I’d been thinking of colouring my hair purple for MONTHS, but I courage failed me. Would it be too ‘young’ a look for me? Auburn was my go to shade for the past decade. It was stale. Then, a newly natural friend of mine in Trinidad took the plunge. Her hair purple looked so good! Naturally (pun intended), I had to have mine done. Countless hours were spent watching other naturals dye their hair on YouTube. The best were: UKafrolista, Mary’s Hair Obsession , Coloured Beautiful and LipsticknCurls. I also got feedback about brands from natural hair friends. Intel collected and I was ready to crack on. My first at home hair colour was a success.
The Tools
Two days prior to colouring my hair, I’d had a hair treatment done at Ojon’s HQ courtesy brownbeauty. I bought two hair dyes, Adore ‘Rich Eggplant’ and Color Crazy ‘Cyclamen’. After completing a sensitivity test and strand test, I settled on ‘Cyclamen’ shade. It was bright enough to work on both the dark parts of my hair and the light brown streaks from last years’ professional colour.
Along with the dye, I used:
- petroleum jelly for the hair line
- latex gloves
- colour brush applicator
- hair grips
- plastic caps
- old towel
The Process
- Cleansed hair with Ojon Rare Blend Cleansing Conditioner
- Towel dried hair and spilt into four sections
- Applied Color Crazy Cyclamen hair colour to the sections of hair (I left it in for 1 hour 20 mins under a plastic cap no heat, I just went out and about in a beanie hat while it processed)
- Rinsed hair in cold water, then applied Shea Moisture Yucca & Baobab Thickening Shampoo (shampooed twice, NB don’t rinse hair in bathtub, it maybe best to use the kitchen sink to avoid stains in your tub)
- Rinsed hair in cold water, then applied Ojon Damage Reverse Thickening Conditioner (left it in for 30 mins)
- Rinsed hair in cold water, then applied Big Hair Moisture Me whipped butter and Shea Butter Cottage virgin avocado oil
- I then two strand twisted my hair to set my curls
- Dried hair using hair dryer with my Curlformers soft hood attachment
The Results
I’m very happy with the results! I’ve got the right amount of colour in right places on my 3B/3C curls. Sometimes, it looks plummy, other times more reddish depending on the light. I love my new colour! The colour only runs when I wash my hair. I’ve had one wash day since applying the colour. It does not run when I apply wet styling products to my hair. So far I’ve not had any drying issues.
I’m maintaining the colour by using no sulphate no parabens shampoo and conditioners, as well as, organic styling products as much as possible. I treat my hair as damaged to ensure I don’t lose moisture and to avoid breakage later on.
Have you every coloured your hair at home? What results did you achieve? If you are naturalista what tips would you give on caring for colour treated hair? Please comment in the box below.
