How To Dye Your Own Hair At Home

Choosing the right colour for you is the hardest part; luckily, L’Oréal Paris has a tool that makes this choice particularly easy. Our  Hair Colour Diagnostic Tool will help determine the perfect hair colour for you based on your skin tone, eye colour and natural hair colour. We will give you your own personalised hair colour shades that best suit you. If you want to try your colour on, use your camera to see how any of our shades would look on you with our Virtual Try On tool.

Whether the colour you want is vibrant or natural-looking; whether you want it for a few weeks or a few days, there are a number of ways for you to achieve your desired hair colour:

If you have dark hair and would like to achieve very light hair colours such as blonde, it would be very difficult to do this by simply using a blonde hair dye. You may need to use a hair bleach followed by the blonde hair dye of choice to achieve your desired colour: an option would be the Colorista Effect Bleach. The shade guides on the back of the box is a great indicator as to whether that hair dye is suitable for your natural hair colour. Don’t forget that you can continue to keep your blonde hair colour cool by applying the Colorista Silver Shampoo– it contains purple pigments that help to neutralize and eliminate yellow and brassy tones.

If you have dark hair but want to use silver hair dye or red hair dye to achieve the ultimate bold and vibrant colour, you may need also to bleach your hair with a bleach such as our Colorista Effect Bleach. Then, use our Colorista Permanent Gel hair dye in Silver Grey or Bright Red for vibrant results. Always check the back of the box to see if the colour is achievable from your natural hair colour. You can also achieve these effects temporarily by using a temporary hair dye such as the Colorista Wash-Out or the Colorista Sprays.

If you wanted to change your hair colour to another colour permanently, then a permanent hair dye may be best for you. L’Oréal Préférence is our salon-inspired permanent hair colour range infused with precious oils for fade-defying colour. If you want to cover your grey roots then Excellence Crème is our best colour for up to 100% grey hair coverage. In this range we have over 30 shades of hair colour available including: red hair dye, brown hair dye, black hair dye and blonde hair dye.

If enhancing your natural hair colour is the name of the game, then a semi-permanent hair dye is what you need. Casting Crème Gloss is the perfect, low commitment, no ammonia at-home hair colour range created to give you a natural yet ultra-glossy version of your colour. The hair colour lasts up to 28 shampoos and the conditioner formula, enriched with honey helps to enhance and maintain a shiny radiant colour. 

If you are on the go or do not have time to get to the salon, the Magic Retouch Instant Root Concealer hairspray can be matched with your hair colour, even salon colour, for a natural looking finish. For optimal results use both Magic Retouch Instant Root Concealer Spray and Magic Retouch Precision Brush to cover your grey hair.

Make sure you always do a patch test 48 hours in advance of using any colourants products. After 48 hours, check for any reaction or irritation. If you notice anything, don't use the product. For more information, please visit our becoloursafe website. 

In order to be prepared, you will need the following things:

1) Your chosen hair colour shade (two packs if you have long hair)
2) Towel
3) Old clothing (to wear whilst colouring)
4) Hair brush
5) Hair clips

 

1) Put on old clothes and cover shoulders with towel.

2) Brush and detangle hair with hairbrush.

3) Split hair into 4 sections and use hair clips to keep them in place (we recommend splitting your hair down the middle to the back and then dividing those two sections in two again).

 4) Put on gloves

 5) Mix the colour according to the instructions. Make sure your mix very well.

6) Start with 1 section and apply dye onto your hair.

• a. Section out smaller parts of your hair from one section and apply the dye to the roots.
• b. Massage dye at the roots and evenly distribute for consistent coverage.
• c. Once you have covered the roots, apply dye to the mid-lengths and the ends of that section.
• d. Massage dye thoroughly into hair for even coverage.
• e. Use a hair clip to clip away that section and repeat this process for the other sections.

7) Leave the formula in your hair and wait for the recommended time given in the instructions.

8) It’s time to rinse! Ensure you rinse all the hair dye out thoroughly until the water runs clear. Most at-home hair dye kits come with a dedicated shampoo and/or conditioner specifically made to look after your newly coloured hair. The Colorista Permanent Gel hair colour comes with an intense conditioning kit that you can use for up to 6 weeks to leave hair shinier and silky smooth.

 

• If you are going from dark hair to lighter hair, apply the colour through your lengths and ends first, avoiding the roots. As your scalp produces heat, the hair dye at your scalp will process faster than the dye on your ends.
• Once you've covered all your lengths and ends with the colour, then apply the colour to your roots and let it process for the recommended time

• If you are touching up your roots, mix your colour according to the instructions and apply to your re-growth hair only. Avoid overlapping this colour onto your previously coloured hair as you may experience damage or inconsistent colour results.

To help refresh the colour on your lengths and ends and ensure even results, in the last 5 minutes before your processing time has finished, apply any remaining colour to the lengths and end of your hair. This will ensure your hair colour is even in tone and colour remains highly pigmented for longer.

It’s time to show it off! Dry and style your hair as you like to show off your new doo! If you prefer your sleek straight looks, why not use the Elvive Dream Lengths Frizz Killer Serum to slay the frizz. If waves and curls are your go-to look, scrunch a little Elnett Glam Waves Mousse into your hair for a natural finish. Style your hair your way, you’re worth it!