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How to Color Your Hair with Food Dye
Hi Friends!
My girls have been bugging me to let them try those temporary hair dyes that are so popular now, and since it’s summer, I thought it would be the perfect time to experiment. If you’ve been reading my blog for a little while, you know I’m all about DIY projects and keeping things frugal, so I definitely did not want to spend a lot of money on hair dye. One of the teens tried some of that chalky blue hair color for spirit day at school once, and not only was it super messy, but you could hardly see it. She also tried a spray-on color, and that was disapointing too.
I know Kool Aid color is popular now, but we didn’t have any on hand. But, we did have food coloring, so I decided to try this method. A quick Google search showed me that others have tried this method, so I knew I wasn’t an oddball! So, we made our own hair dye with food coloring, and the kids were pleased with the results.
The great thing about this method is that you may already have all the ingredients on hand. Plus, it’s non toxic, washes out well and smells good too! Here’s what you’ll need to make your own hair dye:
- Food coloring in your choice of colors
- Hair gel or conditioner
- Small paint brush or plastic fork
- Plastic gloves or plastic bag to protect your hands
I don’t have any pictures of the actual process because it is messy! All you do is add enough food coloring to a small amount of clear hair gel or conditioner until you get the shade you want. Then, you can paint strands of hair with a small paint brush, or you can use a plastic fork for a streaked effect.
You’ll have to work the color into the hair, so it’s a good idea to use gloves or a plastic bag to protect your hands from turning red, purple or any other color. We only dyed the ends of the hair, so it was pretty easy. Then, I used a hair dryer to dry the hair and set the color. One of the girls only wanted a hint of color in her hair.
This is how the hair looks with dark pink food coloring on blonde hair. You can see that it’s almost red. She only wanted the ends dyed too.
The little Diva wanted something a little bolder, so we used red and blue coloring on her entire ponytail. Of course, the color isn’t as bold on dark hair, but it’s still there.
The hair dye washed out with no problem, which I was happy to see, especially since I didn’t want a bunch of pink pillowcases! This temporary coloring method would be great to use for school spirit days or sporting events — no more messing with hair chalk or spray-on color! And, it’s super cheap!
Have you ever tried temporary hair color? I think it’s fun to try, but I think I’ll stick to brown!
Have an awesome day!
Dee 🙂
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Does it work on black hair
It’s most noticeable on lighter hair, but it does show up on dark hair.
how long does this last?
It lasts until you wash your hair again.
And also, I can only get powdered food color here, so will that work? and may be that won’t make the conditioner thinner, rather it would make it more thicker..So any suggestions?
I’ve never tried using powder, so I can’t say for sure, but I would think it should work.
The conditioner you are taking about is the one we use while we shampoo our hair and then rinse it off with water, Right?
If yes, don’t we need to rinse it after we apply the color on?
No need to rinse your hair — The food color thins the conditioner out. If you only paint streaks in your hair and blow dry the hair after to set the color, your it won’t be greasy. You can also use hair gel.
Thank you 🙂
Can you use gel food dye instead of liquid? I’m in a pinch and I only have gel food colouring.
Yes, gel food dye works, too!
did you use gel or conditioner
We used both, but the girls liked the feel of the gel better.
Does it work on dark brown hair or do you have to have light hair?
It shows up better in light hair, but you can still see it in darker hair.
What happens if we don’t blow dry the hair? Does it work if it dries naturally?
The heat helps set the color, but it should still work without it.
Would you say it takes 3 washes or more?
I think it was more like one wash. We tried Kool-Aid, and it lasted a little longer.
Hi Dee
I was just wondering how long the colour stays in the hair. Does it come out after the first wash or does it last for a week or so?
Greetings,
Christina
In our experience, the color gradually gets lighter with each shampoo until it finally washes out. So, it depends upon how often you wash your hair. Hope this helps! 🙂