Thinking of dying my hair

[easyguy]

For years (well, my whole life) I've managed not to change my blonde/brown hair to a different color, but today I started to think about it. I found a somewhat recent pic of myself that is a close-up headshot, and I took it to Photoshop and colored in my hair black. Surprisingly, I like the black hair look more than my blonde/brown-ish hair.

 

For those of you who have dyed (sp?) your hair, where do you go to do it? Is it kind of like putting on a cheap tattoo, where it stays with you for a while then fades away?

 

I'd like to make sure I know what I am getting into before I do it (aka research).

 

Thanks!

[the yang to the worlds yin]

I've made a LOT of bad hair mistakes in the past. So hopefully someone can learn from them too. First off, wait a few weeks to do this, make sure this isn't a fleeting idea. Now the cheap and easy way to do it, is to go to your local drugstore or convenience store and pick up a temporary hair dye. It'll say that it should last through a certain amount of shampoos. That way, if you don't like it, you don't have to live with it for more than a week or two. Just be prepared, the dye doesn't exactly do your hair any good, so it'll need to be conditioned a lot more often.

[orgasmictofu]

I've been dying my hair since I was 13. I haven't seen my natural colour since then.

 

Be careful with black. Even though you can get it "temporary", it's so dark that it'll fade, but it'll fade to a dull black, you won't get your natural colour back unless you strip it (ie bleach) and redye it to a more natural colour.

 

That being said, I had black for a couple years and it suited me. It's now a dark brown and even though my hair is naturaly lighter, a dark blonde, it looks good.

 

Do you have really long hair or short and spiky hair? If it's short and spiky, just dye it whatever colour you want, it grows out quick enough. Just be warned that if you dye it black and when it's growing out, it'll look like you're balding since the light hair gives the illusion of thinning out.

 

As for going to a pro, if you're comfortable enough, and if you're doing just one solid colour, do it yourself. I strongly recommend Feria by L'oreal. Read the instructions, and be sure to wipe away with soap and water any dye you get on your skin.

 

Have fun!

[the yang to the worlds yin]

Heh, when I was in sixth grade I tried dying it red with Feria, turned my hair maroon.

[renaissancewoman101]

I usually highlight my hair and get a partial highlight. I have tried to dye my hair before once and it turned out really weird. I wanted to dye my hair to a reddish brown and it turned out real wacky to the point I had to go to a hair salon to get it fixed. Now, I just usually get a partial highlight at a salon. That lasts me about 3-4 months and costs me about $70.

[Lady Bugg]

EasyGuy....going Black is as dangerous as going all Blonde....

 

You might want to try a

demi permanent" color first. Demi permanent fades out within 4-6 weeks...

So if you are not happy with it it is not quite as "shocking". LOL

Try to go no more than 2 shades darker than your natural color....

[orgasmictofu]

Heh, when I was in sixth grade I tried dying it red with Feria, turned my hair maroon.

 

Huh. I've had really good results with the reds from Feria. I've gotten my hair fire engine red with it, after stripping with bleach first (for anyone new to hair dying, I'm not talking about javex here. You need a bleaching kit designed for hair).

 

That being said, I have gotten some wonky results from hair dye. It really depends on what you have for hair to begin with, whether it's dyed already, if it's been washed, how long you leave it in, etc etc.

[Scout]

I change my hair color and style all the time. It's fun! You only live once, and it's just hair...

 

Let me suggest, though, that you go with very dark brown instead of jet black. The effect is basically the same, but black will give it a fake, "inky" look. Which can be dramatic - and not necessarily a bad thing if that's what you're looking for - but if you want something a bit more natural looking, then don't.

 

I've done platinum blonde when I wanted dramatic, but I knew in advance it would NOT look natural.

[alteer]

Maybe you should start with a colour not so dramatic as black........dark colours are really hard to get out even if it isn't a permanent colour.

 

I've had some real hair dye nightmares.....not sure what my natural colour is anymore......a horibble mousy brown I think. I've been green, istead of brown, bright copper, instead of a lightish red. It all depends on your own hair. Maybe you should see a stylist and have it done properly. They can even advise you on the correct colour. Whatever you do don't make the mistakes I've made because you never want to go out in public again!!

[easyguy]

Orgas -- My hair is pretty short (pretty far from my eyebrows), but not spikey or anything. I tend to always have it straight, combed forward. It doesn't look like a wig, though.

 

Thanks for the advice, all.

 

I did some more research, and it does sound like a smart idea to try using a slightly darker shade, rather than going all out. I also read something about making sure it matches your skin tone and eye color (?). I have white/somewhat tan skin and brown eyes. Not sure how important that is, though.

[CarnelianButterfly]

I always had problems with the dyes from the stores, the color wasn't right and it would fry my hair. I went to my stylist, who is fab, she and I talked over color and she mixed a custom color that would look natural even when it started to grow out. One of the things she warned me about with the box jobs is that to make sure work the companies usually put harsh chemicals that help the dyes penetrate the hair, hence my frying problems.

 

If your hair grows quickly you can try more stuff and then just cut off the bad results. I had a friend that would dye his hair to match his shoes, my favorite was always the purple

[orgasmictofu]

I did some more research, and it does sound like a smart idea to try using a slightly darker shade, rather than going all out. I also read something about making sure it matches your skin tone and eye color (?). I have white/somewhat tan skin and brown eyes. Not sure how important that is, though.

 

It's only important if you want a more natural look. Bright blue hair doesn't "go" with any skin tone that I see normally, and yet I've done it. The only colour that REALLY doesn't suit me is blonde. I look retarded as a blonde. It seems to make my nose look even bigger than it is. And even though my eyebrows are light compared to my dark hair, they really stand out on my face when I'm blonde. So I stick to the darker colours. Black doesn't particularly "suit" my complexion, but I love the way it makes me look.

 

YMMV

[thyroxine]

Heh, when I was in sixth grade I tried dying it red with Feria, turned my hair maroon.

 

Haha...it did the same thing to mine too! After that went away, I tried dying it with a different shade and I got bright orange! The orange didn't look bad at all though, so I was happy.

[Scout]

One more piece of advice...invest in getting it done professionally. A select few are good at doing it themselves; most of us are not.