5 things you definitely know to be true if you dye your hair.

I have spent my whole life dying my hair at home, usually in my bathroom sink, often listening to Taylor Swift, and sometimes after a bad break-up. I know, I’m a cliché, but a cliché with gorgeous, shiny hair.

One of my favourite things about dying my hair at home is that it makes me feel like I’m part of a fun subculture. I’ll get talking to a fellow home-hair-wizard, and we can laugh and agree on the same highly specific things we know to be true if you colour your own hair. 

So, if you also take your hair into your own hands then I’m sure you’ll agree with me on these 5 truths.  

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You can recite your favourite hair-dye shades and their codes like it's your phone number.

Finding the right hair dye is like finding the right boyfriend. It’s very trial and error, and once you find the perfect one – the search is over. You're pretty much prepared to marry it. For me, that’s Clairol. Their Natural Instincts range is my semi-permanent option. I'll grab one on a Woolies or Chemist Warehouse run, and will switch between that and their Nice’n Easy range when I'm wanting a more permanent option. 

Both come in heaps of different colours and make my hair look healthy, natural-looking and shiny. Seriously, I sparkle in the sun like Edward Cullen, and any home hair colourist worth their salt knows the importance of having a favourite dye (and remembering those all-important shade names and their colour codes like they're your phone number). You know, you’ve hit the big leagues when you have a preference; it’s basically like finding a signature perfume. It’s cool, grown-up stuff. 

At some point, you’ve dyed your hair a particular shade, felt like Beyoncé and then forgotten the colour. 

Dying your hair is always all about finding the right colour. For me, it was always about finding that rich shade of brunette that makes me look like Angelina Jolie and not like an adult goth. 

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’d found the perfect shade of pink, red and brown at different times in my life, felt like Bella Hadid and then only realised later I have entirely forgotten the colour and can never find it again. So for anyone who knows that niche pain, I’d recommend taking a quick photo of your hair dye box if you truly love the result.

Now, I’m a devoted girl and know my colours intimately! I've had people stop me and compliment me on having such, “naturally beautiful hair!” Um, can I brag for a moment to tell you I did it myself from a box?

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You’ve absolutely dyed your hair before without reading the box. 

As a seasoned home hair-dryer, I’ve learnt that what is in the hair dye matters. I repeat, it really matters! But I’ve made the mistake, in times past, grabbing whatever is on special and then being horrified when it’s turned my hair into straw. I’ve looked more... scarecrow than Hollywood ‘it’ girl vibe I was going for. 

Thankfully, I’ve learnt from my ways. Now, if I want a semi-permanent hair dye – this usually happens when I’m feeling *inspired* and trialling a new shade – the Clairol Natural Instincts range is it for me. It’s made with 80 per cent naturally-derived ingredients (and vegan-friendly), including coconut oil and aloe vera, which means my hair and scalp doesn’t get dried out. And I can’t stress how important that is. 

There’s also no ammonia or added parabens in the product either (which can sometimes be the sneaky cause of irritation to the skin or hair, and give off a very distinctive strong smell – one of the main criticisms about ammonia-based hair dyes). There's no compromise on the colour quality either, as it lasts up to 28 washes after only 20 minutes of work applying it.

Similarly, if I want a permanent vibe, I go for Nice’n Easy range. It gives a gorgeous natural-looking colour that really shines and keeps my hair looking 10/10 healthy, without me having to try and achieve that after colouring my hair with different leave-in treatments. Plus, the shine it gives my hair always makes me feel more put together. 

You know the satisfaction of not getting a single drop of hair dye on your skin or clothing. 

Honestly, at-home hair dying should be a sport. It requires diligence, precision and a system! 

It might now only be a quick 20 minute process (love that), but if you've been doing it for a long time, you KNOW the era where you were honing your skills and creating... quite the mess. Every single time.  

Trying to dye my hair in the kitchen sink never used to work out quite how I thought it would. 

So, anyone in their early at-home hair dyeing career, I say learn from my (messy) experiences and stick to the bathroom! For a long time, I always stripped down to my undies to avoid staining my clothes, and using my old towels. 

Honestly, the satisfaction I now get after finishing my hair without getting a single drop anywhere. It now makes me feel like a girl boss. Anyone that’s ever sung, “I can’t get no satisfaction,” clearly hasn’t had a drop-free hair dying experience.

You've had someone compliment you on your hair colour, where you could proudly be smug and say you actually did it yourself.

The most genuine pleasure of dying your hair at home is that moment when someone stops you and says, “Oh wow, I love your hair, where did you get it done?!” 

And you can say smugly, “I did it myself”. Sure, a little help from Clairol was in the mix, but they were my skills. 

It’s the equivalent of someone raving over your outfit, and you get to tell the person you got it on sale proudly, or it has pockets. It gives me the same serotonin. There’s nothing more satisfying than getting a compliment on your fresh, shiny hair colour when you’ve actually done it all by yourself. 

For superior, natural-looking colour that’s perfectly true to you, shop Clairol Natural Instincts and Nice'n Easy ranges online or in-store at Woolworths and Chemist Warehouse.

Feature Image: Supplied.