• 01/14/2025

Dye Your Hair at Home With These Money-Saving Tips

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Expressing yourself by changing your hair color doesn’t have to drain your bank account. Be your authentic self without costly salon appointments by learning to dye hair at home. Once you’ve had some practice, you’ll feel like a money-saving pro. All you have to do is keep a few tips in mind.

1. Match Your Skin’s Undertones

Unless you’re looking forward to a vivid rainbow shade of hair, you’re likely thinking about which natural shade you’ll choose. You can always follow your heart, but a professional stylist will match the right hue to your skin’s undertones.

People share three types of undertones — neutral, cool or warm. Hold up a white piece of paper next to your face in the bathroom light. If your face looks more peachy, golden or sallow, you have a warm undertone. Someone with a cool undertone will appear bluish or pinkish next to a piece of paper. If you can’t tell, you might be neutral.

Match your next hair dye to your skin by pairing warm colors with a warmer skin tone or cool colors with a cooler undertone. You can count yourself lucky if you’re neutral because any shade can look perfect on you.

A rack full of shirts on hangers sits against a white wall. The shirts are all different colors, although most are black or grey.

2. Wear an Old T-Shirt

Choose an old T-shirt you don’t mind potentially ruining. It might be the same one you wear while doing yard work or painting. The dyeing process can be messy, especially if this is your first time. Save yourself the money you’d spend replacing one of your favorite shirts by picking one you don’t mind potentially permanently dyeing around the neckline or shoulders.

3. Consider Starting With a Temporary Dye

Temporary dye is a great opportunity for first-time DIY stylists. Whether you love your final look or not, it could wash out within a few days or weeks. It’s also a useful tool if you want to combine your favorite colors for more of a bold style. Look for demi- or semi-permanent dye to find what you like without the stress of a hardcore commitment. If anything, you’ll save yourself from an expensive trip to the salon to dye over a permanent shade you end up regretting.

A person wearing white long sleeves pulls on purple-blue gloves against a white background. They're the kind of gloves you'd use to dye hair at home without staining your hands.

4. Get Some Trusty Gloves

Once your dyeing process begins, you’ll have to work the color into your hair. It will stain your hands and wrists if you’re not wearing gloves. Opt for powder-free gloves that won’t leave residue on your scalp to avoid unsightly clumping. Keeping a full box of gloves in your bathroom will become instinctive as you learn how to color your hair at home. You’ll spend a few dollars to save hours of scrubbing your hands and multiple containers of powerful soap that add up quickly.

5. Set a Timer

Every box of hair dye requires a unique length of time to set. Check the instructions when you think you’ve found the perfect shade. Garnier’s Nutrisse Ultra Color line only needs 20 minutes to dye your strands, while L’Oreal’s Paris Superior line has to sit for 25 minutes before you can rinse it out.

Accidentally leaving your dye alone for too long will make your final shade darker. Save yourself from paying for another box of dye to fix everything by setting a trusty timer that’s loud and easy to use with gloves on.

A woman with short bright pink hair stands in the city center. She reaches for her hair and wears a pink shirt with a metal purse strap.

6. Read the Instructions Twice

The most important step to dye hair at home is always to remember the instructions. Read them through at least a few times before you start the actual dyeing process. Timing is everything. Have your supplies ready on your bathroom counter according to what your packaging says. Old towels, disposable gloves and a stain-ready shirt will make a significant difference in how easy the experience is for you.

7. Work From the Roots Down

Squeezing the dye into a fistful of hair might be tempting, but always start with your roots. You’ll want complete coverage while you still have all of your dye. It prevents an uneven dye job from turning into an expensive emergency trip to a salon. Work the dye into your roots with your fingers using the squeeze tube in your dye packaging. You can also use a built-in comb tool to squeeze dye onto your hair and comb it through your strands like a professional.

A woman with a septum piercing and lip piercing, plus two gems stuck above her lip and below the outer corner of her left eye, stands in front of some tall bushes. Her hair is bright purple because she know show to dye hair at home. She wears a red tank top and has floral tattoos over both shoulders.

8. Let It Hang While It Sets

Sometimes, people twist their hair up into a bun when it’s time to let everything set. You might think that’s how the dye will best reach every last hair stand, but it creates restricted airflow that prevents the dye from spreading evenly. Let it hang against your shoulders or back instead. You won’t have to get a second box of dye and repeat the entire process.

9. Lock In Your Color With Conditioner

Hair dye might seem like a simple tool when you first use it. After time passes, you’ll notice that it’s like any other chemical-based hair product. It dries your strands and needs some extra support to remain at the right shade. When it’s time to rinse your hair clean, use a dye-protectant conditioner to boost your hair’s moisture levels. It’ll feel soft after you dry it and retain the proper color with the formula designed for dyed hair.

10. Schedule Touch-Up Dates

The average head of hair only grows around half an inch every 30 days. You might not need to get another box of dye for six weeks or longer, but it’s important to schedule a reminder anyway. Save the date you dyed your hair and check how long it takes for your roots to show. You can easily personalize your dye schedule when you’re saving money by doing it yourself at home. No advance appointments necessary.

A woman runs her fingers through her short teal hair. She wears black lipstick and leans her head toward the camera.

Dye Hair at Home to Personalize Your Style

After you learn how to color your hair at home, you can save money and still explore every shade in the rainbow. The price per box of hair dye will stay less expensive than any salon visit, but keep standard tips in mind to save even more cash. You won’t need to fix an accidental dye job or replace your clothes if you prepare yourself with tips everyone needs to get the perfect shade the first time they try.

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