My Two Cents - Black Hair Dye

Welcome to the "chatter" section of my blog! These aren't necessarily reviews, but more or less options, random tips, common questions, and whatever comes into of my mind about a particular product. ^.^ 

For this edition of " My Two Cents"... I bring you: Black hair dye!

Ever since I was 14 or so, I have been on a streak of dying my hair ALL sorts of colors. For the past year or so, I have kept my hair black and purple, which has, I guess, become my "signature" look, lol. (I'll talk about the purple within the next week... promise!) Fact: I naturally have really dark hair, so I don't have to redye it all that often. In fact, I can't even tell when my roots start to show. Anyways, over the past year I have tried numerous dyes: expensive, cheap, 10 minutes, long wait, you name it. 

I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I really, really don't prefer the expensive dyes. I bought Clairol's Perfect 10 dye (one of the most expensive drug store dyes) in two different blacks. (One of 'em is below) Sure, I loved the fact that it only took 10 minutes and had an awesome applicator, but dude. It washed out within a few weeks. Gave me a sad. :(

So Eige, what WOULD you recommend?


Well, I have two favorites. Revlon's ColorSilk 10, and Garnier Herbashine 10. Revlon's is the cheapest dye they had at the store (about $4 after tax)... and I love it. Garnier's is kick-ass too, but a little more expensive (about $6 after tax). Garnier's smells MUCH better (and makes me feel like a mad scientist mixing up all the oils for the dye), but they really both get me that BLACK I am looking for. So there's my two cents. :)

Helpful Hints for ALL hair dye:
I am by no means a pro, these are just things I have picked up over the years. :)

- Have someone help you if you are dying your whole head. This isn't necessary, but it helps to avoid undyed patches and getting dye all over EVERYTHING.

- Follow the directions. With some of these dyes, getting creative might lead to explosions, death, and destruction.

- As with all things that have capabilities of staining everything in sight, wear clothing you don't particularily care about, and have an assigned "hair dying towel" for your hair just in case your hair wasn't completely rid of dye/run off

- put vasoline around your hair line and on your ears for easy clean up.  :)

- spot check for allergies if you have never used the dye before.

- Dye your hair over slightly dirty hair. For AGES, people have been debating over when the best time to dye your hair is. Dirty? Clean? Well, survey says: IN BETWEEN. When you wash your hair, you rid your follicles of natural oil and dirt. These oils protect your hair and scalp from the damaging effects of dye. However, if your hair is too dirty (havent showered in 3 weeks and used an entire bottle of hair spray), these oils might not allow the dye to take as efficiently. My rule of thumb is that you shouldn't have washed your hair within the past 12 hours. Simple as that.

And lastly, SAVE THESE:

- The top part of the box with an image of the color, the brand name, and the color name. Even if you HATED the color, keep it. (I keep all mine in a baggie.) Write on the back what you liked about the color, what you hated, etc. For example: "A little too on the red side for my liking." This will help you to shop for new dyes next time around, or to make sure you remember what dye you really want to purchase again.

- Don't write reviews WHILE your boyfriend is dying your hair. They have a tendency to flick dye at the screen.

Well, there you have it.
Sometime within the next week I will have a post on UN-natural colored hair dyes and the bleaching process.  :) fun fun fun!