When it comes to semi-permanent dyes, most people know that they fade really quickly or that some of them aren't as vibrant as they could be.
It can also be quite costly to constantly be buying hair dye especially if you have long hair.
I'm going to share a few tips and tricks that I've learnt on my journey with semi-permanent hair colour as well as being a hair student.
Hopefully these tips and tricks get you more long lasting colour as well as a much more vibrant colour.
The texture of dye
The texture of the dye is one of the most important things when it comes to how vibrant the hair is.
With semi-permanent dyes, you're gonna want to look for something that is thicker such as La Riche Directions or Manic Panic. Dyes like Crazy Colour or Adore are more liquidy and have more of a water content than they do of dye so more water is going into your hair instead of the dye. I use La Riche Directions as it's affordable and easily available.
Put it on dry hair
A lot of instructions on dyes say that hair should be damp when the dye is applied which doesn't make sense really. When hair is wet, the water molecules are in the hair which takes up space in the hair that could have been replaced by dye. So if you put the dye on dry hair, more of the dye molecules will get absorbed into the hair so you should get a more vibrant and long lasting colour.
Try not to put anything on your hair
Hairsprays and products often contain alcohol which draw moisture out of the hair as well as semi-permanent dye. In the past, I've used a lot of hairspray and I've noticed that parts of my hair would be a lighter colour where I'd used hairspray. Dry shampoos can also have this effect especially aerosols cans. A dry shampoo like Lush's No Drought is a god send for semi-permanent colour as it doesn't contain alcohol and stops hair from looking greasy due to less frequent washing. Look for alcohol in the ingredients of products, the further down the list it is, the less there is of it in the product.
Cool water
When you do wash you hair, wash it in cool water. The warmer the water is, the more colour will come out of your hair as it open up the cuticles on the hair shaft.
Make sure that it's absorbed into the hair
When you apply the dye to your hair, you should leave it on until you can touch your hair and no colour goes on your hands. A lot of people like to leave it until the dye dries which they can do as the dye will act as a deep conditioner as well (this is because they're vegetables dyes) which is good but it can be quite time consuming. After about half an hour, you should be able to touch your hair and have a very weak colour on your hand or a whiteish conditioner colour. This means that the pigments of the dye have absorbed into your hair.
Hopefully with these tips, you can get a long lasting and vibrant colour.
I live by these hair tips and I rarely have to dye my hair (about 2-3 times in 3-4 months) and the colour stays pretty vibrant
I hope these tips helped somebody and feel free to message me or leave a comment if you want to know more or if you're confused about something :)
