Tips and Best Colors to Use

Ask a hair colorist how to dye your hair at home and they’ll probably say “Don’t.” But the truth is: You can. And counterintuitive as it may seem, if you want great at-home color — whether it’s the best for grays or the best dye for dark hair — it makes sense to go to the salon for at least one appointment before you DIY. Think of it as a fact-finding mission. “Be honest from the beginning. Tell me your history, what you want to do, how often you want to dye your hair, what your budget is, and if and when you’re able to come back in for touch-ups,” says Genna Still, a colorist at White Rose Collective in New York City. She says once you establish rapport with a good colorist, they’re usually willing to help you figure out what’s doable at home, even if it means they see you less often (or never again).

Of course, there are plenty of situations where you can’t go to a professional or you mess up your hair color and find yourself searching “how to remove hair dye” on TikTok at 2 a.m. I get it — and I’ve been there too. Below are pro tips for dyeing at home, getting hair dye off your skin, the best at-home hair color, and more.

The better question is: How significantly can I change my hair color without a professional? I’ve interviewed dozens of colorists — and spoke to two in-depth for this article — and the consensus is that if you’re dyeing your roots or applying a permanent dye to your whole head, you can darken your hair two, maybe three levels. But “lightening your hair is pretty complex,” says colorist Shvonne Perkins, the lead educator at Madison Reed, which has more than 90 Hair Color Bar locations in the U.S. She suggests going one to one and a half levels lighter at most.

What are color levels, you ask? They’re a universal measurement system colorists use to talk about how light or dark hair is. The blackest black hair is a one, and white or platinum-blonde hair is a ten. So an example of going one level, or shade, lighter would be if you went from dark brown (usually considered about level five or six) to medium brown (level six or seven). If you just want to change the tone (how warm or cool your hair color is), there’s lots more you can do at home. For example, you can dye dark-blonde hair (usually considered a level eight) to light red or dark strawberry blonde without changing the level significantly.

Semi-permanent colors are deposit only, which means they don’t have an activator (a chemical like ammonia or MEA) to open the hair cuticle so the color molecules can penetrate. When using a semi-permanent dye, temporary color, or color-depositing shampoo or conditioner, you’re just coating the outside layer of your hair with color. If your hair is not currently processed in any way and is light brown or darker, a semi-permanent color will probably last six shampoos and could last up to 24 (the more vivid the color and the lighter your hair, the longer it will last). The best semi-permanent products depend on which color you want to achieve; some lines do great trend colors, others do nice reds and warm tones, and others are better for brown and ashy hues.

Best Color-Depositing Shampoo: Davines Alchemic Shampoo, available in six shades, $34

Best Color-Depositing Conditioner: Biolage ColorBalm, available in six shades, $27

Best Semi-Permanent Color: Good Dye Young Semi-Permanent Hair Color, available in 25 shades, $19

To tint — but not completely cover — grays or change your tone, pick a demi-permanent dye or gloss. (Any nonpermanent dye that uses an activator to open the hair cuticle is considered demi-permanent.) These can last from 12 to 25 shampoos. “Kristin Ess makes a good one,” says Still. If you want complete gray coverage or a long-lasting color change, you’ll need permanent dye, whether for your full head or just root touch-ups. That’s when the brand starts to matter more. “I’d stay away from true grocery-store boxes,” Still says. “But there are some good higher-end brands, like dpHue.” (FWIW, Still is my colorist, and I see her about every four to six weeks; she knows I’ve used dyes from dpHue and Madison Reed to color my roots between appointments, and she’s fine with it.)

Best (Demi-Permanent) Hair Gloss: Kristin Ess Signature Gloss, available in 12 shades, $15

Best Permanent Hair Color for Full Head and Gray Coverage: Madison Reed Radiant Hair Color Kit, available in 57 shades, $30

Best Permanent Color for Root Touch-ups: dpHUe Root Touch-Up Kit, available in six shades, $35

“It sounds minor, but I find it makes a difference when people set themselves up beforehand,” Perkins says. “Have all your tools ready, put down a drop cloth if you want to, have clips for sectioning, and then take your time so you don’t panic.” Speaking of panic: Don’t rush! Whether you’re doing your roots or your whole head, saturating your hair evenly helps to guarantee great results. “When the instructions tell you how long to leave on hair dye, that number is based on when you’re done applying it,” Perkins explains. “The formulators build in the time it takes you to apply, so you don’t need to rush. You can wait to start the timer until you’re done with the whole application process.”

If you’re using a dye with an activator, it’s fine to apply it to hair that’s not clean or has some styling products in it. I’ve found that if I touch up my roots when my hair is freshly washed, my scalp can get irritated. But if I have a day or two of oil or even a little product buildup, there’s no issue with irritation. That said, if you’re dyeing your whole head, including the lengths, and you use a lot of styling products, consider washing with a clarifying shampoo two or three days before you dye; that will remove buildup and allow your protective scalp oils to rebound a bit before you dye.

“What a lot of people don’t know is that under all human hair is red and orange — that’s everyone’s underlying pigment,” Perkins says. When you’re lightening your color, or lifting the cuticle to deposit color, and the results end up brassy, it often means there wasn’t enough ashy or smoky pigment to neutralize the exposed underlying redness. If you dye your hair and the overall effect is too brassy, try applying a color-depositing conditioner in a shade with an adjective like cool, ashy, or smoky in the name to counteract the warmth.

If your hair color ends up inky, flat, or dull, it could be because too much dye is layered on the strands. “That usually happens when you’ve dyed your hair before but when the new growth comes in, instead of just dyeing the roots, you dye to the ends again,” Still says. It could also happen if, when you’re going darker, the instructions suggest a range of times to leave the dye on and you leave it for the longest amount of time. (You could try leaving the dye on for less time in the future, but then you may end up brassy.) “Think of at-home dye like one-size-fits-all clothing: They put in a developer that’s designed to work no matter what your base color or situation. But it’s like, Do we all fit into Brandy Melville clothing? Absolutely not. Same with box dye,” Still says. “When you come to the salon, we can adjust the developer and all sorts of other things to prevent brassiness or inkiness.”

If you use a permanent dye and are unhappy with the results, act quickly, says Still. In the first few hours after coloring, the pH hasn’t returned to normal and the cuticle might not have closed completely, so you may still be able to get some of the color out. She recommends applying a Malibu Quick Fix for Color Correction Wellness Remedy packet. “It’s vitamin C–based, less damaging than some of the sulfur-based color removers,” she explains. After 24 hours, you may be able to fade a color that’s too dark or too inky by washing it with a cleansing treatment that has glyoxylic acid. Perkins recommends Madison Reed Prime for Perfection. “It’s like a deep-cleansing facial but for your hair,” she says. “It’s meant to break apart the color molecule and its oxidative component so you don’t have to worry about it stripping any of your natural color.” As a last resort, if your hair is too dark, you can try washing it with a strong surfactant, like dish soap. Another trick: Years ago, I had luck fading a “blackest brown” box-dye job to dark brown by washing it a few times with Prell shampoo. Just be warned: It’s drying, so after you shampoo with it, you’ll want to use a deep conditioner or mask.

To prevent dye from staining your skin in the first place, Still recommends mixing a Sweet’n Low packet into the color before you apply it and coating your hairline and ears with a protectant such as Framar’s Dye Defender Barrier Cream. If you get some color on your skin, it’ll probably take a bit of exfoliation to remove the dye. Back in the day, colorists used to remove hair dye by rubbing wet cigarette ash on the stained skin, but you can try whatever exfoliating toner or scrub you have in the house. To get hair-dye stains out completely, I’ve found I need to introduce steam or heat into the equation. I’ll lay a warm, wet washcloth on the dyed skin and then just go to town scrubbing. I’m pretty sure it’s taking off the top layer of dead skin cells along with the dye, but hey, it works.

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