It’s better to have too much hair dye rather than having not enough to cover all of your hair. You can also purchase the dye and developer separately from specialty hair product stores.
Metal bowls can also cause hazardous chemical reactions. If you dye your hair regularly, having a dedicated bowl is best.
A dark colored towel is another option if you don’t have an old towel or newspaper. It will adequately hide stains that are caused by the dye.
This will also help to prevent your skin from getting stained by the dye. Now is also a good time to drape an old towel over your shoulders to protect your clothes when it comes to applying the hair dye. You could also wear an old t-shirt.
If you buy a box of packaged hair dye, then the box will normally have the correct ratio in each unit of dye and developer. However if you buy the dye and developer separately, you will have to measure these out. Using a small set of scales will help.
Never use metal utensils to mix together the dye and developer. The dye and developer can easily clump together using a brush, which means that the final consistency might not be as smooth or well combined.
You only need to mix colors if you want a particular shade that isn’t available or just enjoy creating a custom color. If you want an easier option, you can look for a pre-mixed shade, such as a red-brown, a brown-red, or a blue-black. Contrasting shades will be too dominant to work well together, while similar shades can complement each other nicely. The 2 colors need to be from the same brand. This will ensure that the colors combine well, as the formulas will be similar. It will also ensure that the same ratio of dye to developer is required. Colors that you are mixing together need to have the same developing time to work effectively. Check the instructions on the back of the box to make sure that the time required for each is the same.
Try to keep the 2 colors within the same 2-3 shades. For example, one shade that’s slightly darker and one that’s slightly lighter than your natural color works well. [8] X Research source
Using a 1:1 ratio of the 2 colors also means that you can easily replicate the color later if needed, such as if you want to dye your roots at a later stage. If you want to mix your dyes in a different ratio, write down the formula you create so that it’s easy to replicate. This will be especially helpful when you want to touch up your roots! Use a small set of scales to weigh out the shades if you aren’t using a full unit.
For example if the ratio for your hair dye to developer is 1:1, then you will either need to double or triple the amount of developer that you use. If you bought boxed hair dye, then your developer is likely already included in the box. You shouldn’t need to purchase it separately. Check the product label to see if it’s included in your kit.
Even if you weren’t happy with the final look of your mixed hair dye, writing it down will ensure that you don’t accidentally repeat the combination in the future.
