11 Hair Coloring Hacks To Try At Home

If you are someone who loves coloring your hair often, this article is for you! Whether it is for simple root touch-ups or changing up your hair color, salon treatments can burn a hole in your pocket. And salon visits can turn out to be expensive, especially when you are looking to get your hair colored along with some TLC.

However, coloring your hair at home may sometimes turn messy and overwhelming, especially if you are attempting it for the first time. Don’t worry! We have rounded up 11 amazing hacks that will make hair coloring at home easy-peasy. Scroll down for tips to get a refreshing makeover at home.

11 Hair Coloring Hacks To Try At Home

1 Ditch The Box

Most people pick out a hair color merely by looking at the box and the model’s hair color on it. But, in reality, the hair color ends up looking a lot lighter than it is pictured on the box. This is because the developers in these box hair colors are usually stronger than the ones used in salons. Hence, they tend to lighten the hair color.

If you want to know what the final color will look like exactly, you can check it out on the chart at the top of the box. This chart usually shows you the exact shade you will end up with based on  your natural color.

2 Test It Out

There are a few things you need to do before coloring your hair. One of the basic steps is to do a strand test. You never know how your hair is going to react to a new shade or color until you try it. So, pick out a small section of hair from near the nape of your neck, apply the color, leave it on for the time mentioned on the box, and then wash it out.

This method of strand testing will show you how exactly the hair color will turn out. That way, you’ll know about any potential color mishaps before it’s too late!

3 Buy Two Boxes

You may not know this, but it is best to pick up two boxes of hair color – always. If your hair is medium-length or longer, there is no doubt that you will require at least two boxes of hair color.

If you want to color your hair right from the roots, you will need more hair color to ensure even coverage throughout your hair. Trust us, there is nothing worse than running out of hair color halfway through your coloring session. If you have any unused, unopened dye left over from the second box, it can be a backup for your next touch-up session.

4 Hair Texture Matters

The texture of your hair matters a great deal when it comes to hair coloring. The ability of the hair color to get absorbed and hold on to your hair depends on the texture of your hair.

If you have straight hair, which is fine or medium-textured, it may not absorb color easily. Fine hair may make the color look slightly warmer with orange, red, or copper undertones. The best way to overcome this problem is to opt for golden or bronze shades that are lighter than your natural hair color.

Frizzy, curly, coarse, and thick hair types absorb more color and tend to develop cooler undertones. So, any hair color you pick may look slightly ashy or have a blue undertone. So, it is best to pick a hair color that is a bit darker than your natural hair color.

5 Section It Well

Follow the professional method of sectioning your hair while coloring it. Most at-home hair colors are meant to be applied with a squeeze bottle, but it can create a huge mess. No matter what formula you use, dividing your hair into 4-6 sections will make the job easy and hassle-free.

If you have thick, voluminous, and curly hair, work on smaller sections and clip them separately. Sectioning also prevents patchy and uneven application and ensures that you do not miss any spots or strands accidentally.

When splitting your hair into sections, create a middle part that runs to the back of your head to create two sections. Then, split the two sections again to make four equal sections.

Now, start coloring your hair from the very back of your head and work your way to the front. This way, you can ensure that the color stays for longer in the back section of your hair – which is naturally darker than the rest of your hair – giving it a longer time to develop.

6 Use Two Mirrors

Coloring the back of your head can be tricky, especially if you are doing it alone. You will not be able to see when you have missed a section, a strand, or even a spot.

So, it is better to keep an extra handheld mirror at hand to keep checking if you have colored all the sections at the back of your head. You can move around the handheld mirror and see how evenly you have colored the back of your head.

7 Add Some Nourishment

The ends of our hair are usually dry and porous and tend to dry out more when dyed. So, when you color your hair, it is best to leave out the last two or three inches of your hair.

Save up the extra hair color, and 3-4 minutes before you are supposed to wash out the dye from your hair, mix two squirts of your shampoo into the leftover hair color.

Apply this shampoo and hair color mix to the ends of your hair. This mix gives your hair a boost of color and shine and makes the ends softer and smoother.

8 Let Your Hair Down

The models in commercials artfully twist up their color-coated hair into a bun. But this is not advisable. Twisting is the worst possible thing you can do to your hair right when coloring it.

It not only makes the hair color patchy and uneven but also tugs on the hair. This may end up causing hair fall and breakage while you rinse off the hair color. Instead, wear an old T-shirt, comb your hair, and leave it untied until it’s time to rinse off the dye.

9 Clean-up Essentials

There’s nothing worse than ending up with streaky stripes of color in your hair or dye stains on your forehead and neck. You can minimize the possibility of accidentally dyeing your forehead and neck by applying a thick layer of balm, oil, or Vaseline to your skin.

This will make sure that any drips of dye exceeding the hairline can be easily removed without stains. However, if you skip applying Vaseline, you can use wet wipes, coconut oil, or micellar water to clean these stains easily.

10 Rinse Properly And Condition

Once you have finished with the coloring process, you can help keep your tresses looking shiny and lustrous for longer by using a shampoo formulated for colored hair. Rinsing off the hair color thoroughly is as important as applying it evenly. If you don’t rinse the hair color out the right way, the chemicals in it may make your hair brittle and leave your scalp feeling itchy and irritated.

The best way to ensure that the color is thoroughly washed out is to apply a little water and mush your hair around for a few seconds. This emulsifies the hair color, loosens your strands, and preps them for a rinse without causing any lumps and tangles.

The next step plays a major part in maintaining your hair color and enhancing the hair texture. Conditioner makes your hair soft, bouncy, and voluminous and ensures the hair cuticles do not remain open.

Conditioning your hair after coloring it can also make the hair color darker and more lustrous and even lock in the color. Often, the box of hair color comes with an after-wash conditioner, but in case it doesn’t, you can use any color-protecting conditioner. You can also keep your color looking fresh by washing it less often.

11 Tweak The Color

After shampooing and conditioning your hair, if you feel that the result is way darker than your desired shade, you can tone it down. Shampoo your hair a couple of times until the excess product build-up and color stains on your strands wash out with each rinse. But remember, this might not work very effectively, even with a clarifying shampoo.

Apart from this, you can also use a deep conditioning or enriching hair mask to lighten the hair color. Apply a deep conditioning hair mask on your damp hair and cover it with a plastic wrap and a hot, damp towel. Leave it on for around 10 minutes, blow-dry your hair over the towel for 5-7 minutes, and then shampoo and condition your hair.

These hacks show that it is quite easy to replicate a professional-looking hair coloring treatment at home with a good store-bought hair color. So, eliminate the mess and drama of at-home hair coloring and follow these tips to flaunt your oh-so-silky strands!

Author Bio

Nisha is passionate about writing and loves to share her thoughts with the world. She has written many articles on yoga, fitness, wellness, remedies, and beauty. She keeps herself updated by going through interesting blogs every day. This fuels her passion and motivates her to write appealing and engaging articles. She is a regular contributor to StyleCraze.com and a few other websites.