Coloring your hair at home might be the solution if you’re sick of paying a lot of money for touch-ups every six weeks or if you have some newly discovered gray hairs that you’re not quite ready to accept. It can be challenging to do on your own, though, particularly if you have gray hair. If you’re wondering how to color your gray hair at home like a stylist, keep reading for six salon-quality hair color techniques.
Table of Contents
6 Tips for Dyeing Your Gray Hair at Home, According to Stylists
1. Do A Strand Test First.
Before dyeing your hair, it’s essential to conduct a strand test to ensure you achieve the desired color outcome. Dian Griesel, a gray hair specialist at Silver Disobedience, emphasizes the importance of this step to avoid unpleasant surprises such as unflattering shades of brown or unexpected hues like yellow.
Griesel advises conducting the test on strands from the top of your head, where hair tends to be lighter, rather than from the darker areas along the back neckline. Once you’ve obtained a suitable sample, proceed to apply the color and wait for the recommended duration before assessing the result.
Neglecting this test can lead to undesirable outcomes such as orange, green, or purple hues that deviate from the intended shade on the box. Griesel underscores the significance of this precautionary measure to avoid disappointment.
2. Select the Appropriate Shade.
Selecting the appropriate shade is crucial, especially for gray hair, which tends to be coarser and drier due to reduced natural oils. Lisa Abbey, CEO of Strength x Beauty Haircare, advises matching the color to your natural hair or going one to two shades lighter if your hair is a mix of brunette and gray. For those with 100 percent gray or a mix of gray and blonde, the color choice is more flexible.
Be cautious of “hot roots” when opting for colors different from your natural hue, warns Abbey. Reds and fashion colors may cause gray hair at the roots to appear more vibrant, requiring a blend with natural brown or blonde shades. When retouching roots, Abbey suggests mixing equal parts of the desired shade with a neutral or natural shade to maintain color balance.
For entirely gray hair, a mixture of 25 percent natural shade to 75 percent desired shade ensures a balanced and natural appearance throughout the head.
3. Guard Your Counters and Flooring.
Safeguard your surroundings from dye stains by covering countertops and floors. Abby recommends using a plastic tarp or an old shower curtain to shield surfaces. Additionally, wrap a disposable towel around your shoulders to prevent staining clothes.
4. Recall the Maxim “Less Is More.”
Remember the principle of “less is more” when applying hair dye. Unused portions of the dye can be saved for future touch-ups, particularly if you have fine hair. Abbey suggests preserving half of each bottle separately, tightly closing them to minimize oxidation, and using within 30-45 days.
5. It Is Advised to Process Color for The Entire Duration.
Adhere to the recommended processing time provided in the instructions. Hair color typically requires 15-30 minutes to process fully. Cutting the processing time short may result in undesirable red or brassy tones and premature color fading. It’s essential to allow the dye to complete its entire processing duration for optimal results.
6. Verify that the color of your brows and hair match.
Fortunately, matching your new hair hue to your eyebrows is easier to achieve than changing your hair color. A more similar-colored brow to your new hair tone will help to frame your face, though they don’t have to match precisely.
“After applying the color to your hair, add just a drop of warm water to the remainder and use a q-tip to apply to your brows,” Abbey advises. “Just be sure to clean up the surrounding skin (and don’t over apply to avoid dripping), then process for the full amount of time.”
