Sassy Pastel Hair Tips

One of the most difficult hair colors to do is any in the pastel shades. Now, they make dyes that are already pastel, but they don't seem to adhere to my hair too well and from what I hear online, it seems typical to most. I also find they tend to fade within a wash or two, which is just too quick for my tastes, unless I want to test a color out before committing.

After decades of dyeing my hair, and several bouts of pastel colors, I feel I have a system that keeps my pastel color fresh for longer and also, getting the shade I want on the first try. To be fair, many people have their own systems that work as well, but I like mine because it works and I am used to it. Plus, I feel like it is fairly uncomplicated to follow.

Before Dyeing Tips:

• Apply the dye to unwashed hair. By this, I mean don't wash your hair before applying the dye. Give it a day or two. It helps the color stick better.
  
  
• Apply petroleum jelly to neck, ears and face where your roots are. This is basically to keep the dye from staining your skin. I have made this mistake and ended up with colored blotches all over my face.

• Cover any surfaces like the floor or sink you don't want to stain. Again, this stuff will stain everything and then people (roommates) get mad when they find purple spots everywhere.

• Have everything you need handy before applying the dye. This means your gloves, phone, comb, hair clips, towels...anything you will be using because you don't want to be digging around with dye covered hands later.
• Start with light hair. Pastels especially require a super light base to work. I bleached my hair almost white a few months ago, so I start with that. If you already have light hair, awesome. Bleach it lighter. If you have dark hair, also bleach it. You can DIY this or get it done at a salon. I do it myself and then, my hair stylist yells at me for damaging my hair. However, she costs a lot more than I do. Your choice. I won't go through this process. Just know, start with hair that is as light as possible.

Now, On to Dyeing Time!

1. Mix your dye: I have a dye bowl I bought from a beauty supply store, but in a pinch, a cheap tupperware works fine. I usually start with a conditioner as the base to get a lighter color because it is cheaper than colorless mixer and gives my hair a nice, deep conditioning. Start small...you can always add more. I generally add two or three table spoons worth of conditioner. Now, add your dye. When doing crazy colors, I recommend colors from Manic Panic or other similar dyes. I used Argan Oil Perfect Intensity as seen below. These are temporary and won't damage your hair, plus they have all the colors you can think of. Add a little bit at a time and stir into the conditioner until you get the color you want. When doing pastels, you really don't need much if you are working with a darker color.

2. Apply the dye: I generally do full head coverage, but feel free to get crazy if you want to. You can use a dye brush if you want, but I tend to just scoop it up with glove covered hands and go to town. Make sure you cover the entire surface of hair that you are dyeing. Seriously, work this shit in. Saturate the fuck out of it.

3. Let Set: Now, the package may say 20-30 minutes. IGNORE THAT! To get a color that sticks, you need to leave this stuff on for hours. I generally pin up my hair with clips and cover with a shower cap and a towel. Then, wait. I usually do about 2-3 hours, but I have friends that used to sleep with the dye in overnight. This is entirely up to you. To kill time, I do my nails or give myself a mini-spa session. Or game. You do you.

4. Clean Up: This is really an up-to-you step, but I like to wipe the dye of my face, clean my tools and the area I used for dyeing my hair. \

5. Wash Out: After you have left the dye on for however long you please, hop in the shower and rinse your hair. DO NOT SHAMPOO! It will cause all the dye to fall out and you will be super sad. But do rinse until the water runs clear. The longer or thicker your hair is, the longer this is going to take.

TA-DA! Pastel Hair! Or whatever color you chose. This works for any bright dyes...just don't add as much (or any) conditioner to get more bright tones.

Now, these dyes don't last long and can fade fast. There are a few ways to extend the life of your color between dye jobs.

Tips:

• Don't wash your hair daily. Use dry shampoo if your hair is oily. If you have dry hair like me, wait a few days between washes.
• Lighten up on styling your hair with heat tools and applying products. These can be super damaging plus they require you to wash your hair more to get out all the gunk. I only style when necessary.
• Make your own colored deep conditioner. Just mix leftover color with conditioner to get the shade you like and apply once a week or so while in the shower. I let it set for ten-fifteen minutes while I do other shower things. This helps restore some of the color as it fades.
• Re-dye as necessary. When it is time, go ahead and recolor. Follow the same routine and you should be good to go. Try a new color or stick with the same! The possibilities are endless!