How To Dye Your Hair Purple

I have been obsessed with purple hair for a while now. I have a whole board dedicated just to purple hair on Pinterest. Last year right before we moved I dyed my hair purple using a brand called Special Effects. The color turned out really cool, but it didn't even last a week. Huge bummer! I am no stranger to dying my hair funky colors, so I know it fades quickly, however that was a little too quickly for me to be able to maintain long term.

Then I decided to get my hair highlighted (which I hated) with the intention of putting purple on it again at the end of summer. It took me 6 months longer then I expected but I finally have my hair back to purple and I am loving it! When I first made the change a few weeks ago I got a few questions on Instagram, so I thought I would share a little bit on how I achieve my purple hair.

Before I dive in, I want to give a quick background of my hair. I have thick, long hair, that is a medium to dark brown naturally. As I mentioned earlier, I had it highlighted last summer, so I probably have 6 inches or so of regrowth. I wouldn't call my hair damaged, but I use heat styling quick regularly so I do experience some breakage. I am also over do for a trim, so I am sure that is contributing as well.

Ok, on to the good stuff. I used the Pravana Vivids in the color violet. The first time I did it, I put it over my natural color plus highlights. The affect was lovely, but still faded a bit quickly for my preference. So this time before I put the purple in I threw some random auburn color I picked up from Target.

It turned out fairly nice. I even briefly considered keeping it the auburn color, but my husband insisted he likes the purple better. If I had more time, I probably would have waited a week between dye jobs, but I only waited a few hours. I let my hair dry naturally after rinsing and conditioning from the auburn. Then i rewashed my hair without conditioner and dried it using the cool setting on my blow dryer before adding the purple. I would also recommend putting some coconut oil around your hair line and neck to prevent any staining from excess color. Better yet, just put a layer of coconut oil over your whole body before rinsing this purple out because it will stain your skin on the rinse. hahaha. I typically look like a purple smurf when I am done and have my husband help me scrub it off.

The directions say to keep it in for like 25 to 30 minutes, but I personally keep it in for an hour. Here is how it turned out.