As soon as your done bleaching it! I like to wait for it to dry before dying it but it isn't necessary. There is no need to wait a week, or a even a few days before using any of the four dyes I'll talk about in the next paragraph...
What kind of Dye?
The question I get asked the most regarding my hair is "What brand dye do you use?" It all depends on what color I'm trying to achieve. I don't think there is one brand that is absolutely perfect in every color. The four brands I use the most and that I'll recommend are Special Effects, Manic Panic, Beyond the Zone and Punky Colors. There, of course, are other brands but these are the ones that I've used with success and feel comfortable recommending.
You shouldn't write off a whole brand because you didn't like one color. For example, a lot of folks bash Manic Panic claiming it doesn't stay long. In my experience their shades of blue have never last long in my hair but when I dyed my hair Electric Banana
and Electric Lava
it lasted for such a long time. The photos below span from the time when, on the left, it was fresh to, on the right, when it was two months old.
Special Effects, on the other hand, has completely impressed me with their blue shades. Their blue lasted me nearly two months with no touch ups and could have lasted longer had my roots not been so darn long!
Dyes like the four brands I mentioned above do NOT hurt your hair. It's absolutely fine and I recommend leaving the dye in for much longer than the bottles direct you to. Leave the dye in for a minimum of one hour but if you have the time and don't mind - leave it in for longer!
When dying my hair I use one part conditioner for every three parts dye. It's a good way to help repair any damage done after bleaching and your initial rinse will almost be clear. After I'm done applying the dye I throw all my hair up in a shower cap and leave for around three hours. (This is with Special Effects, using Manic Panic I normally leave it in for anywhere from 4-8 hours) Sleeping with the dye in is also fine as long as you have a shower cap on so it won't dry. Then rinse! Despite what the bottle says it doesn't have to rinse clear and it most likely won't! Use your best judgment, just like when shampooing, if it feels like all the product is it out than it is.
Pastel Colors.
To achieve a light, pastel color mixing conditioner and hair dye is also the answer. (A mixture of half and half or more depending on what color you're trying to achieve) I will admit I really have little experience in dying my hair pastel colors, the majority of the pastels I've ended up with were a result of fading. (But boy, oh boy, they were pretty!) Below is my absolutely favorite color which was a result of diluted Beyond the Zone's Not So Shy Violet that was applied over (a very faded dye job of) Manic Panic's Atomic Turquoise
Mixing Dyes.
Can't find a color you like? Want a 100% unique color? Mix a few dyes yourself! I personally always do this. Use an old bowl you no longer care about and put a little bit of a few colors of your choice in and stir, simple as that!
Mixing dyes is also fun because when you mix two dyes of different brands one will most likely fade quicker which will leave your hair a bunch of different beautiful shades of that color. But mixing two brands is also something to keep in mind if you're trying to maintain a solid color.
How to do to different colors?
To get two different colors in my hair like the pictures below I separate the pieces I want to be a the accent color, apply the dye, wrap them in foil and then finishing dying the rest of my hair the other color. Easy peasy!
*Tip: Make sure to consider the fact that when rinsing the darker color will bleed into the lighter so putting darker colors on the bottom makes the most sense!*
Next week I'll post the conclusion of this short series which will include some tips to making color last, products I love and more!
xoxo
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