Hey Auntie Jilli, do you have any tips for getting hair dye to stay? I’m a natural reddish-blonde and I tried to dye my hair green recently (I used 4 whole boxes of dye even) but the second I rinsed my hair out all the dye disappeared and it basically just dulled the red. I had my hair professionally dyed purple a few years back too and it didn’t even last 3 weeks. I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong or if sometimes hair just doesn’t like dye?

gothiccharmschool:

Since you said green and purple, I’m going to assume you’re using semi-permanent dyes (such as Manic Panic, Splat, Special FX, and so on), so my advice will be around that. 

  • Heat or time. You either need to heat the dye on your head (which opens the hair cuticle so the dye penetrates better), or let it sit for at least an hour. (Because I work from home, I can leave my dye in for as long as I want, and I usually go for at least 3 hours.) 
  • Rinse in cool to cold water. 
  • Some people use a vinegar + water rinse after rinsing out the dye. I’ve done that in the past, but haven’t found it makes that much difference in extending the life of the color.
  • Wash your hair less often, and with a gentle shampoo. Washing always fades the color. (I only wash my hair once a week, and it’s fine.
  • Add a few tablespoons of your dye to your conditioner to refresh the color when you wash your hair. WARNING: this will stain your hands, but baby wipes or Dr. Bronner’s soap with a smidge of coconut oil (any oil, really) will remove the stain.

Maintaining unnaturally colored hair takes some effort, but I think it’s worth it. I hope my tips help! 🙂

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