How to dye your hair at home – best boxed hair dyes to get that salon fresh look

WHEN the nation first went into lockdown to help stop the spread of coronavirus, many salon-dependent beauties wondered how they could maintain their beauty habits at home. 

It's now been revealed that hairdressers will have to remain shut for six more months, meaning now more than ever people will be entirely dependent on their own skills and store-bought dyes to spruce up their looks without the aid of professionals.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Luckily, we've done the hard work for you and rounded up some of the best home dye kits available so you can take to  your colouring needs with ease and confidence knowing you won't mess it up.

Along with the best picks of home hair kits, experts have given their top tips for dying your hair at home, and, like with anything you do yourself, they advise you take great care and don't over do it, because you could end up doing more harm than good.

Renowned London hairdresser, Michael Van Clarke suggests trying to avoid just any dye on the market as they’re often full of heavy metals and odd elements, which are aggressive on the hair.

Instead, he suggests using a touch-up for your roots, otherwise he recommends a vegetable colour which is more gentle, but will still do the job.

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS – STAY IN THE KNOW

Don't miss the latest news and figures – and essential advice for you and your family.

To receive The Sun's Coronavirus newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here.
To follow us on Facebook, simply 'Like' our Coronavirus page.
Get Britain's best-selling newspaper delivered to your smartphone or tablet each day – find out more.

Vegetable colour is a single product that you apply directly from the bottle which will also sit on the surface, but go that bit deeper – and will wash off in about six to 12 washes.

But he says, if there's one thing people should avoid its attempting to highlight your hair at home as it requires more skill and expertise – something most people at home won't have.

He did say, though, that if you’ve had your highlights done recently, say just before lockdown,  you can probably push it for two to three months before having to touch up.

We've rounded up a few DIY kits that are well worth the spend.

Best at-home hair dye

• Josh Wood Permanent Colour, £10 from Boots – buy here

The ammonia-free, kind-to-hair formula comes in 12 hues ranging from the deepest brown to lightest blonde and is considered one of the best by professionals and experts alike.

• L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss, £6.79 from Superdrug – buy here

This too is ammonia-free and has a large shade range. If you're after a semi-permanent, this one's for you. The formula is packed full of coconut oil, so it conditions too – just what you need.

• Schwarzkopf Only Love Permanent Hair Colouration, £4.99 from Superdrug – buy here

This one has is made of natural ingredients – including calming oat milk, nourishing soy protein and caring argan oil – so it's gentle on the hair and scalp, while still providing the coverage you need.

• Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Dye, £6.99 from Superdrug or Amazon – buy here

Another one that is free from ammonia and is packed full of conditioning oils to ensure vivid colour and glossy hair. This dye is available in 30 shades so finding one right for you shouldn't be an issue.

For root touch ups

• Clairol Nice'n'Easy Root Touch Up, £5.99 from Superdrug – buy here

This one truly is nice'n'easy to use, but is best just to cover up roots rather than applying dye all over. If it's regrowth that's getting you down, fear not, this buy will be sure to get you through.

• L’Oréal Magic Root Cover Up, £6.99 from Superdrug – buy here

Once finding your perfect shade, simply spray on areas that need coverage – it's as simple as that. One bottle should get you roughly 20 touch ups. So if you're doing it once a week, that'll get you almost six months worth.

• Josh Wood Colour root smudger, £12 from Boots – Buy here

The sponge applicator mimics in-salon colouring techniques used by the man himself, and being a celebrity hair stylist and all round hair guru, it's bound to work wonders.

Quick tips to consider

• Buy two boxes – imagine doing half your hair and realising you've run out. Avoid this dilemma but having a back up, just in case.
• Do a patch test  – hair dyes are made up of chemicals afterall, so it's always best to test it out to avoid an allergic reaction.
• Protect your hairline – By this we mean keep it clean and untouched from dye by swiping some lip balm or vaseline along your hairline where you don’t want any dye to go.
• Brush your hair before starting  – this will make it easier to section and create a smoother surface to apply the dye
• Section your hair – the professionals will always section your hair into four parts. Down the middle, and then from ear to ear across the back of the head. Dye the front sections first because these are the most visible, so need the full processing time.
• Don't use the provided bottle – while most would grab the bottle provided, it won’t give you a salon finish. Instead, play colourist and use a mixing bowl and a colour brush to apply the dye.
• Use a toothbrush – If you're a fan of Pinterest you would have seen how well this works at giving you natural looking highlights.
• Start from the top and work down – the roots will always need longer to develop, so start here and comb through the ends
• Don't shampoo – when washing out the colour, don't use shampoo at first – just water – but when you do wash with shampoo for the first time, opt for a sulphate free product to avoid a change in the colour.

How to dye your own hair

Fabulous recently spoke to celebrity Hairstylist Timothy David, and he offered up a few easy tips in ensuring you get the best colour from home.

He suggested contacting your colourist or stylist (if you have one), who should be able to give you the mixing ratio and number or code for your hair colour.

He said: "If you can contact your stylist I am sure they would be happy to give you the mixing ratio and number for your hair colour. I would normally do this for clients that are not solely highlights or balayage, as this can get too messy.

He also insisted on testing the colour at least 48 hours before by "taking some colour from the tint and apply behind your ear to make sure you haven’t or haven’t developed any allergies to the colour if it has been along time between colours".

When it comes to mixing the colour, Timothy suggests using a whisk to make sure you mix the colour until there are no lumps, and once it's smooth, separate your hair into four sections using a tailcomb.

Using a colouring brush, he instructed to dip the bottom 3mm of the brush into the colour and apply gently onto the grey hair or roots, dipping each time into the colour bowl each time you apply – to prevent over lapping your colour.

To avoid any colour disasters, he said: "I only really advise clients to apply on hairline and parting, and usually 3cm from the parting on each side."

And once applied onto the part,"I would use the tail comb to take another straight section usually leaving around 3mm from previous. Making sure your lines are straight," he added.

If you are taking maintenance into your own hands, you can now cut your bloke’s hair at home in lockdown with the help of a pro barber via a £15 video appointment.

We also revealed that people have been sharing the results of the #nohairwashchallenge after ditching shampoo.

And TikTok users have been showing off how you can curl your hair using a penicil.

Source: Read Full Article