How to dye your hair any color you could possibly want

I started dyeing my hair in sophomore of high school, and I have only ever briefly looked back. So now, after years of accidentally splattering purple stains all over bathrooms sinks, I can give you all the advice you could ever want on how to dye your hair.

And hey, for all the people who’ve complimented my hair on the street? Now’s your chance. (Except for the guy who told me I was “too damn good looking for my hair.” He doesn’t get any chances.)

And now, the steps to glorious, glorious hair rainbows:

Step one: get over your fears

Not everyone is going to have this problem, but there are so many people who will say that they want to dye their hair, really they do, but they’re too scared.

This advice is for you: don’t be scared.

Worried you won’t be able to pull it off? I promise you there’s at least one color you can. Worried you won’t like it after you dye it? The wonderful thing about hair dye: it’s temporary. Worried that your hair color or texture isn’t bleachable? This one can be an actual obstacle, but, at risk of giving advice as a person with straight, dark blonde hair, there are ways around that–here’s a guide on how to DIY bleach black hair, and here’s a guide on how to bleach curly hair.

Hair dye is so much fun, seriously. Carpe diem and all.

Step two: pick a color

There are a number of different colors you can apply for unnaturally colored hair. (Or naturally colored hair, but you can pick up a box for that at CVS, so it’s way easier. Just keep in mind, if you’re worried about bleach, that 90% of them do in fact contain bleach.) Here’s some advice on what to choose.

Picking a hair color is arguably where that whole “what are your colors” thing comes in, but on another level, who cares? Dyed hair means committing to a lot of weird color combos anyway.

Reds and purples are pretty good starter colors. Your hair and red dye will have a lot of brown undertones in common, so while it often loses its initial vibrancy quickly, it also stays longer. Also, because of the undertones, reds (especially pink-based reds, as opposed to orange-based ones) almost always fade well. Which is good, because sometimes hair requires redyeing a lot. Purple is more or less the cool color alternative to red—since it has some of those same undertones, it stays longer, requires less maintenance, and is less likely to get messed up somewhere along the way.

However, none of this is to say you can’t start out with whatever color you want! Here’s a list of colors and things to keep in mind:

Cool Colors:

Blue: You need to bleach your hair really, really light to get a good blue—otherwise, the undertones in your hair will turn it greenish. Can be done, but more effort, especially on darker hair.

Green: Needs to be bleached fairly light, but not as light as the blue. The more yellow your hair is underneath, the more it will change from the color the dye is supposed to be. Green is quite possibly the most dicey color when it comes to fading.

Warm Colors:

Orange: Has a lot of the same vibrancy advantages as red. Just be careful with how it fades—it can go into those brassy bleach tones quickly.

Yellow: Assuming you mean yellow, as opposed to blonde, probably just use bleach—yellow dye is scarce.

Pink: Has most of the advantages of red, but a softer look. Usually fades really well.

Other Colors:

Black: If you dye your hair black, you’re not going to do anything else for at least six months.

Pastel, in any color: Your hair has to be pretty much white underneath. If you want to do pastel, it’s a separate process—get the dye in the bright version of the color you want, and then mix in a tiny bit of that dye into a bunch of white conditioner until the you’re happy—and seriously, don’t use a lot of color.  Leave the mixture on your hair for half an hour to forty-five minutes.

White/Gray: Bleach your hair as much as you can without doing damage or hurting yourself/your hair. Then, make a pastel purple by using a tiny amount of purple dye and a lot of white conditioner. Leave that on your hair—because yellow and purple are complementary colors, it will cancel out the yellow and leave your hair white. If you want silver, just leave it on a lot longer. This is called toning your hair.

Step three: pick a hair dye

The most common brands of unnatural hair dye are Manic Panic and Special Effects, which both have good reputations. They’re about $12-$15 per four ounce tin. If you have long hair, it’s good for one complete dye job. Or, if you’re like me and have a pixie cut, four dye jobs. (Hah! Efficiency!)

Neither Manic Panic nor Special Effects is available in any stores near campus, but you can order them on Amazon. If you want something more accessible, CVS has Splat! hair dye—but notably, this is a stain, not a dye, so it can’t be stripped if you don’t like it, it has to be colored over. However, it does come with its own bleach and gloves, so that’s something.

Step four: to bleach or not to bleach?

Bleaching your hair is complicated and can definitely do lasting damage, which is why I’m a coward and get it professionally done. But plenty of people do it themselves. Just maybe get a friend to help you.

Pros: Bleach is definitely necessary for some colors, especially on darker hair tones—although it’s certainly not required for all of them. With bleach, you can potentially go an entire semester with the hair dye still very visible, if fading throughout. Yields much brighter colors.

Cons: Can do damage to your hair, means you have to buy more stuff, and is more frustrating/risky if you have curly, textured, or very dark hair. Plenty of colors don’t actually require it—even including some colors on black hair, for a short duration. The trick to putting color over natural hair is picking the most neon, vibrant shade you’re comfortable with, because it will probably turn out much darker. Unless you’re super blonde, in which case you’re cheating.

For people with very dark hair:

There are plenty of options for fixing the issue with bleach. Some people with black hair will bleach their hair to a brassy, copper color and then put a red-based dye (usually reds, pinks, or purples) over it. This will produce a darker and more subtle color, but still noticeable. Some people will even put a bright red or bright purple directly on top of very dark hair, causing an effect where the color shines in the light, although this typically lasts a shorter amount of time.

Black hair will typically require 30 or 40 volume bleach, and sometimes multiple coats, to bleach very light. If you’re doing multiple coats, wait a week in between, and use all of the conditioner you possibly can.

Bleach can also be left in for a shorter time with toning (see instructions for dyeing your hair white/gray). In this case, bleach your hair to a bright yellow and then use a purple dye and conditioner mix to tone it the rest of the way to white. Manic Panic and Special Effects purple dye with conditioner will not damage your hair further.

Whatever you do, if you bleach your hair, pay so much attention to the safety instructions. So much attention. Seriously.

And last, but definitely not least: dye your hair!!!

Materials you should probably have include gloves, shampoo, and paper towels covering the counter. (Don’t void your security deposits, guys.)

Optional materials include a dye bowl and a dye brush, but really, you can just apply the dye with your hands.

This is the fun part.

Just make sure to wash and shampoo your hair right beforehand if you’re doing dye, but NOT if you’re doing bleach. Any areas you don’t want dyed can be covered in petroleum jelly (including your skin). If you’re doing multiple colors, or only parts of your hair, wrap the dyed portions in tin foil or saran wrap.

Applying heat (like a hair dryer) will make dye last longer. So will leaving it in longer. I usually start with darker colors, and leave it in for two or three hours. Manic Panic and Special Effects can literally be left in overnight, but please be careful with your pillow.

Step 6: Maintenance

Seriously, use only dark towels or ones you don’t mind ruining. Throw an old, crappy, large shirt or towel over your pillow for at least the first three days.

If you need to freshen up, you can take Manic Panic or Special Effects into the shower, mix a little bit in with your conditioner, and leave it on for like five minutes. For white and gray hair, they make purple shampoo for this specific purpose.

Condition hella, if you bleached.

Re-dye as desired.

And enjoy your new, awesome, dyed hair. Prepare to stare at yourself a lot in every reflective surface you pass, and also to be surprised by the color every time your hair falls in front of your eyes.