Emo Hair

*This was originally written for, and published on, Shoutmouth.com*

Note: Many people will tell you the only “safe” way to dye your hair is to go to a salon and have a professional do the job for you. If you’re extremely concerned about damaging your hair or somehow messing it up, it is not recommended that you dye your own hair. That said, most people should be able to do the job themselves without much trouble. The advice in this article is not from a professional hair stylist, it should also be noted. It’s just from a girl who has been dyeing her own hair every color under the sun for about 14 years now.

Dyeing your hair natural colors:

Aside from Platinum blonde, this is the easiest thing to do. Most drug stores will have box after box of brown, black, blonde, and red hair dye in every shade imaginable. You can even get some slightly unnatural colors such as burgundy or blue-black.

Natural hair dye comes in semi-permanent and permanent colors. Semi-permanent dye is less likely to damage your hair than permanent dye. Permanent dye opens your hair follicles and actually changes the color of the hair, which is why it does not wash out. Semi-permanent simply stains your hair with a color that slowly washes out over a period of anywhere from one to six weeks. If you want to end up with hair lighter than your natural color, semi-permanent hair dye will not work, as it stains, and does not change the actual color of the hair the way permanent dye does.

A note on black dye:

Dyeing your hair black is a long-term commitment. While it is possible to strip black dye out, it can be a very difficult process that often damages your hair. Be sure you really want black hair before choosing black dye… it’s not as easy to walk away from as most other shades. Also of note: even “semi-permanent” black dye from the drugstore tends to be pretty permanent. I once used Natural Instincts [the weakest semi-permanent drugstore brand around] in black and after two months, had to bleach my hair to get it out.

A note on blonde/bleach kits:

Bleaching your hair can do significant damage. It is important to not let the bleach sit on your hair for too long (no longer than the box’s directions), and to use a very good conditioner afterwards. If you are putting bright colors over the blonde, you should do that before conditioning. After bleaching and dyeing my hair, I often put conditioner on and leave it for a good hour or two so it really saturates.

Dyeing your hair unnatural colors:

Seeing as hair doesn’t come in all that many colors naturally, sometimes you get the urge to do something different. There are no permanent bright red, blue, green, orange, or pink dyes, and to achieve these colors can be a bit of a process.

f you have naturally light hair, you will be able to use some of these colors without any pre-processing, but the color will not last as long as it does on bleached hair. Believe it or not, the damage of the bleach actually helps the semi-permanent vegetable dyes stick to the hair better, though regardless, they will wash out over time. The color will also be significantly brighter on bleached hair.

The four major unnatural dye color companies are:
Special Effects
Punky Colors
Manic Panic
Raw Color.

You can get myriad shades of red, blue, green, turquoise, purple, pink, yellow, and orange from each of them. As for which is better, it is entirely a matter of personal preference. I can’t recommend The Garment District enough for buying hair dye. [No, they didn’t pay me to do that — I honestly think they have the best prices and service on hair dye.]

Once you have decided whether or not you want to bleach your hair beforehand [follow the directions if you do!] it’s time to go for the unnatural color. Applying it is easy. The dyes are either a paste or cream that you apply by hand to your hair. One very important note: remember how I said semi-permanent dye stains your hair? That means it also can stain your skin, clothes, towels, and anything porous it comes into contact with. Use caution. You can cover your hairline and ears with Vaseline before applying the semi-permanent dye, as it will create a barrier between the dye and your skin.

Apply the dye. Now is a time to completely ignore the package directions. 15 minutes? Not going to do much. Try 4-6 hours. Or 10 hours, for that matter. These dyes are vegetable based and will be staining your hair, so they’re not going to do damage. In fact, they will help to condition your hair after bleaching, as they coat the hair with color and actually make hair look thicker and more vibrant. The recommended 15 minutes isn’t going to do anything, and I know this from experience. Slap a plastic cap on and settle in with some books and movies. Nobody said this was going to be easy.

A note on the plastic cap

Yes, this is important! If the dye dries out, it will stop saturating your hair and making it pretty and bright. So be sure to put the cap on, as it will protect your furniture, clothes, and whatever else your head comes into contact with — but it will also ensure the dye stays moist, and therefore, effective, longer.

The most important thing to remember when dyeing your own hair is this: you know your own hair pretty well. Does it seem damaged? Is it too dry? Can it withstand being dyed? If you’re not sure… invest in some good conditioner and conditioning treatments and re-assess after a week or two. Still in doubt? Consult a professional and get his/her opinion. Otherwise? Have fun!

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