Last year I posted about the hair colour I use. After dying my hair again last night I decided to do an update with a few extra tips. As you can see in the photos from today, the colour when first applied is really dark. If you look at the photo in the left-sidebar on my blog, that’s the colour it is after a few days and remains so for a couple of weeks.

The annoying thing about temporary colour is that you have to redye it much more often than with more permanent dyes. The good things being that it is much better for the health of your hair and the choice of colours is great. I wash my hair everyday, if you’re lucky enough to have the kind of hair that doesn’t need washing so often then obviously your colour will last a lot longer than mine.

Over the past year or so I’ve learnt a lot about keeping hair colour bright. If you want more information on the actual dye it’s in my previous post.

Heat is bad!
Using dryers, straighteners or any other heat on your hair will make the colour fade much faster. The same goes for washing, the hotter the water, the more dye it takes with it when you wash.

Conditioning
The better condition your hair is in, the better the colour looks. I used conditioner especially for coloured hair and also a leave-in conditioner a few times a week. If your hair is smooth and shiny the colour looks brighter than if it’s dull and knotty.

Styling Products
I never really use any products in my hair except conditioner. One of the reasons for that is that they too can contribute to fading hair colour. Lots of products, especially hair spray, have alcohol in them and that is not good for colour.

I’ve wanted a change for a while and decided today was the day to go for the chop. I’ve not had a fringe since I was about 11.

I’m still getting used to it. I think I like it but I’ll be more sure once I’ve washed it and styled it myself. I’m not a fan of all the products hairdressers insist on putting in my hair. I think I need some dark rimmed nerdy specs to go with it.

Yes, I know it’s Friday but I like all my Etsy posts to be in one place so it’s temporarily Thursday!

My hair is finally long enough to use hair stick to hold it up. I really like the as a way of styling hair. You can tie your hair up first and then add sticks as decoration or use them like I’ve pictured as a way of holding hair up.

I found a few lovely ones on Etsy but not enough for a treasury. Here they are, I want them all!


by Gardenofweedingirl

by Barefootmaiden

by Serpentsdancedesigns

They’re much better than the boring stick I’m using at the moment.

I redyed my hair yesterday. I love having bright hair, I tried a couple of years of natural brown but I couldn’t cope any longer and a few months ago I started dying my hair again. My natural colour is mousey brown. I don’t bleach it before dying so the colour isn’t as bright as it could be. I used to bleach my hair and to be honest I can’t be bothered with having to rebleach my roots every month or so. I’m pretty pleased with how it looks without prelightening though.

I use La Riche Directions Semi-Permanent Conditioning Hair Colour. I’ve tried other brands but I’ve found this to give the best results. It doesn’t come with gloves though so make sure to get some of those before you start or you’ll have pink hands for weeks! I use Badger Balm around the hairline to stop the dye staining my face, ears and neck. The claw style hair clips are great for holding hair out of the way whilst you’re trying to dye other parts of it, much easier to use with gloved hands than hairbands.

I leave they dye on for atleast two hours, with my head wrapped in cling film to stop it drying. The good thing about this type of hair colour is that it isn’t damaging in anyway so you can leave it on as long as you like, the longer the better. After rinsing out, coat your hair in conditioner and leave for a few minutes before rinsing again. I recommend having an old towel for drying your hair with. However well you rinse, there will always be some colour that comes out on the towels.

As you can see, the day after dying I still have a bit of colour on my scalp too. I find it takes a couple of washes to get out completely. Rather than overdoing it with shampoo to get the colour out of the skin which will lighten the hair as well, use conditioner and massage it into your scalp instead. It helps lift the colour and gives your roots a treat too.

If you want more great tips on dying hair (and bleaching) check out Kaylah’s awesome hair dying tips over on her Dainty Squid blog