A Guide To Dip Dye Hair

I have not braved it yet, but it's official Dip Dye hair is here to stay. Gone are the days when the only people you would see with coloured dyed hair, were grunge kids and scene girls and boys it's gone from being underground to going main stream and even becoming dare I say it trendy. So how do you go about achieving the look, it's actual really simple it depends if you want to dye your own hair or just fake it. Update: Also since writing this I have dip dyed my own hair, for a guide on how to dip dye pre dyed dark hair click here, as it's a lot harder and see my results.

Nicki Minaj uses a wig to get the look

Faking it, is really easy for those of you like me who are really unsure if it will suit you or just want colour to go for. 

Clip in extensions, you can pick up coloured extensions from fancy dress shops, Ebay or you could buy blonde extensions and dye them (with your colour of choice). This will be a great idea if you just want the look for festival season, or if you have pre dyed hair (refer below to see why). 

Spray In Colour, that washes out.  Stargazers Colour Spray in pink which you can buy via Amazon). At around £3 it's a bargain and can be completely removed in just one wash great for those of you who are not brave. First thing is to pop on some gloves, and make sure your not near walls as when you use the spray you don't want to dye them too.Take an old towel and place around your shoulders and brush hair out so it’s completely smooth and straight.  Start by sectioning the hair in half and bring it round to the front so you can see what you’re doing. You want to leave the strands flat against your shoulders and spray colour onto the ends. 

Dip Dying your own hair, I'm not a professional hairdresser but as I have a friend who is the first thing to consider is the colour of your hair at the moment (they told me my hair would need to be stripped first). For you natural people, you can go ahead and dye it if say like me you have dyed hair which is dark you may need to strip your hair first.

Note: Always do a strand test as dye instruct's you, as you can react to it.

Things you will need:

Brush, for sectioning your hair.

Gloves, these usual come with hair dye but if not make sure you wear some as you don't want dip dye hands. Plus bleach will irate the skin.

Bin bag, cut a whole in the top for your head to go through this why you won't get dye on yourself and you won't need to destroy your towel. Plus a small bag to bag your hair (you can use a small grip in hold the bag around your hair.

Pre lighter, Loreal & most other brands have heaps for blonde hair. Basically you need to bleach the ends of your hair first (as if you were just going to have Ombre hair), this will help the coloured dye take to your hair and also make it vibrate if you have really dark hair. If you have blonde hair, you can skip this. I have been told Garnier Nutrisse Truly Blonde Creme Pre-Lightener is really effective.

Cling film/foil, this will be to use once the dye is on to stop it from going everywhere.

Coloured Dye, alternative shops are great for picking up crazy colours like pinks, blues etc.

Here are some stores that sale great coloured dyes:

Manic Panic

Directions

Sallys

How To:

1. Once you are covered with your bin bag or towel, put on your gloves and start to mix the bleach according to the instructions.
2. Section your hair with your brush, and at the ends apply the bleach evenly (you can go as wide with the dip as you like, or just have a little at the ends of your hair).
3. Bag your hair, this will stop mess and help dye develop. Wait for 40-45 mins to let the bleach work (double check instructions as it may vary), as dark hair takes a while. 
4. Rinse out the bleach by shampooing lightly.
5. Apply your coloured dye and wrap in foil. Start by taking a square of foil, fold both sides inwards than start folding the foil upwards to keep the dye covered and help it develop.
6. Apply heat by blow drying. Or wait 10-20 minutes.
7. Wipe off any excess dye, reapply and wait if needed (you can make the colour as strong or as faded as you desire) when your done just rinse. 

Ombre like the gorgeous Drew Barrymore

 If you don't fancy any colour, why not try just ombreing it. John Frieda's new Go Blonder Lightening Spray, £6.99, will brighten and lighten normal and highlighted hair. It's so easy to use, all you do is spray it onto towel-dried ends and comb through. It uses clever Thermo-Protectant technology, which means the colour will develop when you add heat from either a hairdryer or straighteners. (Again follow instructions on the box for times etc..) 

Why not try clip ins like Katy Perry

Images: Zimbio, Getty, 

So there is just a little inspiration, if you want the real thing but want to get it done by a hair dressers why not head over to Bleach London Salon or talk with your hairdresser about trying it out. If you do try it please share and I will link you, please if you are unsure than have a good think about it first. I'm not rushing into it, I'm going to have a good think and maybe do it for summer. I hope you enjoy this and hope you are all having a fab week.

Here's just a few of the colours I've had so far .........................
Updated: June 2012 here is a 'how to' for making dip dyed hair extensions.