It’s been a long time since I got the urge to dye my hair. Partially because it’s expensive and partially because I just haven’t felt the need. But today the bug hit hard and I gave in.
I picked up a highlighting kit that was made “especially for curly hair”. I guess that’s because the highlighting comb that comes with the kit has extra-wide teeth? This is the first time I’ve attempted highlights, rather than an all-over color, so I’m not really sure what the little comb usually looks like.
The color? Supposedly a warm coppery color, somewhere between my usual dye choice of dark auburn and bozo-the-clown orange. We’ll see how it turns out — I’m waiting my half hour before rinsing the dye out as I type!
The instructions that come with hair dye kits are usually pretty straightforward. Mix the dye, shake well, and apply. This kit also had some suggestions for different highlight effects you could get:
- Use fewer streaks for short hair, and more streaks for long hair.
- Separate out the hair from the top of your head (about a half inch or so) and keep it free of dye so the highlights peek out from underneath. (This is the technique I decided to go with.)
- Use a mirror to place highlights in the back — or have a friend help you out.
- Don’t go over streaks repeatedly — apply dye once and let it set in.
I did like the idea of the highlights peeking out from underneath my normal hair color, so I went with the separate-the-top method. Applying the dye was quick and easy, once I got the hang of squirting it into the comb without spilling. My hair is rather short, and I always feel like I’m wasting the dye because there’s always so much left over. This would be a good time to find a friend with short, curly hair who is interested in the same color of highlights — we could split a bottle and probably still have dye left over.
Now it’s the waiting game. A half hour for the dye to work, then it’s into the shower with me. The kit came with a special conditioner I can use once per week that is supposed to help keep my new color vibrant. I have a suspicion that any old conditioner will work just as well to keep my hair hydrated and healthy… but I’ll use their stuff anyway.
Compared to a professional dye job, I know I saved a ton of money. (The kit was on sale for less than $7.) Will my home version of highlights look as good as the real deal? Time will tell.