Hair Dyeing Blues

Hey, beauty addicts! This week I wanted to share with you 6 Friendly Tips on Dyeing Your Hair. You can also find this post on my blog, Aisles of Beauty. You see, a few weeks ago I was the lead in a comedy called The Curious Savage. I played Mrs. Savage, an eccentric elderly lady that hides millions of dollars in a giant teddy bear, and dyes her hair crazy colors. So, in the spirit of my character, I had to dye my hair blue. Yes, blue.

It was the first time I had done anything to my hair besides a few trims at the salon, and I had no clue where to even begin. So I thought I'd give you a few tips on dyeing your hair in case you're like me, and have no clue where to start. Keep in mind these tips are all from my experience, and I used a temporary rinse blue dye.

1. Pick a good brand. The quality of the dye you choose all depends on the brand you buy. I went to a place called House of Beauty, and the employees helped me find a good brand for my hair. Hair dye is one of those things that's worth the splurge.

2. Dark haired girls, beware! For girls with dark hair like mine, bleaching is often necessary to get the color you want. But bleaching is unhealthy, and can mess up your hair permanently. Talk with a professional for other options... Unless you plan on dyeing your hair permanently.

3. Get some help. Whether you're getting it dyed in a salon, or dyeing it at home like I did, you'll want an extra set of hands to help. My mom helped me get all the blue coloring in my hair, and helped me do all the rinsing and such.

4. Read the directions. This is an obvious step, but different brands have different methods, it isn't the same process... Especially with how long you leave your hair under the dryer. Some brands say 10 minutes, others say 30. Pay attention!

5. Avoid the skin. Most hair dyes will tell you to use cream or petroleum jelly to guard your hairline, and that's important. I spent 20 minutes with a bottle of rubbing alcohol trying to get blue spots off of my face and hands. Cover up and wear gloves!

6. Know what you're doing. Woops! You accidentally got permanent dye rather than semi permanent! Now you're stuck with pink hair forever! Oopsies! Yeah, don't let that happen. Talk with professionals (employees at beauty stores, your hairdresser, your neighbor that just happens to be an expert dyer...) before doing anything you're unsure about. This is changing your hair color we're talking about!

My personal experience was odd. I dyed it without bleaching, and I have naturally dark brown hair. So it looked black with little blue highlights... We ended up having to use halloween spray on show nights. It was a good learning experience though!