With autumn underway and change in the air, college is the place to try something new. So, it’s time to vamp up those long locks with a new shade on a college budget.
The solution is store-bought dye that can dye hair for only $10.
The CU Independent followed Gabby Boloker, a 19-year-old freshman international affairs major, as she dyed her hair from a box.
1. Set up a clear area. Hair dye is messy and doesn’t come out of things easily, so do it in a bathroom. Place an old towel around the neck to keep the dye off clothing. According to wikihow.com, applying a layer of shampoo around the edges of the face keeps the dye from staining the skin.
Boloker said she thought this was the worst part of dying her hair.
“The dye gets everywhere,” Boloker said. “Even if you are really careful, it still gets everywhere.”
2. Mix ingredients as directed on the box, making sure to wear gloves. Once mixed, get ready to dye.
3. If hair is long, try to divide it into sections to make it easier to find the places that haven’t been dyed yet. Then, lather the dye on evenly, making sure not to miss any spots.
4. Once that is complete, wait as long as directed in the instructions; the average wait time is 25 minutes.
5. Rinse hair. When rinsing, keep water from hair from running down legs; this can dye them as well as the hair. Once the water is clear, the dye is gone.
6. Keep leftover supplies. Once hair is dry, look for spots that may have been missed and repeat the process if you find any. If the conditioner that’s supplied is for more than one use, be sure to use it; it stops hair color from fading as fast.
It took Boloker around an hour to transform her hair from black to a dark chestnut brown. This is her fourth time dying her hair and each time she has chosen a different brand, but the cost remains around $10. Boloker went gray at a young age, so she decided to dye it.
Jakie Knous, a 21-year-old senior international affairs major, says she wouldn’t dye her hair.
“I don’t want to, I like my hair color,” Knous said. “I would only dye it if I started to go gray.”
Boloker says she likes to dye hair with friends because they do each other’s so they don’t miss spots.
“I like it when someone else does my hair because they massage it when they do it,” Boloker said.
Hair dying can also be a social event. Boloker says she has done this a couple of times.
“My friends put a dollar sign on my head [while dying my hair] and they drew cool pictures,” Boloker said. “It brings people together.”
Julia Harris, a 19-year-old freshman open-option major, said she spent about $120 to get her hair dyed professionally. Harris had her friend dye her hair once, but said she preferred to go to the salon.
“I think it looks more natural,” Harris said.
Amber Klein, a 21-year-old senior advertising major, got her hair professionally done once, but her hair is currently not dyed.
“I dyed my hair professionally because I got highlights,” Klein said. “They are harder to do by yourself. I’m not going to dye my hair now because I like being blonde and I don’t have the money.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Brigid Igoe at Brigid.Igoe@colorado.edu.
