Blue Hair Dye Tips: What I Wish I Knew Before Dyeing My Hair Blue | Teen Vogue

A little over a year ago, I made a beauty move I’d been fantasizing about for years: I went from brunette to colorful strands with the help of blue hair dye, by dyeing my hair blue with green at the ends. I walked out of the salon feeling like a mermaid whose inner self was finally out there for the world to see.

I loved my mermaid hair, but it’s also been more work than I expected. Because of that, I’ve since let my hair grow in brown instead of re-coloring it. That said, through my time with colorful hair, I learned a few key lessons. Here are some things I didn’t realize about coloring my hair that you should definitely read up on before taking that plunge.

1. It takes a LONG time.

I expected to be in and out of the salon in one afternoon, but I got in at noon and didn’t leave until after 6:00 PM. Between washing, bleaching, drying, coloring, drying again, styling, and possibly cutting, getting mermaid hair is a time investment whether you go to a salon or do it at home. Basically, don’t schedule anything immediately afterward. And maybe bring snacks.

My hair post-dye job

Suzannah Weiss

2. Bleach can destroy your hair.

If you’re not already blonde, you’ll likely have to bleach your hair so that the color shows up. Bleach zaps your hair of moisture, which can cause damage, says celebrity hairstylist Kiyah Wright. Be prepared to get a haircut when you go in as well, which is sometimes necessary to prevent extreme damage on the ends. This is the main reason I don’t plan to color my hair again: The bleach damaged it so much, I still can’t wear it down to this day unless it’s been blow-dried, or it just poufs out in a ball of frizz.