So maybe you have a New Year’s Resolution to do something fun and new with your hair, maybe you enjoy dyeing your hair and are always excited to learn something new! Perhaps you are helping your best friend research for this feat.

No matter what you are planning for 2017, these sometimes weird and sometimes common sense tips for DIY caring for and dying your hair can be a fun read for anybody.

Tip #1: Where to buy hair dye.

If you are wanting to dye your hair something more natural, boxed hair dyes from CVS, Walgreens, or other drugstores will get the job done really well! However, if you are planning on dyeing your hair a more unnatural color, my favorite place to buy dyes is actually Hot Topic! And if you are like me and your scene phase is part of your past you like to bury deep, deep down, it might be a little rough walking in, but I promise it will be worth it! Hot Topic has a number of different semi-permanent brand options, most, if not all of which, are vegan and cruelty free! The colors are all super vibrant too! My favorite brands that can be found at Hot Topic are Raw and Arctic Fox! Beauty Supply Stores are also pretty good choices too! Buy whatever you can afford and find!

Tip #2: Toner is not hair dye!

Have you ever bought a lavender hair dye, put it in, waited it out, washed it out, only to have merely softer hair? That's because that was toner. Toner isn't dye!

Tip #3: Use Bleach Wisely!

Bleach burns! It doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong, but be prepared for that! Bleach (and dye) your hair in a space that can be ventilated (AKA at least a bathroom with a window that can be opened or where you can run out and pull in a deep breath every few minutes at least). Bleach first with 20 or 30 vol, and only go to 40 if you know what you're doing/what's going on! Again, my favorite bleach has been the White Out Kit from Hot Topic, just because it comes with the activator, bleach powder, toner and all that good stuff. It works really well for me! But buying bleach from a beauty supply store always works really well too! I have a bulk tub from Sally's in my room with a huge bottle of activator just on standby at all times!

Tip #4: But you CAN use toner and this point.

So we have established that the purple liquid is not hair dye, but it IS great for taking out any coppery/yellow tones out of your now bleached hair. Sometimes when the bleaching is all said and done, you're expecting a nice white shade or at least not a ginger tabby cat perched on your scalp, but fear not, toner comes is clutch here!

Tip #5: Just have a box of gloves tucked away somewhere.

Even if your hair dye comes with gloves (side note, the bottles from Hot Topic don't), those are usually ill fitting and weirdly shaped, and having a box of gloves will make the hair dyeing process much easier and more comfortable for you and/or whoever is helping you. Also, gloves just come in handy all the time.

Tip #6: Shield your skin!!

Smearing vaseline around your hairline around your face will create a barrier while dyeing your hair that prevents the dye from staining! If you don't have vaseline but you have coconut oil because let's face it, it seems like everyone has coconut oil now (Guilty!), you can do the same things with coconut oil BUT because it is an oil and your skin absorbs it, you need to be more conscious and wipe away the coconut oil much quicker.

Tip #7: Shower less.

To some people, the idea of this tip is repugnant, however showering less will increase the longevity of your hair color, because every wash fades the dye more and more (especially the first week!!). Besides, the oils in your hair between showers are natural and good for your hair! You don't need to go a whole week without showering (because like who does that? what? not me! ha. hAH. HA. ...) but don't shower everyday (which again you shouldn't do anyway because it removes a lot of good oils from your hair but you do you, you know?) Also, the first couple showers might stain the floor of your shower, requiring you to whip out the comet and sponge, and the less often you have to do that, the better, am I right?

Tip #8: Use color safe shampoo or solid shampoo!

Using color safe shampoo and condition will (obviously) increase the longevity of your hair color, and you don't even have to break the bank for it! While obviously, you can grab some high end color safe shampoo, there are a lot of more simple, more affordable brands available in drugstores, in Target, or in Walmart or stores like that! Here's one option. Another option I just started exploring recently is also solid shampoo! I bought a bar from Lush and since there are no harsh chemicals, the shampoo does a great job of not only saving your color, but of washing your hair quickly and easily with little to no waste! (Side note, please do hair masks by either leaving in your daily conditioner, buying leave-in conditioner, or using coconut oil to keep your hair as moisturized and healthy as possible along with this!)

Tip #9: Use a t-shirt as a towel for your hair!

This will not only save your towels from getting stained, but it's good for your hair too because a simple cotton tee has a smooth texture, unlike your towels, and is softer on your hair. It also dries only the excess water in your hair whereas towels take all the water from your hair and can lead to some frizzing!!! Go t-shirts!

Tip #10: Don't have nail polish on that your cherish.

Again, especially in the beginning when the color is coming out more than in the later weeks, while shampooing your hair your nails will pick up some of the color and it will change the color and texture look (depending on your nails) of your manicure! Even just scratching your head if you do it frequently will stain your nails!

These tips have all come from my personal experience with hair dyeing at home. I've dyed my hair for 6+ years, since 6th grade! So these may not be perfect, but they are tried and true. These tips may apply more to unnatural colors because that is what I am used to dyeing my hair, but they work also for natural colors, but those sometimes don't bleed out of your hair as much after showers etc.

I hope I helped you with your New Year, New You feat of 2017!