How to dye your hair at home?

Since time immemorial, hair dyeing has been one of the most effective means for women to change and improve their appearance, emphasize their attractiveness, and meet the aesthetic requirements of society.

But often quite objective circumstances can hinder a trip to the salon: the cost of the service; lack of time; the desire to use natural dye products or those that change the color or shade of the hair for a short time; desire to experiment.

In order for the result of dyeing to meet expectations, and as a result of this process not to damage the hair, not to get a chemical burn or an allergic reaction, it is enough to follow a few simple rules.

The process of self-dyeing hair can be divided into several stages:

• selection and purchase of dye,
• preparation of the necessary equipment,
• conducting an allergy test,
• directly painting,
• color fixing,
• further care.

Choosing the right paint is often not a very simple task, since an incorrectly selected color will simply not work at best, and at worst will highlight the flaws in appearance.

To prevent this from happening, you need to decide on the basic color type of appearance.

The "winter" type is distinguished by a bright appearance with a predominance of cold shades... Natural hair color is rich - from ash-white to dark. For hair dyeing, you should also choose cold colors: black, brown, chestnut, plum, ash.The contrast in coloring is quite acceptable.

The “summer” type is also cold, but the contrast is hardly suitable for it. Natural hair color is often light: ashy, light brown, so unloved by everyone, "mouse". A very feminine appearance requires cold ash, platinum, light brown tones when painting. This type may have a yellowish skin color, which only emphasizes golden hues.

Warmth and softness are the distinctive features of the "spring" and "autumn" types. Most of all, red, copper, chocolate, brown, light brown tones with a golden tint are suitable for them. The “spring” woman should pay attention to light shades, and the “autumn” woman should pay attention to the darker ones.

Having decided on the color, it is worth considering whether to choose a natural or chemical dye. Even the best professional paint contains ingredients that harm not only hair, but also the scalp.

Natural remedies do not destroy the structure and natural pigmentation of the hair and most often have an additional strengthening, healing and caring effect. The only drawback is that many of the desired shades are very difficult or almost impossible to achieve, or to achieve the desired effect, it is required to carry out the procedure several times. There are several time-tested recipes for making natural dyes, based on such ingredients as henna, basma, cinnamon, lemon, tea, coffee, chamomile.

Dark hair tends to be smoother, denser, and thicker. Natural remedies will give such strands a shade rather than radically change color. Henna will give the most noticeable red tint, cinnamon and chamomile will lighten a little, basma will give depth to the natural pigment.

Henna is considered one of the best natural dyes. The color she gives her hair depends on the country from which it was brought. In its pure form, Indian henna dyes hair in redder, brighter tones, Iranian - in more muted copper. Very often, manufacturers mix henna with other ingredients. These paints are sold ready-made and allow you to vary the color scheme. The result will depend on the concentration of the formulation and the holding time.

It is very simple to prepare this dye for use - the instructions are most often given directly on the package. The mixture is poured with boiling water, hot or warm water, heated in a water bath, applied to the hair warm in the same sequence as other coloring agents. The head should then be covered with foil and wrapped warmly.

It can be considered a disadvantage that such a procedure is carried out for quite a long time, but in the end it is impossible to damage the hair with this remedy. The composition will saturate the hair with useful substances, they will better tolerate the negative effects of the environment, since each hair will be in a kind of protective cocoon. The strands will become more manageable, smoother, denser and more elastic. In addition, outwardly they will seem thicker and more voluminous, acquire a beautiful shining shine.

Such additional components as honey, olive, burdock, grape oil, essential oils intended for hair care will help to enhance the healing effect. If you have a certain amount of free time, in addition to the coloring effect, you can create a very effective caring mask based on henna, useful for both the hair itself and the scalp.

At the end of the procedure, the composition is washed off with shampoo, you need to rinse your hair until the water becomes light. Further, hair care can be carried out with the usual means.

Regular use of this method of hair care will not only preserve the color for a long time, reliably paint over the gray hair, but also significantly improve the condition of the hair.

A mixture of henna and basma allows you to get a darker color - from chocolate to black. The result of staining will depend on the proportions of the original components. You can use a ready-made mixture, or you can first prepare a henna base according to the basic recipe yourself, add basma powder in the right proportion, mix until smooth and apply to your hair.

Very effective coloring, toning and caring masks can be prepared based on cinnamon. If you do not mix it with other dyes, then reddish strands will acquire reddish shades, darker ones - golden tint, light strands will become brownish.

A mixture of cinnamon with lemon and honey will lighten the hair a little, such a mask, with regular use, stimulates their growth, makes it shiny and silky.

Unique shine will give your hair a lime blossom decoction. It is impossible to paint over gray hair and change color with it, this tool will slightly lighten dark hair, and light hair will get a light golden hue.

Chamomile is another plant, a decoction of which, with regular use, will allow you to hide gray hair and slightly lighten your hair. This tool will not give a pronounced coloring effect, but in a rather concentrated form it will provide golden overflows, and thanks to its antiseptic properties, it will eliminate itching, peeling and other unpleasant phenomena. The result will depend on the concentration of the solution. The same effect is possible with onion peel decoction.

Decoctions of these plants are prepared in fact according to one recipe. The required amount of raw materials is poured with water, boiled over low heat for a time sufficient to evaporate about half of the liquid. Further, the composition is cooled, applied to the hair or used as a rinse.

Beautiful chocolate shades can be obtained using strong solutions of tea and coffee. The use of these products tones up and increases blood circulation in the scalp, which brings considerable benefits to the hair: it strengthens and accelerates its growth.

It is useful to massage your head with a natural coffee scrub - this will eliminate dandruff. First, you should massage, rinse off the scrub, apply a warm staining solution, cover your head with a film, wrap it up and leave for about an hour.

Staining with strong tea (two tablespoons per 200 g of boiling water are brewed) is carried out in the same way, you can massage your head using a certain amount of a drink. Tea and coffee can also be used as a rinse aid.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice, mixed in equal proportions with water, after several rinses, can lighten the hair by one or two tones. In addition, lemon gives a beautiful shine and cleanses the scalp well.

But it should be remembered that the juice of this citrus fruit should not be used for dry hair, as it has a drying effect.

You can quickly and radically lighten hair at home with hydrogen peroxide. This time-tested and fairly safe remedy is widely used both in everyday life and in medicine. For cosmetic purposes, it is used to whiten teeth and hair.

This procedure is fairly easy and very cost effective. The result is fast and lasting. Keep in mind, however, that peroxide is not suitable for all hair types. Dry, thin, brittle hair will not tolerate its effects. On dark hair, the effect can also be quite unexpected.

To avoid unpleasant consequences, it is imperative to analyze the condition of the strands, if necessary, carry out restorative procedures, preliminary testing and take precautions.

Three large groups of chemical dyes - black, chestnut, blond - have ten additional subgroups: from the first, denoting a rich black color, to the tenth, corresponding to the lightest white. There are additional shades within these subgroups.

This information is usually contained in the numbers on the packaging, the first of which indicates the main group, the other two - color subgroups.

In addition, this information is accompanied by illustrations on the packaging, which show the original hair color and the intended result. Reputable manufacturers attach an additional palette with all shades to their products.

When purchasing a paint, it should be borne in mind that on such an illustrative material, samples of dyeing healthy hair of a certain natural shade are given and all the attached dyeing rules are observed. If you deviate from these conditions, the result may also be different.

Chemicals for hair coloring are hardly safe, even if they do not contain ammonia.

The effect of the use of dyes can vary significantly over time. There are three main categories of colorants.

• Tinted shampoos and balms. It is impossible to radically change the color with their help, and they are washed off rather quickly. With these tools, you can dye your hair temporarily or for experimental purposes.
• Semi-permanent dyes. They do not contain ammonia, but sometimes quite toxic amines also replace it. They are able to change color by 1-2 tones and for a short time. They are unlikely to be able to paint over gray hair with high quality and for a long time.
• Persistent remedies. They contain ammonia, allow you to radically change color, reliably eliminate gray hair, stay on the hair for a long time. But they must be used with caution, since allergies are possible, if used incorrectly, hair and scalp can be damaged. In addition, regrown roots must be tinted periodically, otherwise the hairstyle will look untidy.

The set of products and tools for dyeing hair at home is very simple and depends little on the length, thickness of the hair and the chosen dye. It includes a number of essential ingredients.

• Coloring agent.
• Dishes for diluting paint, necessarily glass or ceramic, or plastic.
• Cloak to protect clothing. It can be an old towel, bathrobe, waterproof cloth, soft polyethylene.
• Polyethylene gloves (often attached to paint) or thin rubber.
• A set of two non-metallic combs: common with frequent teeth and rather large, with sparse large teeth.
• Paint brush. It is advisable to purchase a classic, rather soft professional, 4-5 cm wide. If the hair is long, it is more convenient to use a wider and stiffer brush, to color individual strands - a narrower one. At home, the brush may well be replaced by a sponge.
• Plastic hairpins or hairdressing hair clips.
• If fashionable feather dyeing or other types of complex painting are planned, then you will additionally need foil or thermal paper for wrapping strands and a special spatula for separate styling of curls. These tools are not needed for normal staining.
• Any greasy cream or petroleum jelly, which is applied along the hairline to protect from dye.

Home hair coloring should not be spontaneous. In addition to choosing a dye and preparing a set of tools, it is necessary to assess the condition of the hair, cut split ends, and make several healing and moisturizing masks.

An allergy test is imperative. Even if a permanent dye is used, the manufacturer can add a new ingredient that can cause a negative reaction.

Care should be taken when dyeing gray hair or darkening light curls by more than 3 tones. Pre-pigmentation will help to avoid unwanted greenish tints. Many manufacturers produce special tools for this test.

Each paint must be accompanied by instructions. It must be read carefully. In some cases, the dye is applied to dry hair, sometimes it needs to be wetted first. Not only the result, but also the health of the hair and skin depends on how much the dyeing rules are followed.

To correctly, evenly and beautifully dye your hair yourself, you need to follow a certain sequence of actions.

• Brush your hair from side to side.
• Using clamps, separate the strands, fixing them in the occipital, crown and temporal parts.
• Apply cream or petroleum jelly along the hairline.
• Protect shoulders, clothing from paint with the help of prepared material, wear gloves.
• Prepare the dye mixture in accordance with the attached instructions. As a rule, you need to mix paint and oxidizer. For short hair, one package of the product is enough, for medium and long hair you will need 2 or even 3.
• Apply and spread the resulting solution near the ears, along the parting and hairline. It is very important to act quickly and carefully, especially if you intend to make your hair 2 or more shades lighter.
• Release from clamps and divide the hair into thin strands in one of four zones.
• Apply the paint first to the roots of each curl, then carefully and evenly distribute along the entire length.
• Do the same with the entire mass of hair, treating each zone in turn.
• With a wide-toothed comb, gently comb the hair in different directions several times, thus allowing air to circulate freely.
• If necessary, fasten the strands with hairpins and leave for the time specified in the instructions. Often the hair is dry at the roots or at the ends, in which case the dyeing time must be shortened. You should not overexpose the dye on your hair - prolonged chemical exposure will not be beneficial.

• About 10 minutes before the end of the procedure, slightly dampen the hair with water and massage it along the entire length for a more even distribution of the dye.
• After keeping the allotted time, wash off the composition with warm water. Most modern dyes already contain detergents, so the use of shampoo for rinsing is often unnecessary.
• After rinsing the dye, apply the supplied conditioner to the hair and, if possible, carry out additional treatment. It can be a constantly used balm or a caring mask based on natural products (honey, egg yolk, vegetable oils, medicinal herbs). Even the most gentle modern paint is a chemical compound that damages the hair structure.
• If the hair has already been dyed before, and you only need to dye the roots and refresh the color, the dye is applied to the root part. A few minutes before the time indicated in the instructions, emulsification is carried out (the hair is slightly moistened with water and the paint is distributed along the entire length with massage movements).

Dyeing your hair once, especially with permanent dyes, is not enough. It is important to keep the result obtained for a long time.

This technique is not particularly difficult. To do this, you should purchase a special shampoo for colored hair. This name is not a marketing ploy, the composition of this product is somewhat different from the usual shampoo. A properly selected detergent will make the strands softer and silky, allowing you to maintain and renew pigmentation.

In addition, there are additional tools for fixing and restoring color. They are applied to the hair for a short time, do not have a harsh chemical effect, and are easily washed off with water.

How to preserve the color of dyed hair for a long time should be taken care of in advance. Preliminary care does not require visits to the salon, expensive products and a long time. The color obtained as a result of dyeing will keep smooth hair with a dense structure for a long time.

You can restore porous damaged hair by abandoning any aggressive styling procedures about two weeks before dyeing: drying with a hairdryer, winding on curlers, perming.

Damaged split ends must be trimmed. Any caring masks based on vegetable, essential oils, as well as herbal, vinegar rinses will be very useful.

As a rule, manufacturers also apply a color fixer to the dye. If it is not there, then it is worth taking care of its acquisition.

It is important to remember that the coloring pigment is fixed on the hair for about two days, so you do not need to wash your hair at this time. The use of the pool, sauna, any area with high temperatures or chlorine fumes should also be limited.

Coloring is a complex chemical process. Permanent products destroy the natural structure and pigmentation of the hair, any violation of the technology can lead to unpredictable results.

Dyes dry out the hair a lot, so it is very important to take care of their subsequent hydration and nutrition. Very simple and effective means will help to restore the natural balance: masks based on egg yolk, honey, herbal decoctions, oils.

Natural coloring agents will also help to set the color for a long time. Henna, basma, chamomile, tea, coffee - for the procedure of fixing the color, they do not need to be applied for a long time, regular rinsing is enough, you can hold it on your hair for a while and rinse it off with cool water.

The following very budgetary procedure is useful for hair: add a little vegetable oil to the proposed natural composition to restore and fix the color (burdock, grape oil are especially useful), apply to curls, cover with a film, wrap warmly and leave for any time. Wash off with shampoo. This mask will not only preserve color, but also make your hair soft, manageable and shiny.

The same effect can be achieved by rinsing with vinegar solution. It is enough to dilute a few drops of vinegar essence in a liter of warm water and rinse your hair: the result will be no worse than using expensive products.

When starting the staining process, you need to know and, if possible, avoid quite common mistakes, so as not to end up with hard, dull, not too beautiful strands.

• One of the most common mistakes is the expectation that the hair color will be the same as on the package. The original color and structure of the curls are decisive. Blonde hair is thinner and more porous, it lends itself well to pigmentation and retains its color longer. On dark hair, the result is less noticeable, as a rule, they are thicker and denser than light hair, it is quite difficult to radically lighten them at home, and the result obtained may be far from what was expected.This process must be divided into several stages, having previously tested on a separate inconspicuous strand.

• Another common mistake is neglecting allergy testing. Science does not stand still, even a manufacturer can add a component to a constantly used dye that can cause an unpredictable reaction: damage, hair loss, redness or burns of the skin, breathing problems.
• Protective equipment such as gloves and clothing should not be neglected. Even a very small drop of the product can hopelessly damage the fabric.
• For mixing components, combing hair, you need to use only non-metallic devices. Any metal will inevitably enter into a chemical reaction with a dye.
• Experts do not recommend washing your hair, using styling products 2-3 days before staining.
• The staining time is indicated on each chemical agent. Violating it is strongly discouraged. You can get a more lasting result if you repeat the procedure after a while (2-3 weeks).
• Change the original color by more than 3 tones. Persistent colors penetrate deep into the hair, destroying the natural pigment. An undesirable result is quite difficult to correct at home.
• Failure to follow the safety measures specified in the instructions can lead to hazardous health consequences.