Kool-Aid Hair Dye!

The Trend...

A trend that I have seen since this past summer is colorful streaks in your hair, or fun colorful tips. I always wanted to try it, but I would be nervous about going and getting it dyed somewhere, and not liking it. So I've seen the idea of dying your hair with Kool-Aid online and thought it looked like a great alternative. Depending on your hair type, it is very temporary, but I've heard that it can last anywhere from a couple washes to several months. Using Kool-Aid (or I've also heard that you can use a jello mix) is an easy way to add fun pop of color to your hair without committing to a long term dye. *Please be sure your parents are ok with this before you try it though!* You can do streaks in your hair, the tips of your hair, or even do your whole head and add a colorful tint to your natural color. Kool-Aid dye works best on light colored hair. If your hair is darker, and you really want to try this, you would need to bleach the section of hair first.

I did some quick research online, and it received mostly positive reviews. But like always there are people who post warnings and negatives they discovered when they tried it. A few common complaints were that if you use red Kool-Aid it can last too long...Some say that this washes out too quickly while others say they couldn't get theirs out and that they had to grow it out. I'd do some checking before you try it, even if it is a simple and temporary method.

Good tutorials on how to die your hair are very easy to find. I think this post was my favorite though. It explains different methods of using the Kool-Aid dye, gives instructions, and includes a video.

My Little Experiment...

I decided I'd give this a try today and picked up some purple (SUGAR FREE!) Kool-Aid packets at the store. When I was ready, I pulled out a small strip of my hair and ponytailed the rest on the opposite side. It's important that you keep all hair back except that hair you're wanting to dye. The tutorial will tell you this, but I boiled 2 cups of water and when the water had cooled a tad I added the 2 packets. When mixed dipped the hair into the bowl and kept my head there for about 5 minutes. I started with really thin pieces and added more when I liked the results. I took a napkin and dried the excess Kool-Aid and then blow dryed the section of hair. Although the results were more subtle than I was expecting, I was very pleased with it. I am a dirty blond and the color looks like a dark auburn/plumb. I will be definitely be trying this again, and maybe I will use a different method next time (like painting the hair and then wrapping with foil). I've included a picture, the quality isn't terribly great but you should be able to get an idea of how it looks. 

If you try this, or have done it before, let me know how it works for you! I'm curious how the results differ with different hair types, methods, and colors. Have fun ~Erin