When it comes to putting chemicals in my hair I prefer to do it myself. Before going natural I did my own relaxers and I also do my own dye. I love experimenting around with different colors and the majority of the time I do two colors at once to create a unique look. Recently, I dyed my hair and thought it would be good to do a tutorial of my process for doing the two-toned look since I’m always asked how do I get the colors to blend together in my hair.
See Also: My Natural Hair Journey – Almost 2 Years In
Things You’ll Need
- Wide tooth comb
- Plastic cap/bonnet
- 4 hair ties
- 2 Boxes of hair dye (for this tutorial I’m using Intensive Red Crème of Nature and Honey Blonde Textures and Tones)
- Shampoo
- Towel (I like to use an old one so if it gets stained from the hair dye)
Things You’ll Need Afterwards
- Conditioner
- Hair grease
- Jam (optional)
Step #1
Comb/detangle your hair.
What I like to do is moisturize my hair well in some detangling conditioner about 24 hours before I plan to dye my hair to make sure that it’s not overly dry when it’s time to dye it and it’s easier to detangle to avoid the extra stress on my scalp.
Step #2
Section your hair into four sections and apply a hair tie to each section.
Usually, I try to make sure the sections are even. However, I was in a rush doing the dye this time since the kids were here and I was multi-tasking.
Step #3
Prepare the first box of hair dye.
In my case, this was the Intensive Red.
I like to work from back to front to make things easier so since the red was going in the back and coincidently also happens to take the longest to process in my hair it made sense to start there first.
Step #4
Apply the hair dye to your hair.
I like to use one gloved hand to do it or a hair dye brush (I couldn’t find mine for the tutorial, so I used the gloved hand method).
When applying the hair dye to your hair make sure to do small sections of each of the individual sections so the hair dye applies evenly throughout your hair.
Step #5
Mix the second bottle of hair dye.
Step #6
Apply the hair dye to your hair.
Step #7
Put on a plastic cap or bonnet and allow your hair to sit for 15-30 minutes.
I was out of plastic caps, so I used a bonnet which works just the same. I let my hair dye sit in for 30 minutes because for some reason it’s harder for me to get the red color to take in my hair.
NOTE: If you have never dyed your hair before I strongly suggest that you do a hair test first to make sure you’re not allergic and that you do not leave the hair dye in for the maximum amount of time.
Step #8
Shampoo your hair.
Technically, you don’t have to shampoo your hair. However, when dying my hair, I dye it dirty (I don’t dye my hair until it’s been at least a week between washings), so when it’s time to take the hair dye out that’s when it gets washed.
I’ve been doing this for years; however, I have also heard of folks just washing the dye out with water and calling it a day, so this step is totally fine to skip if you like.
Step #9
Put the conditioner in.
Since I used two different brands of hair dye it came with two different conditioners. So, I put one type of conditioner in the top half and another type of conditioner on the back.
I let the conditioner sit in for about 45 minutes to an hour and then I washed that out.
Step #10
Add in leave in conditioner and/or hair grease.
Being that I only use permanent dyes in my hair it’s important for me to keep my hair well-conditioned and my scalp greased to avoid over drying my hair out.
For this step, you can just use your favorite products or whatever you have on hand.
Step #11
Enjoy!
The last step is to just enjoy your new two-toned look.
Sometimes I’ll blow dry my hair afterward before styling if it’s in the winter or other times I’ll just let my hair air dry and style it before it’s time to go somewhere.
If you found this natural hair tutorial helpful make sure to read my guide for caring for kinky twists.
I never try to dye my hair at home because i scared it would be bad. But your hair is so beautiful and style. I will try your tips.
I have never tried a two-tone dye on my hair so that is definitely cool. Thank you for the tips. I may try it one of these days. 🙂
Wow, you need an awesome. That was a great result. I have to try this it is really perfect of my natural hair.
I have dyed my hair at home, but it didn’t turn out as well as yours. But I feel more confident in my at-home styling using your techniques.
I only have dyed my hair black years ago. I would love to dye my hair now but I can not decide on a color. My daughters love to dye their hair. My youngest hair has been pink and orange. Just a few days ago she dyed it blonde and it looks really good.
I’ve only dyed my hair a couple of times in my life as I am never really good at doing it myself. I think this step by step really helps and I love how the color turned out as well!
Thanks for this detailed step-by-step tutorial! I needed this!
I’ve never colored my own hair, but this looks like an awesome product! I would love to try a two-toned look on my hair.
Thanks for the tutorial. I am a klutz when it comes to dying my hair, so I always go to the salon to have it done. Expensive to do it every time so I really appreciate your step by step process. I will try this next time. BTW, your hair turned out great!
The results really speak for themselves! I am going to have to have a go at this!
Awesome tips for sure! I would love try this out with my hair.
Such great advice! I have had so many problems trying to dye my own hair, so I loved how you did it step by step, it gives me the courage to try again!
Looks great! I never dyed my hair but my mom tried to dye her own at home once and came out looking like a tiger LOL.
This is a really helpful post indeed. The end result looked really nice you did a great job and the step by step instructions are easy to follow.
I’ve never dyed my hair by myself, I’m too scared too! But you do a great job, looks natural and vibrant!
This is great. I love finding new ways to dye my hair. I am going to try two tone.
I’ve always been a bit nervous to try dyeing my hair but I really like your tutorial and the results look great! Maybe I’ll be brave and have a try one day!
This is really great, I am all about doing my own hair care and not paying someone else. Thanks for sharing!
You did an awesome job at dyeing your hair! Love it! 🙂
You look great! I’ve never tried dyeing my hair before but this is a good guide to start!
This looks like the perfect step-by-step! Thank you for sharing this, it’s a perfect tutorial. x
This is such a great post about a tips how to be a two tune hair. Thanks for this tips so helpful.Must be shared
This looks so great and putting here that step by step procedure sounds really cool, I will definitely share this to my friends.
This is such a helpful post, I will definitely share this to my sister and I am sure she will love to try this.
Impressive! II have ginger tones in my hair that only show themselves when I dye it at home so it is something I can’t do, I wish I could though!
This looks great! I have very long thick hair and had it highlighted about 6 months ago, as it is so thick it doesn’t always work well if I try and do it myself.
Very cool tutorial! Thank you for sharing
That two-toned look is super pretty. I love when people really make their hair interesting!
I’ll have to keep this in mind for when my hair grows back. You look beautiful!
It turned out great! I love the colors you chose. Thanks for the tutorial.
I always like to do my own colors too – because then I only have myself to blame if it doesn’t turn out the way I wanted!
Your tips and pictures are very helpful to others – thanks for sharing!
WOW! Your hair looks awesome! I love your step-by-step tutorial. That will take the guesswork out for anyone who wants to two-tone hair dye.
I don’t trust myself to do one color, so I definitely wouldn’t trust myself to do two lol. But it looks awesome on you!
You did a great job. It looks great.
I have dyed mine at home with success and failure. Most recently my older son has been wanting his hair silver.. and we just can’t quite get there.
This is a helpful post. Your hair turned out amazing! I need to dye my hair at some point. My grays are showing.