How To Dye Your Hair at Home, According to Colorists

Trying at-home hair dye is a rite of passage that many tackle in their teens. But the wing-it-and-see approach that possesses most first-time colorists doesn’t exactly produce salon-quality results. To ensure a more grown-up technique that won’t have you running to the salon for an emergency fix, we consulted three professional colorists for tips on how to get the best hair color possible right at home. 

To start, there’s one trick that applies no matter what kind of dye job you’re doing — covering roots, adding highlights/lowlights, or all-over color — and it will keep your hairline from looking like Herman Munster’s. “Apply a thick layer of petroleum jelly or barrier cream around your hairline, ears, and neck to prevent staining. Wipe away any excess color immediately with a damp cloth or makeup wipe,” New York City-based colorist Marie Nino says. 

Additionally, before you put any dye on your head, be sure to complete an allergy patch test about 48 hours before you plan to color your hair. After mixing a dime-sized amount of color and activator, use a cotton pad to place a bit of the mixture along the hairline behind your ear. If  itchy skin, redness, or other irritation doesn’t materialize after you wash the spot 48 hours later, then you should be good to go.

Keep reading for more on how to master at-home hair color.

1. All-Over Color

The most vital part of DIY hair dyeing occurs long before you apply your first stroke of color, says Jonathan Colombini, a celebrity colorist and Schwarzkopf global color expert. “Choosing the correct shade of hair color to give the end result you want is the most important part of the process,” he says, adding that taking your natural color into consideration is key. “If you’re going darker and it’s more than three levels, you may want to consider two processes. This will ensure a richer color and that your hair takes the color evenly.” If you don’t do two processes, it’s possible that you may end up with some of your old color peeking through. For this reason, Colombini suggests selecting a controlling ash color that helps stave off unwanted tones, especially brass. His favorite is Schwarzkopf Keratin Color, featuring a precolor serum (which doubles as a barrier for the skin) and a repairing conditioner. 

Once you’ve selected a complementary shade, it’s time to invest in a few tools. At-home color kits are often thoughtfully packaged with everything you need to do the job, including bottle applicators. But as Nino points out, distributing dye evenly is more easily achieved with a few upgrades. She suggests bypassing the in-kit bottle and instead using a silicone or glass bowl and a professional dye brush for better control and even application.

Once you’re ready to color, Nino offers these tips: “Divide your hair into sections with [duckbill or banana] clips and work from the back to the front for even coverage. Use a wide-tooth comb to spread the dye evenly and avoid streaks or patchy spots,” she says. 

Colombini also recommends this method, with a couple of additional tips for when you’re applying the color to your hair. To start, he suggests evenly saturating the hair with color, being cautious to not apply too much in order to avoid dripping, bleeding, and/or staining. Additionally, the colorist advises applying the formula from root to length, stopping short at the bottom half inch of the hair. Then, 10 minutes before processing time is scheduled to end, apply (or pull through) the color to the ends. “This will prevent darker, muddy, or inky ends from developing, as the ends of the hair are the most porous and respond to color quicker than the rest of the hair,” he says.

2. Root Touch-Up

Touching up roots, whether you’re covering grays or just dyeing your hair, can be less of a project than all-over color. Nino swears by Clairol Permanent Root Touch-Up for its ease of use and reliable results. “It’s my go-to for quick fixes and maintaining color between appointments,” she says. But when applying dye to new hair growth only, blending new color with old can be tricky. For this reason, Colombini suggests waiting until the five-minute mark of remaining processing time to drag the formula to about a half inch past where you applied root touch-up color using the tines of a rattail comb. "This will help with blending and create a seamless color melt,” he says.

Another tip: Look for a low-ammonia permanent color formulated to blend into base hair color, such as dpHue Root Touchup Kit.

3. Highlights and Lowlights

Nino suggests using caution if adding a few highlights or lowlights to already-colored hair, particularly if the most recent dye job was achieved with a box of home hair color. “This can lead to unexpected results. Most commonly, highlights can show up as hot pink, orange, or brassy,” she says. “This happens because box dyes often deposit strong pigments that don’t lift well during the highlighting process. The underlying artificial color reacts unpredictably when exposed to bleach or lightener, especially if the box dye contains red or warm undertones.” For these reasons, professional colorists will often remove or correct box dye color before attempting highlights to avoid uneven and unwanted tones.

If you want to try highlights at home anyway, kits are available to make it easy. Garnier Olia Highlights Kit, for example, is free of ammonia and thickened with kaolin clay for a formula that won’t bleed onto neighboring strands of hair after hand application. Though at-home highlighting kits are designed to be used differently, typically the best results can be achieved by dividing and clipping hair in even sections, then using a brush to paint highlights on desired strands of hair. Isolate that hair from untouched areas by covering the hair with foil to contain the dye or bleach. 

Should you end up with a brassier color than you like, there are fixes that can be done in the shower stall. “Purple toning products aren’t just for blondes and are great for neutralizing any unwanted brassiness, so I always recommend IGK Blonde Pop Purple Toning Shampoo and Conditioner,” says Chase Kusero, a co-founder of IGK Hair Care who counts Jared Leto among his celebrity clients.