Home Spa Edition: Dying Your Roots

So I've been on a tight budget for a while now and have had to cut back in my salon visits. It's always a bummer to cut down on something fun, but I have to pay bills first. And I'm a fan of at-home spa treatments so I figured why not make my root touch up a part of it too! I'll write more home spa editions too.

Voila! No more roots!! Also, no goofy face? What's goin on boo?! (promise I'll do better for the next photo!!)

Fair warning, dying your hair by yourself isn't for the timid. It can go wrong pretty fast if you aren't confident, so make sure you do your research and read all the instructions until you have them pretty much memorized.

It's a little intimidating at first, but trust me, follow these tips and you will get the results you are looking for: 

-Selecting a brand. My boo suggested to go with the most expensive, but sometimes they don't have the color option you are looking for. I'd say, go with the brand that has the closest color option to the one you want. For me, that's 9A1/2 by L'Oreal Superior Preferences, light ash blonde. 

-Don't rely on the color results on the back. You can only go about 2-3 shades lighter with your hair. I don't know about darker, but I'm assuming there are restrictions like this too (please feel free to add them in the comments for others, thanks!).

-Wear clothes you don't care about. Having a towel around your neck is a pain, an old t-shirt is much easier to work in.

-Open all the windows and doors before you start. Trust me, this stuff STINKS!!

-Soak your roots!! Start in the center/part and move a quarter inch down each side. Your instructions will show you, but you do need to literally soak your roots. Also, I'd suggest a liquid dye over the foam ones. Foam is easier to deal with drip-wise, but I always have splotches afterwards with foam dye. I just feel that liquid works better at coverage for me.

-Don't leave on longer than recommended. Even if it looks like it's not fully affected your hair color yet, it can damage your hair if it's on too long.

-Wash out in bath tub not sink. It's just easier for me with long hair. Short hair might be a different story though. You will have to stick your tush way up in the air to do this, so maybe close the door during this part if you don't want to give away a free show.

-Keep conditioner in longer than recommended. Here's where you can break the rules. Let it sit for 5 minutes minimum before rinsing out, the longer the better! Well, don't go for hours...you get the point.

-Blow dry with cold air. No need to further damage it. Let it air dry the last little bit too if you can.

And that's it! Let me know if these tips helped, you have questions, need clarification, have tips to add, etc. Let's make this a fun experience rather than a daunting one! I really love my results from this last root touch up, so I'll probably stick with this brand. Don't worry if you don't find your brand right away either, it may take a while. Hang in there!

PS: Rad video

Here's how Gisele stays beautiful. It's a little overkill, don't you think? (Although that's the point Steven Meisel is going for I think).