How to Dye Roots

So you've taken the plunge and dyed your hair a new color. Let the maintenance begin! Touch up your roots every four to five weeks to keep your new color seamless.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Old Children's T-shirts
• Timers
• Old Towels
• Combs
• Deep Conditioner
• Hair-coloring Products
• Shampoos For Color-treated Hair
• Tight-fitting Rubber Gloves
• Deep Conditioner

1. Touch up your roots with the same color you originally used to dye your hair. Select the same brand so that your roots will blend in with the rest of your hair.

2. Wash and towel dry hair.

3. Slip into an old T-shirt and gather your tools: hair-color kit, fitted rubber gloves, butterfly hair clips (for easy hair release), a comb and an old towel.

4. Part hair evenly down the center, then from ear to ear. Clip each quadrant up.

5. Put on plastic gloves, and prepare hair color solution following the instructions on the box.

6. Slip the towel underneath your work area to catch any drips of solution, as permanent dyes may stain countertops.

7. Trace along the parts in one quadrant as you gently squeeze your bottle of coloring. Release clip and, keeping the tip of the bottle very close to your scalp, stripe thinly spaced lines over entire area. Re-clip colored section.

8. Continue until you've treated all four quadrants.

9. Check the clock or set a timer. Knock five minutes off the suggested treatment time and then relax with a book or magazine.

10. Apply remaining solution to your entire head for the last five minutes of your treatment. This will brighten the rest of your hair's color and make the most even seam between regrowth and ends.

11. Rinse as indicated.

Tips & Warnings

• Deep-condition your hair the day before you touch up your roots to replenish lost moisture caused by color treatments, perms and heat styling.
• It is always best to consult your stylist or a hair care professional before proceeding with coloring, especially if you are doing it for the first time.
• Avoid chlorine and salt water for a few days after coloring your hair, as contact may alter your hair color.
• Remember that the sun's rays can fade your hair color faster than normal. Wear a hat when in the sun.
• Avoid getting solution into your eyes at all costs. Should this occur, rinse well with tepid water and consult a physician.

[Joaodt]

on 7/28/2008 If pre-bleaching was necessary (as it was in my case), do I need to use Bleach (or discolouring cream) to retouch the roots, or can I use normal hair colour?

on 9/18/2006 One can easily remove stains on skin by putting a small quantity of nail polish remover to a cotton bud and applying to the stain.

Be sure those who have sensitive skin apply it carefully, it will cause a little burning for a few seconds. Then rinse with cold water.

on 6/30/2006 A drop of shampoo and a little water on a cotton ball, and the stain comes off easy!

on 11/22/2005 Keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol handy. Use alcohol to remove dye stains from your skin.

on 11/22/2005 The four quadrant directions sound complicated and hard to do! I usually part my hair about an inch away from my main part on one side and paint on dye on this new part. Then I keep parting and painting my hair with dye in a series of quarter inch parts successively next to the first part. No clips are required! I do this about every 2 weeks. Then, roots will show about every 3 months with hair farther from the part. So I do all of my roots every 3 months by dyeing in parts from ear to ear.