Hair dying questions

[zeratul]

So I'm thinking of dying my hair this christmas. I'm probably gonna dye it maroon like the guy from seether. If you think this isa good or bad idea please say so. My picture is in the you thread, but im thinner, and taller, with longer hair now.

[Brickwall]

Simple question: why?

Longer question: why in the world would you change your hair? Not even to that different a natural color? Think before you permanently change your body. Think. Especially since there's nothing wrong with your hair now. Really. If you want a change, buy new clothes, or grow a beard. Something you can get rid of easily. Don't dye your hair on a whim. It's bad practice.

[SDF]

Dying your hair on a whim is perfectly fine if you have the backup money to change it back :P

Go to a stylist to have it done your first time though. It might cost a little more, but they (in theory) should do it right, and can answer your questions or give you advice about it. But why Seether?

[Yiel]

I'd be a hypocrite to say not to. I've had my hair black, blue, pink, red and blonde before.

I second SDF's recommendation that you pay to have it done professionally. Its the best way to make sure you get a tone that suits you and that the dye job is done well.

[FdL]

I'm not a fan of people dying their hair, especially guys. But if you really want it, go for it.

[zeratul]

Simple question: why?

Longer question: why in the world would you change your hair? Not even to that different a natural color? Think before you permanently change your body. Think. Especially since there's nothing wrong with your hair now. Really. If you want a change, buy new clothes, or grow a beard. Something you can get rid of easily. Don't dye your hair on a whim. It's bad practice.

For the initial testing out the color thing, I wasn't gonna get it done permenantly. They have hair dyes that wash out over time, I'd try that first.

[Semidi]

Jus' do it with vegetable dye, washes out after about a week. I wouldn't recommend funky colors like green or blue because they turn grey with veggy dye rather quickly. After you find something that suits you, go for it.

[wadledo]

If you're going to do that, make sure to give your friends lots of disposable cameras, so they can remind you of how stupid you looked because you tried to die your hair yourself.
And post pictures here, I enjoy laughing.

All that aside? Unless you have no money, get it died by a professional first. Like SDF said, they can give you advice and make sure that you don't end up with a green scalp, orange from the neck down, and purple hair (has happened to friend, and I will never let her forget it).

[zeratul]

If you're going to do that, make sure to give your friends lots of disposable cameras, so they can remind you of how stupid you looked because you tried to die your hair yourself.
And post pictures here, I enjoy laughing.

All that aside? Unless you have no money, get it died by a professional first. Like SDF said, they can give you advice and make sure that you don't end up with a green scalp, orange from the neck down, and purple hair (has happened to friend, and I will never let her forget it).

Actually I have a sister who could do it. sShe died her own hair purple, came out great, I'd have her do it for the first run.

This is because i dont think they do temp dyes proffesionally.

[Yiel]

Actually I have a sister who could do it. sShe died her own hair purple, came out great, I'd have her do it for the first run.

This is because i dont think they do temp dyes proffesionally.

Sounds like a good option. I dye most of my friend's hair for them if its a simple job. If they want streaks etc I make them get it done professionally.

I often put henna rinse through my own hair, and that could be an option for you to try if you don't want intense colour. Henna can be bought in quite red shades and is very moisturising. I do warn you that you WILL smell like a garden shed while its on.

Oh! Don't use ANY anti-dandruff shampoos while your hair is dyed unless they are specially formulated for use with coloured hair. I had a flatmate once send a lovely blonde hairdo orange by rinsing with Selsun Blue. I teased them for weeks about that.

[JackMage666]

I currently have my hair black, with dark green streaks. My natural color is blonde.

Permanent colors are rather hard to find, in my experience, unless you go professional. If you have a place that will sell it, good for you, but here it's all semi-perminent (washes out in 3-6 weeks)

What color is your hair now? If it's already dark, you'll need to lighten it first (which is the annoying part). When I went from blonde to black, there wasn't any problems, but getting the green highlights required bleach.

Make sure you trust your sister, too. You cannot see the back of your head, after all. I'd hate to think what she could do if she still held a grudge for any reason.

Also, a word of precaution - Hair dyes will damage your hair. It won't make you go bald at 25 or anything (unless you're allergic or something), but it will roughen up your hair quite a bit. If you have naturally soft hair, you'll notice it getting more corse. Your hair may fall out a bit more than it did before (this comes with long hair, too, especially.), so be careful. Of course, after you've done it once, the damage is already done, so go with it.

Any mistakes you make, just remember - You can either dye it back, or you can cut it off. The great thing about hair is that it grows back. It's alot less dramatic than, say, a tattoo, or several body piercings. Sure, you might turn some heads, but overall it's a simple fixable thing.

[Yiel]

Also, a word of precaution - Hair dyes will damage your hair. It won't make you go bald at 25 or anything (unless you're allergic or something), but it will roughen up your hair quite a bit. If you have naturally soft hair, you'll notice it getting more corse. Your hair may fall out a bit more than it did before (this comes with long hair, too, especially.), so be careful. Of course, after you've done it once, the damage is already done, so go with it.

If you want to avoid this, stick to Henna. Some manufacturers put chemicals in their Henna, but if you get it from an Organic store it will be fine. It doesn't come in wild colours as its natural, but if hair damage is a concern you can go this way.

I get my henna from "Perfect Potion" (A QLD based store...) but "Lush" are world-wide and have a satisfactory Henna. (warning though, the Lush one can be hard to rinse out if you let it set for too long, or without cling-wrap)

[Alarra]

I had maroon hair once. It didn't work out all that well....not because of the maroon exactly, but it was more a case of....okay...story time:

Right, so I dyed my hair (myself, not professionally) 'apricot'...i think....which was supposed to be this nice light reddish, sorta blond in areas, color....It turned out pretty bright pink, and looked bad...very bad. So the next day, I dyed it again, to a nice, darker maroon color. Which actually, would have been a nice color and not looked bad at all were it not for a few key facts. First off, I'd had a perm ages back, that was still growing out. (My hair takes to perms really well, so rather than gradually relaxing out, it usually just grows out to the point where I've trimmed off all the curlyness) So, the bottom half or so of my hair is permed, plus was dyed less than 24 hours ago....Suffice it to say, this left the permed hair in faaaaaar from the best condition. As such, some parts of this hair, wouldn't take the dye at all. We did it perfectly, it was just that the hair was so damaged that it simply wouldn't hold the dye at all. So here I am, mostly maroon hair, with some pink streaks. Which I guess, if you're the 'funky hair' type, would have been okay. I'm not. So...$120, I come out of a salon, blond again, with my hair cut incredibly short, like as short as it is now, because there wasn't anything else she could do with the permed hair other than cutting it off. *sigh*

I dye my hair frequently though, and really, in the long run, it isn't too bad for it. Especially if you have oilier hair in general, as dying or highlighting will often dry it out a bit and make it look better. If you have really dry hair, it can be really damaging though.

Testing it out is often a good idea. Even if you don't want to go with a temporary dye, taking a strand in the less noticeable under area of your hair and dying just it the day before is always a good idea. That way, you know how your hair will react to the color. Everyone's hair looks different, even if you all buy the same box of dye, because it's reacting with your current color, and any other chemicals (like perms) or even hair products that are in it. Dark hair is much harder to dye than light in general, of course.

Professional dying, while more expensive, is usually worth it. Especially if you want to do anything 'difficult' like streaks or highlights. Not that they're particularly difficult, but it certainly involves a different process than just rubbing dye everywhere on your head. I usually get mine professionally done, but of late, that's just been highlighting.

Doing it yourself....especially if you have someone who's done it before and can help you out....is actually, not a bad idea. I've dyed my hair myself dozens of times, as well as many of my friends, and all but two have worked out perfectly. And the two that didn't....if I'd done a test strand first to see how awful the color would come out....they wouldn't have been that big a problem either.

[Charity]

Mate it's only hair it will grow out.
Go for it, it is better to regret something you have done... yadda yaddda yadda

Seriously, dye it, walk with a swagger and everyone will say it looks great.

Heck even if it looks dreadful, it will give you an excuse to experiment with hats.

[Alarra]

Remember....no matter what you do to your hair, you can always fix it. Even if you use permanent hair dye, it isn't really permanent, since you can always dye it again or cut it off. And your hair is really remarkably resilient.

I'd also say, just go for it. Trying new and fun hair dyes is a blast.

*contemplates dying her hair reddish again*

[Mr Croup]

I say go for it. For a number of years, I dyed my hair about once every month or so, and ran the range from blonde, black, green, blue, purple, pink, red, and many variant shades. I've had my hair dyed professionally many times, but dyed it on my own more often. Sadly, I know have a nice "respectable" job in a rather conservative office, so I don't dye anymore, so at the very least, you should go for it so that I can live vicariously through you.

There are a few key things to consider before you dye your hair. The first decision is whether you're going to do it yourself (or in your case have your sister do it), or have it done professionally. There are certainly merits to both. While a professional would always be my call for anything complex (using multiple colors to effect highlights and lowlights, hardcore bleaching, etc), they are not cheap, at least not if they are actually someone that you'd want messing with your hair. Doing it at home is infinitely cheaper, and really, if you're just doing a single color, and dying the entirety of you hair, it's really not that difficult.

Second, you have to choose the dye. There are a ton of different brands, and many different "durations." If you've found the color you're looking for, great, so long as its duration fits with what you want. For the unnatural colors like blue, pink, purple and what not, I usually go with either Manic Panic, or Special Effects, though I prefer the former. For the sort you find in your local pharmacy or super market, L'oreal has always worked the best in my experience. As an aside, most good salons that might cater to a younger, edgier set will in fact let you bring your own dyes if it's not a color they have.

As for duration, check what the product says, and then figure it could go longer or shorter. Since you have fairly dark hair, you shouldn't have to worry about the residual color stain as the dye fades out that those with fair hair do. The longevity and vibrancy of any dye can be extended by doing a couple of things:
1. Letting the dye set for a longer period than called for in the instructions. I usually only do this with Manic Panic and Special Effects, as the brightness of these color will more noticeably fade faster than a natural color. You should be fine to leave the dye in for twice as long.
2. Take care of your dyed hair! This means no scalding hot showers, no using clarifying shampoos, and not blow drying or ironing your hair to death. Washing your hair with cool or cold water and a shampoo designed for colored hair will make your color stick around for several weeks more.

Thirdly, you have to think about prepping your hair to take the color. While this doesn't really increase the longevity of the color by that much, it will increase the vibrancy of color. This is basically the decision of whether or not you bleach out your natural color to let the new color stand out more. Since you're going for a dark color, you shouldn't have to do this, unless you're really wanting a very distinct color. Bleaching is not nice on your hair, and you'll have to take extra care of it. You also can't just wait for the dye to wash out, you'll either have to wait for your natural color to grow back in, hack all your hair off, or redye it. For your first time dying, I'd say avoid this. It's a more significant change, and while still temporary, the results will be with you a lot longer.

All that said, have fun with it. Remember that it's your hair, and you're free to do what you wish with it. And, if it turns out you don't like it, you can always wash it several times a day with hot water and clarifying shampoo and speed the fading, or cut it off, or overdye it another color.

[T'ze'hai]

I have had a variety of shades of red over the last decade. From reddish blond to dark purple. Never proffessional, always a box from the shop. First my mum did it, but the last few years I'm doing it myself. No problems!
Most of the time people think it is my own hair color (I was redhaired as a youngster), but I'm actually dark-blond! Ok, I guess the purple would give me away... :smallbiggrin:
I now stick with natural-looking colors because of my job, and nobody's complaining :smallsmile:

[Samiam303]

I got a really bad haircut one time so I decided to dye it blue... Me and a friend go and get a kit of bleach and dye. Neither of us have any hair-dying experience. We head to his bathroom and put it in. He burned a patch of skin off my head with the bleach, but it came out fantastically.

Just a warning though, with darker hair you really need to bleach it beforehand if you want the colors to actually show up well... and the bleach lasts a lot longer than the dye, obviously. If you don't plan on dying it more than once, be prepared to be blonde while it grows back out.