash and time. Luckily for you, we’re sharing our best dyed hair tips so that you’ll never fall victim to these common hair dye mistakes. Watch the video above to see how, or read all about it below.

Tip #1: Protect your hairline from stains

Avoid oh-so-awkward hair dye staining on your head by protecting your hairline. An easy way to do this is to use petroleum jelly to create a protective wall just outside of your hairline, around the entirety of your head. Be careful not to get the protectant in your hair, and don't forget the tops and undersides of your ears!

bh loves: Vaseline Intensive Care Petroleum Jelly

Tip #2: Wash out any old colour

Make sure you’re preventing colour build up by washing away any unwanted colour before you dye your hair. Colourless Max Effect removes black, brown and red colour build up, which allows you to be the colour you desire without any of that old colour showing through. The process is super easy, safe and doesn’t damage the hair, leaving it in excellent condition. You can also safely re-colour immediately after use, so it won’t take up any extra time.

Tip #3: Match your hair colour to your roots

You’ve always got to match the colour to your roots, not your ends! Having a hair colour that differs at the roots is one of the most common at-home hair dye mistakes, but it can easily be avoided by choosing a shade that closely matches the roots, rather than the ends of your hair.

bh loves: John Frieda Precision Foam Colour

Tip #4: Buy two packets of hair dye

Who hasn’t been there – you got all excited, bought a new packet of hair dye, applied it to part of your hair and then you realise that you’re fresh out of hair dye halfway through. I had this exact problem when I was 15 and my high school bestie was dyeing my hair at my house – we ran out and my poor mum had to run out to grab more! bh's Nadine had a similar problem when she decided to packet dye her hair while working at a camp in the USA. She soon realised that she had no access to running water and had to desperately drive to find the nearest hose in order to get the dye out! So if you have thick, long hair always make sure you buy two (or even three!) packets of hair dye – it’s far better to be safe than sorry!

bh loves: Garnier Olia

Tip #5: Set a timer

Make sure you set a timer while you wait for your hair colour to develop, or you’ll risk the hair dye over-processing! Never a good look. Use a simple egg timer or the timer app on your phone so that an alarm goes off and alerts you when it’s time to rinse out the hair dye.

Have you ever made a major hair dye mistake?

59 Member Comments

Shop A Everyday 21 Feb 2019 8:29 PM

Oh I got my hair cut today and will be doing the colour tomorrow, I sure hope Clairol do not discontinue this colour, the colours seem to go so quickly

Log in or register to commentReply to comment
Likes 0

mania1 15 Oct 2018 6:18 PM

This is very nice video about the hair drying tips ! the tips are very useful for the ladies to get dry their hair nicely...

Log in or register to commentReply to comment
Likes 1

missch1980 7 Oct 2018 5:02 PM

All good tips. I use Mortimer on my hair line pre colouring.

ashbyemma 26 Jul 2018 7:12 PM

Good times when my roomie dyed my hair pink and we had to do a midnight run to get brown to redye my hair...

Also my top tip for home dye is to remove every towel from your bathroom except the old grungy hair dye towel because you will be mad if you forget you have hair dye in and wipe up a mess or your hands!

Shop A Everyday 8 Jul 2018 10:32 PM

Home colouring is awesome, gets a bit cold in winter though!

Sootyhere 5 Jul 2018 8:19 AM

Washing the old colour out with Colourless Max Effect is a great idea. I'm yet to try it but very tempted.

Hagen 29 Jun 2018 7:06 PM

thanks for sharing

ThisIsMe 29 Jun 2018 9:54 AM

Haha I've tried doing it at home and got the colour on my ears and the back of my neck! Didn't even think about putting on vaseline around my hair line but knowing me I would probably get it on my hair too haha!

hthorpe 20 Jun 2018 3:35 PM

Love these tips

Aalana 20 Jun 2018 12:39 PM

Great Tips!

Redrobyn 19 Jun 2018 2:17 PM

I've been reading through some of the girls comments. Some really good advice, thanks ladies.

katebeauty27 13 Jun 2018 4:22 PM

I have done brown box dye at home before, but I would be too nervous to do blonde!

Lisa368 7 Jun 2018 1:24 AM

My hairdresser was amazed at how nice my hair was and asked me what hairdress did my hair. She was in shock when I told her I did it with packet dye

Sootyhere 5 Jul 2018 8:20 AM

Wow good for you. Mine just goes uneven and I've given up on home colouring now.

Okatko 21 May 2018 11:27 AM

All good tips. I haven’t had a salon colour in years.

That's saved you heaps. Good for you.

Hayley644 8 May 2018 3:37 PM

Would never attempt to dye my hair at home.

Shop A Everyday 5 May 2018 6:55 PM

The hairdresser said to me it was a lovely colour, so it goes to show home colour is just as good

Sootyhere 5 Jul 2018 8:21 AM

Wow. I think home colours have improved and are just as good. I'm just not as good as putting it in evenly.

melmeko 5 May 2018 3:44 AM

DIY at home hair colouring is probably the one thing that I still use Vaseline Petroleum Jelly for these days. Always have a large tub on hand to slather over my ears and around my hairline. Works a charm at keeping stains at bay, every time.

You beauty 3 May 2018 8:09 PM

I haven't coloured my hair at home in a very long time, so would not attempt.

Arty Girl 2 May 2018 6:25 PM

I use comb-in hair colour these days and ones that don't have ammonia in them. They are rapid too and colour the hair in 10 minutes.

However, if you use Garnia Olia, I find that it does not stain the skin but future shampoos after colouring might stain the towel purple when towel drying the hair.

aoperez 1 May 2018 12:31 PM

There are so many stages to hair dying - where do I begin? I want to try the hair colour remover (and never have) I nearly always dye my hair the same colour and my hair grows to fast to go to the salon every 4 weeks ...it takes practice but probably after a few go's at it you get better...basically wear old clothes you don't regret getting dye on, have the cling wrap ready to wrap up the hair and try NOT to make a mess...you will anyway the first few times!

sunjeanie 30 Apr 2018 9:46 AM

I'm a to-the-hairdresser girl, I have a half head of foils done, so I'm not about to try that myself. I have dyed my hair brown myself a long time ago, it's just so much work when you can get someone else to help you out and not get it wrong, lol.

Snailor 28 Apr 2018 11:03 PM

I have highlights in my hair - no way I'd do them myself!!

Pages

You need to log in or become a member to post a comment.

5 tips for dyeing your hair at home

5 Hacks For Dyeing Your Hair At Home