Salon Quality Hair Coloring Tips For At Home Box Dye

We’re all doing a whole lot of stuff at home these days that we used to contract out - including all our basic beauty needs. Box dye is a great way to keep up your hair color at home (hell, we usually prefer it), but we have to admit that there is a certain quality level that comes with a salon visit. And a lot of this comes from a more sophisticated application and technique that involves more than one tone or color, which is one of the best ways to get beautiful depth and richness without a drastic color change. 

Adding a second color to your hair, or even a third or a fourth, can look great- and can actually be done at home with a little research and planning. However planning is definitely key. If you want to take your box dye job to the next level, here are a few important tips that you should follow to get the best results. 

Research Color Combinations 

When you start mixing colors together, you need to make sure that you choose colors that go well together. Find combinations that are different enough that they stand out but also accent one another well. 

You should also consider which color is going to be the dominant one . For example, if you are going for a shade of brown mixed with a blonde, it’s crucial to distinguish whether you’re going for highlights vs lowlights - in other words, are you going blonde with some streaks of brown or brown with blonde highlights?

If you want to get more creative however, and play around with bright colors like blue, purple and red etc. (the unofficial hair color selections of the pandemic), take a quick peek at a color wheel to give you an indication of what colors are likely to mix well together and which ones might just end up with a muddy shade.

Separate Hair For Different Colors 

Above all else, it is drastically important that you separate your hair into segments when applying different colors. If you don’t do this right in the beginning, they can start to bleed into one another when you are letting the dye process. 

There’s a reason why salon professionals Use foils to keep hair segments separated. It’s the easiest way to prevent color mixing. And it’s also easy enough for you to do yourself at home! Just add a small piece of foil under the hair, apply the dye, and then close it up. That way, you don’t need to worry about different colored strands of hair touching and mixing while you let your hair process. Using vaseline on areas of hair that you don’t want dyed at all is another simple trick to help you protect your strands and control the spread of the color. 

Wash Dye Out Carefully 

Once the dye has processed, it’s time to wash it out. You need to be very careful during this step because the colors can actually run into one another post-process and destroy the distinct sections that you worked so hard to create.

When it comes to washing out the dye, cold water is best. It prevents bleeding, closes the hair follicles, and seals in the dye in, so it is a lot less likely to run out. It may take a bit longer to wash out the excess, but it will give you a much better end result. Bonus: cold water also makes your hair super shiny - and will wake you right up so you can skip that second coffee…

If you are mixing a lot of different shades together and you are concerned about them mixing, try washing each color individually. Start by tying up the dark sections and washing out the light ones first, and then follow with the the dark sections. 

Be Careful With Aftercare 

There are a lot of shampoos and conditioners that are designed for colored hair and they’re great. They help to boost the color and keep it in for longer by adding a light tint. However when you are looking for any shampoo or conditioner, always check the label to make sure that they are color neutral. Shampoos focused on a single color are not ideal for multiple colors. If you have dark hair with blonde highlights, for example, and you use a color shampoo that’s designed for brown hair, it will gradually darken the blonde bits. If you decide to use a shampoo designed for blonde hair then the dark areas will lighten much faster.

In most cases, it’s best to use natural ingredients to keep your hair healthy and shiny, so you can be sure that they won’t mess with the color. Using coconut oil on your hair has a lot of great benefits and will help to prevent drying out without affecting the color. Hair masks are another simple way to inject some moisture into your hair - consider doing one every month or so. If you do notice that your hair feels very dry and you have a lot of split ends, consider taking a break from the dye for a while to give your hair time to repair itself. 

Use The Same Brand Of Dye 

When you are choosing hair dye, the color is obviously the most important thing. However, you should also pay attention to the brand and avoid mixing different brands as much as possible. Every hair dye brand will use slightly different ingredients and they are not designed to be mixed, so if you mix amongst different brands, there is a chance that some ingredients could react badly together and damage your hair.

If you are using a new brand that you have never tried before, you should always do a small patch test. Most of the time, you will be fine, but there is always a chance that you will have a reaction to some of the ingredients, so it’s best to check before you put it all over your hair. 

Consider Visiting A Professional Salon 

At home hair dye kits are pretty good and you can definitely get great results if you prepare ahead of time and follow the tips on this list. However everyone is different and sometimes nothing beats the tender love and care of a professional stylist. Even if you can do the process yourself, a profession is great for giving you guidance on choosing the best color combinations. 

At this point, every state is different. If you feel safe going to a salon, practice social distancing, wear a mask, follow all the safety precautions, and it’s permitted, it might be worth it to you. However even if you just give it a go once yourself first before enlisting the help of a professional, you may just find you’ve developed a new skill that could last way past the pandemic.