For example, if you have very pale skin, try a strawberry blonde or pale ginger. If you have a darker skin tone, a darker red, such as auburn, might look better on you.
If you have cool undertones, choose a cool red with purple tints to it. Burgundy is a great example. If you have warm undertones, try a warm red with yellow tints to it. Copper is a good example.
If the color looks too harsh on you, consider going a bit lighter. Many wig and costumes shops will allow you to try wigs on, but you will have to purchase a wig cap first. These typically range $1 to $2. Don’t worry about how the style of the wig looks on you — just focus on how the color looks against your skin tone. An alternative to this is to use an image editing program, such as Photoshop, or use a makeover program.
You don’t need a high developer for this. A 10 volume developer will work the best.
Choose a medium-brown dye for best results. Avoid dark-brown dye, or the red won’t show up. You will need to do the entire dyeing process twice: once for the brown dye and once for the red dye.
If you are dyeing your hair brown first, prepare just the brown dye. Don’t touch the red dye yet. If you are using a dye kit, prepare the dye according to the instructions that came with it.
If your hair is naturally blond, you may not need a protein filler. If you are dyeing your hair brown first and then red, you only need to add the protein filler to the brown dye.
If you have dark blonde hair and want to go dark red, you don’t need to bleach your hair. The dark hair dye will cover it up. If you have dark blonde hair and want to go pale, strawberry blond, then you need to bleach your hair first, otherwise the lighter color won’t show up. Because of how light your hair is, you probably don’t need to use higher than a 10 or 20 volume bleach. Follow the instructions on the package, and never leave the bleach on longer than needed.
If you have very short hair, try a half-up ponytail instead. If you have very thick hair, make the part a little bit lower; you’ll have to work in thinner sections.
If you prepared the dye in a bowl, apply it to your hair with a tinting brush. If you used a kit, apply the dye to your hair using the applicator bottle, then work it into your hair with your fingers or a tinting brush.
You can twist and clip the previous section of hair out of the way, or you can leave it hanging loose. You should be able to feel the difference between your dyed (wet) and undyed (dry) hair.
The shower cap will not only protect your surroundings against dye stains, but it will help the dye process faster. The processing time will vary from brand to brand, but it is typically 20 to 25 minutes.
It would be a good idea to put the plastic gloves back on for this step, just in case the dye stains. Let your hair air-dry if possible. If you must use a hair dryer, apply a heat protectant first. Wait at least 3 days before washing your hair with actual shampoo. This 3-day break will allow the hair cuticle to close and seal the color in. [8] X Research source
You can do this immediately after dyeing your hair brown. You don’t have to wait 3 days.
Sulfates are harsh cleaning agents added to many shampoos that can strip color from your hair. Every 2 to 3 washes, consider using a color-depositing conditioner instead of your usual one. This will help revitalize your color.
If your hair tends to get greasy, consider using some dry shampoo. Co-washing is where you wash your hair using just conditioner.
If you must use a hair dryer, flat iron, or a curling iron, apply a good heat protectant first. [11] X Research source
If you don’t like to wear things on your head, apply a UV protectant spray instead. It’s like sunscreen, but for hair. Dyed hair is fragile, so chlorinated water will damage it further. It can also change your hair color.
