Readying Your Hair for Dyeing
Wear clothing you don't mind getting stained. During the dyeing process, and the bleaching process that often takes place before dyeing, it's likely that dye will transfer to your clothing. Due to this, you should only wear clothes when bleaching or dyeing that you don't mind getting ruined. If you don't have any clothing that you're OK getting dye on, you should consider using a poncho or a hair styling cape to cover yourself and block any spattered or dripped dye. However, this solution does not guarantee that dye won't somehow still get onto your clothes.
Analyze your natural hair color. The darkness of your natural hair color will determine whether or not you'll need to bleach your hair first. Natural blondes may be able to apply hair dye directly to their hair with good results, but if your hair is tinted or tinged, like strawberry blonde, for example, this will influence the outcome of the dye job. It may help you to use a hair color wheel to better determine how much the base color of your hair will affect your dye job. This resource can be found easily online through a keyword search for "hair color wheel." It's very likely that if you're a brunette, redhead, or even a darker shade of dirty blonde, you'll need to bleach your hair before applying any dye to it. Green dye can change the hue of naturally brown hair, but the color won't stand out unless you lighten the hair first.
Bleach your hair, if applicable. Bleach is a harsh chemical. If used improperly, it can cause serious damage to your hair. Because of this, you may want to consider having your hair bleached by a professional or by a friend/relative who has previous experience bleaching hair. Hair bleach should be mixed and applied according to its directions. Generally, this involves mixing a powder with water in a squirt bottle or bowl, and applying the mixture directly to your hair with either the squirt bottle or a brush applicator. Avoid washing your hair before bleaching it. That oils that build up in your hair naturally over time will help protect your hair from the harshness of the bleach. To this end, you may want to soak your hair in coconut oil over night before bleaching. You may want to give you hair as much as five to seven days without washing before attempting to bleach it. Dye can also be harsh on your hair. To prevent your hair from getting damaged, you may want to wait one to three months if you've recently dyed your hair before attempting to bleach. If you have a lot of hair or especially thick hair, you'll likely want to buy a second bleach kit. This way, if you run out of bleach partway through the process, you have more bleach on hand.
Allow time for the bleach to set in, if applicable. The longer you allow the bleach to stay in your hair, the more powerful its color stripping effect, but also the more damage it will do to your hair. You should always follow the directions that came with your hair bleach for best results, but generally you can expect that light shades of hair will bleach in 15 minutes, while darker shades may take 30 minutes or several applications. For most kinds of bleach, it is recommended that you cover you head with a shower cap while the bleach sets in. This way the bleach saturates your hair, resulting in a uniform end color.
Rinse the bleach from your hair. To most effectively protect your hair and remove the bleach from it, you'll want to use a PH neutralizing shampoo while rinsing. You be sure to rinse your hair very thoroughly with cool or cold water, as bleach remaining in your hair will continue to lighten it and do damage to it. The low temperature water during your rinse will prevent additional heat damage to your already chemical treated hair. Depending on the darkness of your hair, you may need to bleach you hair several times to reach the lightness necessary for your dye to work effectively. You should wait about two weeks between each application of bleach.
Dyeing Your Hair
Mix your hair dye. As there are many different kinds of hair dye, there are many different methods of preparation you may have to follow for it. For the brightest green, a straight green dye will likely be your best bet. Follow the directions on the packaging for best results. Generally, you'll want to use the mixing bowl that came with your dye to prepare it. If your dye did not come with a mixing bowl, a plastic bowl or small tupperware container may work. However, the dye may permanently stain your mixing container, so only use those you're comfortable staining/tinting green. You may want to blend two separate dyes, one blue and one green, together to modify the hue of your green dye. The more blue you add, the more the intensity of your green will be diminished. Be thorough in your dye mixing, whether mixing a single color or two separate ones. If you fail to mix the dye thoroughly throughout, your hair may end up being dyed inconsistently.
Apply the dye to your hair. Different dyes will have different instructions for application, and you should follow these to get the best color from your product. In most cases, your hair should be sectioned into parts to ensure a thorough dyeing, and an applicator or a dye applicator brush should be used to spread the dye onto your hair. Have whoever is applying the dye massage the product into your hair to ensure the dye saturates your hair and dyes it consistently throughout. Be sure whoever is applying the dye to your hair is wearing latex, rubber, or vinyl gloves when dyeing. Hair dye can sometimes take many days to fade from your skin. To prevent dye from staining the skin along your hairline or around your ears, you may want to spread Vaseline or lip balm along these parts. This will make the dye easier to remove.
Wait for your dye to set in your hair. Depending on the dye you have used, you may need to wait 30 minutes for the dye to work its magic, or you may need to wait several hours. Most kinds of dye show up more intensely if you allow more time for the dye to set, but you should be careful not to wait too long. The chemicals in the dye could end up damaging your hair. Keep in mind that brightly colored dyes, like green, only sit on the surface of your hair and won't go into the actual hair cortex.
Rinse out the dye according to its directions. These directions will most often instruct you to use cold water and conditioner. In many cases, using shampoo, especially when the dye is still fresh, can strip the color from your hair. You should be careful when doing this, since rinsing dye out can cause it to spatter and stain surfaces. You should use an old towel or one that you don't mind getting dye on. Residual dye will likely stain your towel when drying.
Evaluate your new color. If this is your first time dyeing, you may find that your color is a little bit off or, in the worst-case scenario, completely wrong. Although you'll have to wait some time before your hair is ready for another treatment, another round of bleach can strip your hair of that color and a fresh application of dye can get you to the shade of green that you desire. To prevent damage to your hair from frequent exposure to chemicals, you should give your hair two weeks minimum before bleaching. For color applications, you may want to wait as long as a month. Each person's hair is different, and some hair holds up to chemical treatments better than others. If you are unsure your hair is ready for another treatment, you may want to consult a professional.
Maintaining Your Dyed Hair
Avoid applying heat to your hair. Blow drying and hot water can strip the color from your hair, leaving your dyed locks looking faded or tired. If you live in a region that has hot weather and bright, sunny days, you may also want to wear hats to protect your hair from the sun, which can bleach color from it.
Wash your hair as rarely as possible. Even "permanent" hair dyes won't last forever. Eventually that color is going to fade, though with a color like green, there will likely always be some remaining tinge to your hair until you cut it. Infrequent washings will help protect the color of your hair and make it last longer. You should also avoid chlorinated pools. This chemical can sometimes alter the hue of your hair color or cause it to fade rapidly. You may want to try using dry shampoo so that your hair feels clean but is spared the color sapping effects of water. When you do wash your hair, you should use cold water to prevent dye from leeching from your hair as much as possible. You may also want to change your shampoo to one that is formulated to protect green hair from fading after dyeing. These can be found at most salons or pharmacies.
Touch up your hair regularly. To keep your dye-job looking fresh, you may want to use leftover dye to touch up your hair every two to four weeks. In some cases, you may be able to mix in your coloring agent with your conditioner to freshen it up without having to go through the trouble of the whole redyeing process. Touching up your hair with conditioner and remaining dye works best with intense and vibrant colors. Pastel colors don't usually stick very well when only washed through your hair.
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