Do's and Don'ts of Coloring Your Hair At Home

Quarantine Day Who-Knows-Anymore. We're at a hair-breadth (no pun intended) away from summer in the western hemisphere, yet it feels like we're stuck in an eternal Spring. If you've been tucked away inside the comfort of your home you've probably found yourself depraved of enjoying services that were a block or two away from your house --like your friendly neighborhood hair salon.

Ah, what precious memories. The smell of hair chemicals, the gossip magazines you only read when you're there, and let's not forget hairdresser Sarah's magic fingers. She used to give you the best scalp massages. But anyways, now that your favorite hair salon had to close for the time being you find yourself in need of hair dying and you've never done this before or have done so sparingly. Worry not! BuyMeBeauty has reached out to our beauty expert, Nicollet Yawser, to provide you with some essential Do's and Don'ts. Nicollet is a professional beautician with a background in hairdressing and skin care.

Take a look at the list we've compiled below!

DO: prepare ahead and manage your time accordingly. You'll want to have plenty of time to get the process done without interruptions. Interruptions can end up in uneven results or damaged hair. Find a comfortable place with easy access to a sink or even better, a shower. Most people dye their hair in the bathroom for this reason since a shower with a detachable shower head is the most ideal, or you could just shower after you're done. At a sink, the water might not reach the nape of the neck/back of the head and could get color in your eyes.

Wear an old shirt or use an old towel and remove any bathroom rugs out of the way to avoid getting them stained. Pro Tip! If you do happen to get anything stained, (hey, it happens) use rubbing alcohol to remove it.

DON'T: ever choose a color based on what the front of the box is showing you. Results will always vary from what you see on the model so it's best to follow the guide on the side of the box -- the before and after. For best results, find a color that's within two shades. A color that isn't too light or too dark.

DO: use semi-permanent hair color if it's your first time. This will allow you to work without pressure and learn as you go. Permanent hair color can end up in disaster and cost you a lot to get fixed at the salon. And of course because salons are closed due to the pandemic, you'll be stuck with it for awhile. You CAN use darker color on your hair but to lighten dark hair or previously dyed hair lighter, you will need to use bleach. Color cannot lighten color, only bleach can do that.

DON'T: do things exactly how the box tells you to do them. Yes, the instructions are there for guidance but every head of hair is different and instructions will tell you things like "apply on unwashed hair" or "leave on for x minutes." Applying color on super dirty hair may cause the results to be uneven, but applying it on freshly-washed hair can cause the same issue or irritate your scalp,especially if using bleach-- find a happy medium. And leaving it on for too long could result in lighter roots because heat from your head will process it faster than the rest of your hair -- which is a common problem you should prevent.

DO: use the tools provided in the coloring kit. All hair color boxes come with gloves and sometimes brushes to make your job easier. It's 100% recommended to at least wear gloves. Hair dye stains like crazy and you don't want to end up with stained hands for days.A hair dye brush is also very handy, it will easier to reach all parts of your hair. Pro Tip! To prevent staining your skin apply Vaseline on your temples, forehead, ears, forearms and the back of your neck.

DON'T: start applying color at the roots if you're doing all-over color. If you're using the same color and only want to blend the new hair growth with the rest of your hair, then you should concentrate on only coloring the uncolored hair at the root. This area gets colored the fastest, especially if you have colored hair. Color strands in sections and leave the roots for last. Set a timer from the moment you finish the roots and pay attention to them the whole time. Your roots will tell you when time's up! For resistant or 75% or more grey hair, roots may end up processing up to 15 minutes more than on the box.

DO: color in sections. Use clips to part your hair and color section by section to avoid uneven results. Be patient and take your time, it will payoff. Pro Tip! Use a wide tooth comb to comb from root to shaft. This will ensure the color reaches all possible areas

DON'T: shampoo your hair right after washing off the color dye. Simply apply the after color conditioner that comes with all boxes. Pro Tip! To get the most of your color, use cool-cold water. Especially reds and fun colors as they fade fast.

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BuyMeBeauty is following authorities and government officials' recommendations closely to guarantee the safety of all our customers and employees. We're taking every precaution to keep our warehouse facility and offices disinfected to ensure uninterrupted service. Recent studies have found that the virus can't live more than a day on cardboard surfaces. But nonetheless we clean our facilities and equipment repeatedly throughout the day and all of our employees have been given the proper instructions to protect themselves and others.

We are all in this together and we will overcome it together.

Any questions or concerns please contact customerservice@buymebeauty.com or call us at 954-568-7150