We Try Dip Dye

Ever since two-tone hair came back from its hibernation in the 90’s everyone has wanted to get in on the action. Many have stalled, delayed and deliberated for a long time about actually doing it, but now is the moment of truth.

Here is how it can be done!

Step 1: BRUSH YOUR HAIR. It is worth it to comb out the huge tangles and refrain from ending up with spotty hair. . If you’re only colouring part of your hair this is also the time to section off the bits you want to stay au naturel.

Step 2: Cover up. Whether this is in a t-shirt that you actively hate or in my personal favourite, a bin bag with holes cut into it, you need to put something on to avoid dyeing your shoulders and neck.

Speaking from experience; it looks stupid and takes days to wash off. Gloves are also recommended. Dyeing your hair without them may be easier, but again, red/blue/bleach-scarred hands are not a good look.

Step 3: Make a note of the time. Guessing what time it is can lead to premature rinsing. It might also be worth checking whether your hair-dye mission is going to coincide with the heating coming on, as sitting around in nothing but a bin bag can get a bit nippy.

Step 4 (optional): Get bleachy. (If your hair is already blonde, or the colour you want your ends isn’t very vibrant, you can skip this step and proceed straight to Step 8.)

The actual method for this will vary depending on the packet of bleach you’re using, but in general it’s just ‘mix ingredients together, put on hair’. Try not to miss bits or get bleach in your eyes.

Step 5: Wait! This can be anything from 30-90 minutes depending on how dark your hair is and how blonde you want it. It is particularly important to remember Step 3 at this stage!

Step 6: Rinse and condition. Exactly what it says on the tin. Condition as much as you possibly can, because bleach is very, very bad for your hair.

Bonus points here if you’re using a boxed hair lightener, because the conditioners that come with them usually smell amazing.

Step 7: Admire results.

Ideally I would wait at least a day between steps 6 and 7. This is to give your hair a well-deserved rest from all the chemical assault, and to give you a chance to condition it some more. Also, if you’ve been lucky and done a decent bleach-job, you might already have achieved a good two-tone look (I believe this is called ombre) and want to show it off.

Step 8: Repeat steps 1-7, but with coloured dye instead of bleach. Once you’ve covered all your hair with dye wrap it in foil or cling film. This (apparently) helps the colour take, as the heat trapped in by the foil speeds up the reaction time. Or something.

Also, it stops you dripping hair-dye all over the place so it means you can actually move around the house and not spend your development time sitting on a towel feeling sorry for yourself.

Ta-Daa! Congratulations, you (probably) have a wonderful new look!