Dye Men's Hair
Dying your hair, if you're a man, can be daunting. After the first attempt you may be tempted to give it up entirely. Here a few ways to ensure a more natural look that won't fade to an artificial, brassy color.
Steps
- Choose a subtle color change. Unfortunately, obviously dyed hair can be a source of embarrassment for men in many societies. To avoid this, stick with colors close to your natural hair color, at most one or two shades lighter or darker. Aim for a dye one or two shades darker than the final result you're going for, to allow for fading.
- If there are natural reddish tones in your hair, find a dye with warm tones.
- If there are no reddish tones, select dye with cool tones. Ash tones work well for most men.
- Select a quality hair dye. Most over the counter products give inconsistent results. Look for professional, brush-on products instead. Use a hair color product intended for men.
- Pick up a coloring brush as well while you're shopping. If this doesn't come with your hair color product, you can buy one at a beauty salon.
- Mix the hair color with developer. Refer to your product label for mixing instructions. Men's hair can be resistant to accepting color. To ensure a deeper color deposit, consider increasing the ratio of hair color to developer, and using a developer with higher volume. This may not be necessary for all men or all hair dye products.
- For example, if your product calls for a 1:1 ratio of color and developer (20gm color and 20mL developer), consider boosting this to a 3:2 ratio (20gm color and 10mL developer). When making this change, use a developer with a higher "volume" (e.g. 30 instead of 20).
- Brush on the color. Dunking your head in dye will create an obvious, artificial look. Instead, use your coloring brush to apply the dye. Pay close attention to the temples and sides of the head, leaving some natural color visible.
- You can instead apply the color to a comb using a tint brush. Delicately comb through your hair for subtle color coverage.
- Rinse out. Check the product label to find out how long to leave the dye in. For a more natural look, reduce this amount of time. Rinse off the dye in a wide sink or bathtub to minimize splashing.
Warnings
- Applying hair dye can get messy. Cover the sink you'll be working over, and wear gloves if you want to avoid hand stains.
