Hair Dye

Sooo... being a hair-dye aficionado, and my hair dye is faded out so bad, I thought maybe my next post shall be a ''How-to'' on dying hair! I am aiming to do it at some point in the coming days.

While I am waiting for my hair to fade some more, I shall say a little about hair dye and the process :)

1) You don't need to peroxide your hair in order to get colours! I only bleach small parts of my hair, in order to get Ka-POW colour, then the rest of my hair gets a subtle colour. I find this works well for me, as I hate all over same colour :) I like it to look shaded/tones in it.

2) Ask your parents! For perhaps the younger readers. I don't want you to get in trouble, okay? 'Cause then I'll feel majorly bad! But maybe also it's a good idea to ask Mum/Dad if it's okay to do it in your bathroom - and be sure to ask for spare dust-sheets or something to protect carpets and so on.

3) Do your research! There are quite a lot of alternative hair dyes these days. All the different companies use many different ingredients. If you have worries about the ethical nature of some companies, researching is an important step for you. I shall list my favourite few brands here (but of course, you can find your own and form your own ideas on them).

- Directions Hair Dye (www.lariche.co.uk): This works great for my hair and stays for ages! The dye is good value for money too. To my research, this brand does not use animal testing either, which is really nice to know.

- Manic Panic (www.manicpanic.com): Another awesome brand which does not fade very quickly and works a treat on un-peroxided hair. Famous fans of this brand include Emilie Autumn! I've found it hard to get hold of, so I have to order from the internet, so price can be a little expensive.

- Stargazer Hair Dye: A good brand, easy to find in shops for me!

4) ALWAYS do a skin patch test: Even if you aren't using peroxide, please, please, please, you must always test hair dyes before going ahead. The reason being is that you can develop allergies at any point in your life, and allergies to hair dye can lead to all sorts of horrid results! Is it not better to do a small patch on your skin, find out you're allergic and throw the tub away than to put it all in your hair and your face swells up? I for sure think so!

5) Be patient!: Always exercise patience when playing with hair dye :) You want to get the best results right? You wouldn't take a cake out of the oven before it's cooked, would you? You can't rush the process! If I do my hair, I start in the morning and finish in the evening!

6) Be prepared!: So your parent's are cool with you taking over the bathroom, you've got your hair dye, done your skin test... Let's rock'n'roll? Not quite! You should probably head to the chemists and buy some good rubber/latex gloves (purple paws aren't cool unless you're Violet Beauregarde!). Maybe also some moisturiser/Vaseline too. This is invaluable when dying! Rub into your ears and hairline/forehead and then the hair dye won't stain your skin! Also, old towels. A clock is useful. And something to make sure you don't get bored whilst waiting for the dye. NOW, you can go!

Now we have a few basics sorted, I'll post a "How-to" next, when I do my hair. Hopefully I can take photos so it's easy to follow :)

Candy x