We know that colouring your hair at home can be a scary task, especially when alone, without an expert guiding you. As Josh says, even if the product you’re using is high quality, it can be confusing to know how to colour your hair at home like a pro and – logistically – difficult to do yourself. Here, Josh gives us his top tips for home hair colouring application methods, to make sure your hair receives the best treatment possible, and that your bathroom remains intact!
Start With Hair Dye Patch Test
We know, it's annoying. But any time you colour your hair at home, you must complete a patch test; it’s super important, as even if you’ve used at home hair colour before and had no reaction, each formula is different, and you could react to any of the ingredients. Additionally, your skin has the ability to develop an allergy over time, even if you’ve been fine in the past. An allergic reaction can consist of itchy skin or even blisters on your scalp, so it’s really important to do a patch test to avoid these. Read our blog post here that shows you step-by-step how to complete one.
Do a Hair Dye Strand Test Too
It’s a really good idea to complete a hair dye strand test too, if it's your first time using a new colour. This essentially means either cutting a small piece of hair to colour, or by colouring a little, inconspicuous part in the back where it won’t be seen, before committing to colouring. This will ensure you like the end result before you commit!
Apply Hair Dye Barrier Cream
Included in your Josh Wood Colour kit you’ll find a sachet of barrier cream, something that you may not be familiar with, as it doesn’t often come in at home colouring kits. This cream can be used around the hairline to avoid getting colour on the skin, to make the process of washing off easier. But be aware, it is a barrier – so although we recommend taking it as close to the hairline as possible, if you get it onto your hair, the colour will not take, and that particular section of hair will not be covered. We would recommend applying a thin layer around your face, base of the neck, and – Josh’s tip – on the top of the ears. You’ll find the sachet is very generous, but you only need to use a small amount!
Next up: Brushing & Sectioning Your Hair
You should use a good, wide toothed hair sectioning comb to brush out your hair beforehand; smooth hair means you won’t get clumps of colour or missed patches. Then, split your hair into a ‘hot cross bun’ fashion, i.e., four sections. When you begin to colour, you should endeavour to keep your sections neat, so that it’s easy to keep track of what parts have been coloured and what haven’t. To section the hair with hair sectioning clips as you go along, you can use the comb, or even just the tip of the colour bottle.
Pro Tip: Use the Dotting Method for Application
Josh personally recommends using the ‘dotting method’ when applying colour. Practically this means squeezing the bottle and dotting the colour on in a line along your section parting, and then rubbing the dots in to your roots for maximum coverage.
Be Generous When Applying Hair Dye
Technique really is everything. The trick here is to take your time and really make sure you’ve caught every last grey. Stubborn greys tend to appear around your hairline, so it’s worth paying particular attention to this area when you apply your colour. As our products are gentler due to being ammonia free, they require a little more attention to detail, so more really is more; pack the colour on around the hairline and on the roots to catch every last grey.
Colouring the Back of Your Head
Colouring the back of your head is, undeniably, the hardest part of home hair colouring, especially when you’re alone. Your ideal situation is, obviously, to have someone else to look over your work and let you know if you’ve missed any parts. However, you can create equal results yourself taking some time and using a hand mirror. Naturally, you will rely on ‘feel’ more when it gets to the back of your head, but if you use the double mirror method (a hand held mirror reflecting the back of your head into a larger mirror), you will be able to see clearly if you’ve missed a spot.
Remove any Hair Dye Stains
Also included in your Josh Wood Colour home hair colour is a stain removing wipe. This is meant for any staining mishaps that may occur that the barrier cream missed out on. However, as it’s a large wipe, Josh recommends you use it before rinsing your colour off to remove any prominent stains, but also keep it handy for after rinsing, too.
Keep Your Home Clean While Hair Colouring
Even Josh admits that hair colouring isn’t always the neatest activity, even with his years of practice! He recommends you colour your hair in an area with wipe clean walls and floors (such as a tiled kitchen, bathroom or utility room), and maybe wear old clothes or pyjamas you don’t mind getting mucky. It’s also a good idea to keep an old towel nearby for wiping down surfaces (and yourself!)
Colour kit
For hair colour that is totally unique to you. Reveal your perfect, personal shade by mixing a Shade Shot Plus with your Josh Wood Permanent Colour Kit to emphasise your hair's natural highs and lows. Buy now.
Blending Brush
Josh understands that, for some, keeping on top of roots can be a constant concern. With that in mind, he created the Blending Brush to effortlessly conceal any stage of regrowth. Buy Now
Miracle Mask
Created to lock-in colour, add shine, hydrate and deep-condition your hair, the Miracle Mask is the ultimate treatment for all.