How To - Pastel Hair

You may have noticed of late I am now part of the pastel hair club.  I wanted to go pastel pink for a while now and as my hair is naturally very light blonde no bleaching was needed for me to achieve this look.  As an ex hairdresser I was fairly confident in my hair dying abilities, however lots of Googling and you tubing was still done to ensure I did my research and achieved the look I was after.

Originally I was using the L’Oreal Pastel Toning Conditioner in Pink Panther, however after further research I discovered it was much cheaper to mix my own (L’Oreal was a fiver each time!) so have since switched to using Directions by La Richehair dye.  These are semi-permanent all natural hair dyes, thatrequire no mixing and no peroxide.

Hopefully this quick step-by-step-guide of how I do mine will provide you with some hints and tips if you’re thinking of going pastel.  

Disclaimer – Always do a patch test first if you have not previously used hair dye. To get the best from pastel hair you’ll need light blonde hair to begin with, this will not work on anything darker that light / bleach blonde.  If your hair is not light enough then its best to bleach it first using a powder bleach and low volume peroxide from a professional wholesalers (somewhere like Sally’s.)

You will need:

Mixing bowl
Tinting brush
Directions Hair Dye – I use Violet to achieve a light pastel purple and Carnation for pastel pink
White Conditioner – it must be white to tone down the colour of the hair dye, I use Alberto Balsam Coconut and Lychee
Comb
Clip
Gloves
Old towel or hairdressing gown

To start off with I wash my hair first with a clarifying shampoo or anti-dandruff to make sure my hair is squeaky clean before applying any colour.  Whilst my hair is still wet I wrap it in a towel to get most of the water out and go on to mix up the hair dye.  

Depending on how long your hair is will determine how much conditioner you need to use.   I usually use about 80% conditioner to 20% dye to ensure the colour is pastel, mix the two together in the mixing bowl, put your gloves and gown on and you’re good to go!

I usually start from the back taking around 4 inch sections and clipping the rest of my hair up on top. Apply the conditioner / dye mix to the roots and take it straight through to the ends, ensuring the colour is evenly distributed throughout.  After I’ve finished with each section I go back and massage the colour through a couple of times to ensure the hair is completely saturated.

Once you have applied the colour to your entire head, massage through a couple of times and clip on top so it’s out of the way.  I usually leave mine on for around 20 mins, however there has been the odd occasion where I’ve left it on for longer (distracted by You Tube in the bath!!) whichproduces a slightly darker effect.  Depending on how vivid you want the colour will depend how long you leave it andhow much dye you mixed in at the beginning.

After 20 minutes wash it all out with cool water and Voilà lovely conditioned pastel hair!!

If you’re thinking of going pastel I’d highly recommend this technique, its quick, easy and doesn’t damaged the hair.  Plus if you decide pastel is not for you then after a few washes your hair will be pretty much back to normal. I've inserted some pictures of me below with pink, purple and mixed pastel hair to give you an idea of colours, if you want to see more or see what my hair was like before then stalk my Instagram @daisiesanddolls.

Any questions on this post or hair in general, get in contact with me, I am always happy to help.

Yours truly

Xx