Dying your hair is an impressive way to express yourself. Moreover, I bet that none of us would want to commit to one hair color for the rest of our life. Many would love to play around with their hair colors to find the best fit.
Yet, purchasing a special hair dye or going to a hair salon can be exorbitant and time-wasting, especially when you have a strong desire to change colors many times. Therefore, how about dying your hair with markers for a cheaper cost?
Using marker hair dye might sound a bit strange, but it does work! I believe that this article about how to dye your hair with markers will be so helpful for you in the future.
Table of Contents
What You Need
Let’s gather all the essential materials for this tutorial of coloring your hair with markers.
Firstly, having some markers of your favorite colors is, of course, a must. Refer to the next section for some color preferences. You can either create a washable marker hair dye using Crayola markers for a temporary outcome or permanent Sharpie markers for a long-lasting effect.
Next, you will need a pair of medical gloves and a towel to keep yourself clean during the process since the marker ink might be hard to discard. Wear an old shirt as you don’t want to ruin your favorite one with ink splattering.
You will need a hairbrush, a hair dye brush, some hair clippers, rubber bands, tissues, and Vaseline or lip balm for a better outcome. Also, prepare a container with some water to dilute the color as well as a conditioner.
In addition, you will need a pair of scissors or needle-nosed pliers to open the marker. If you can, prepare hairspray to get a flawless look!
Lastly, don’t forget to use hair serum to strengthen your hair.
How to Dye Your Hair with Markers
1. Choosing the Right Colors
Knowing how a color would appear on your hair will decide which color you should choose. If your hair is relatively dark, choosing a dark-based color is a good idea, such as black or brown.
On the other hand, if your hair color is already light, you have more options as most colors will show up. You can try to be creative and mix and match your hair color.
When you have everything ready, go ahead and start this tutorial!
2. Prepare Your Hair Dye
Put your gloves on before proceeding because it will prevent you from dyeing your own hands instead of your hair while extracting the marker ink.
Pry the marker cap off so that the end opens completely with a pair of scissors or the needle-nosed pliers, whichever is easier for you. You might need some force to pop it out, so be careful not to injure yourself.
Once the cap is removed, use your needle-nosed pliers to carefully take the ink tube out. There are two methods to extract the ink from the pipe:
Squeeze It Out:
- Slowly squeeze the ink felt from one end to another to get as much ink out as possible. Use the water container to catch the ink.
- To extract all of the ink, cut the plastic wrapper of the ink tube vertically along its length. Then, you are supposed to see the ink-soaked fiber stick inside.
- Remove the plastic wrapper, and soak the fiber stick in the same water container. As the ink dissolves, the fiber stick will turn white, indicating that you can get rid of the fiber stick.
Blow It Out:
- Dip one end of your ink tube into the water container. You will see ink flowing out from that end to the opposite.
- A few seconds later, the end that is dipped into water will gradually turn white.
- Wait until that end is entirely white, indicating it is safe to put your lips on and blow.
- Once it is ink-free, blow into the tube so that ink will come out on the other end. Remember to put your container underneath to catch all the ink. Otherwise, it will splatter everywhere and make a big mess.
Repeat the process with other markers that you have prepared.
Optional Step: Put a little bit of conditioner into the container and mix it well with the ink using the hair dye brush. It will allow a dense texture that creates more even coloring when applying to your hair.
Moreover, the conditioner will help prevent the marker ink from drying out your hair. Hence, though optional, I would highly recommend you to follow it.
Voila, your DIY marker hair dye is ready to be used!
3. Time to Dye Your Hair
- Put on your old t-shirt and towel at this point as things are going to be messy. Despite its temporary effect on your hair, this hair dye can stain your clothes. Prevention is better than cure, am I right?
- Brush your hair gently with your hairbrush to remove loose hair and tangles. It helps apply the dye easier as well as ensures your hair is dyed evenly. Keep your hair dry because it is more fragile when wet.
- Put a small amount of Vaseline or lip balm near your hairline, ear, and neck as a coating. So, the splattered ink can be easily rinsed off afterward.
- Section your hair into four parts. Then, divide your hair in half, parting from the front to back.
- Brush the first section from the top of your ear to the middle line, twirl, and keep it in place using hair clippers. Continue with the lower back part of the same side and repeat for the other side.
- Start dying your hair with any section and divide it into smaller parts. The thicker your hair is, the more subsections there are, and the better it is.
- Use your hair dye brush to pick up a trivial amount of hair dye. Apply it to your hair but keep it about 2 cm from your root.
- Make sure that the color is applied evenly by brushing the section a few times before moving on to the next.
- Repeat the process until all sections are evenly dyed.
- It’s time to be patient and wait for the final result. Fortunately, you won’t have to wash your hair dye like other traditional hair dyes. Instead, you will have to wait until your hair is dry.
If you use the ink and conditioner combo, wash it gently with cold water, and let it air dry.
- While waiting, use a piece of paper or tissue to wipe off any excess hair dye on your face or ear.
4. Check How It Turns Out
Once your hair is completely dry, check the colors to see if you are satisfied. Here are two ways to revise your hair if the outcome is not as you expect:
- Repeat the process and add another layer of hair dye if the color is too light. Use more color this time to achieve the desired effect.
- Rinse your hair with some cold water if it is darker than you expected. I highly recommend you NOT washing your hair with hot water because it will ruin the hair dye and make it disappear completely.
Last but not least, use some hairspray to set your hairstyle as well as hold the color. You can also spray some hair serum to keep your hair strong and gorgeous.
Conclusion
These days, knowing how to dye your hair with markers at home is a blessing since many people don’t have enough time or money to go to a salon. Moreover, your hair will be outstanding and unique if you can create your color from markers.
I hope you have enjoyed creating your own Crayola marker hair dye. Did your hair turn out great? Let me know in the comments. Please share this with your friends and family so they will have this fantastic experience too.
I am a former art teacher, so it is evident to me the importance of art in educating the new generation. We also want to help parents who plan to teach their children and desire the best tools and tips for them.