Prepare Your Hair for Home Coloring

Despite the warnings on the side of the box, many people dive right into coloring their hair at home without taking the time to prepare. If you want great results from your home hair dying session you have to pay attention. Not only should you do the required strand test and allergy test, you should also make sure your hair is in the best shape it can be. Always take the time to prepare your hair for home coloring.

If your hair is not prepared, you can end up with spotty color, lighter colored ends, spilt ends, and all-over damage. These things happen when hair is not healthy and not prepared for the dye. If you want to get the best possible color you can at home, there are a few things you should do before you rip open the box.

Get a Trim

If you haven't had a trim in a while, it'll affect the quality of your hair color. When your hair has split ends, they'll be very obvious after you dye. This is especially true if you have lighter hair and you are going for a darker color. The ends may end up looking lighter than the rest of your hair. Not good. Prepare for the color by getting a trim.

Time

Be realistic about your hair color. If you don't know what you like and try to experiment, you may be sorry. Dying your hair a new color every week until you find what looks best on you is not the best idea. Your hair will easily become so damaged it may fall out. When you feel like you need a new color, but aren't sure what will look good or feel good, go to a salon. At the very least, they can give you a trim and offer you some suggestions.

Deep Condition

When you bleach or dye your hair a lighter color, you are damaging the hair. Prepare your hair for home coloring by doing a few days of deep conditioning before you attempt to dye. Use quality conditioner or a few hot oil treatments. It is essential your hair is as healthy as possible before you begin unless you like the patchy bald look. I'm serious. I've seen it and it is not pretty.
Shampoo

Do not shampoo the day you plan to dye. You should shampoo the day before so all styling product and any dirt is removed, but stop there. Shampooing also removes oils from your scalp that protect your skin during the coloring process. So wash the day before, but never on the same day you plan to dye.

Have Help

For the best results, have a friend help you. Don't just rip open the box and throw the gloves at them, read the instructions. You may discover your friend has never done hair before and doesn't have the slightest idea what they are doing. You may also find that you need more than one box of dye for your hair if it's long. Even if you have dyed before, take a few minutes to look through the instructions. It certainly won't hurt.

Final Thoughts

Home hair dying is pretty simple and straightforward, but you will not be happy with the results if you rush in without making sure your hair is ready for the abuse. No matter how stunning the red looks on the box of dye, it won't look that way on a head of damaged and split hair. Taking the time to prepare your hair for home coloring is the best way to achieve fabulous results.