Enthusiastick Tumblelog

The Method is a no-bleach no-salon technique for getting color...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:54:00 -0400

The Method is a no-bleach no-salon technique for getting color to set in even the most stubborn hair. I have used it to dye my own hair using Kool-Aid powder and apple cider vinegar. I have also used it to dye my girlfriend’s normally dark brown hair into the beautiful purple hue pictured above, which persists for months at a time.

I arrived at The Method through a combination of reading things on the internet and simple trial-and-error. To do it right you are likely sacrificing a full day (if not two) during which you will have either wet or dry-but-still-dangerous dye on your head. You are also likely to sacrifice a pillowcase and/or a shirt to the cause.

Please note that this is a no-bleach procedure. If you are using one of those packaged drugstore kits that includes peroxide or something like it, then I encourage you to simply follow the instructions on the box. Personally, I have tremendous brand loyalty to Special Effects dye and recommend it to everyone I know.

Step 1. Wash your hair with shampoo but not conditioner, and allow it to dry.

2-in-1 shampoos are acceptable, but only the crappy kinds (which, admittedly, is most varieties.) The idea is to get your hair as rough and moisture-starved as you’re willing to allow. And then you trick it into sucking up dye alongside the liquid, harnessing the power of osmosis.

Step 2. Apply dye thoroughly to dry hair and leave it in as long as you can. Six hours is good, eight hours is better.

Personally I suggest doing this overnight, partly because the UV in sunlight will break down the color in the dye, but mostly because the easiest thing to do is to stick a shower cap over your head and sleep on it.

Step 3. In a hot shower, rinse the dye from your hair but do not shampoo it. Allow your hair to dry fully.

You can condition if you like, but good dyes have a conditioning effect so that may not be necessary. You may use a blow dryer if you must (heat is your friend, sort of), but air drying is preferred for the sake of your hair’s health.

The heat and moisture of the shower will re-activate the dye, allowing you to essentially dye it twice in a row. (NB: I can’t back that up with science, and have read conflicting things about the correct temperature for the rinse step. But anecdotally, hot works best for me.) Be aware that depending on the dye you’ve selected, your hair will probably still stain things at this point, even if the dye has been rinsed thoroughly and even after it’s completely dry. In my experience, dyes towards the blue end of the color spectrum are more likely to run.

Step 4. Wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner. Voila, you are done.

Or nearly done, anyway. Again, depending on your dye, your hair may continue to bleed color for days or even weeks to come (my girlfriend reports that over two months after dyeing the water still runs purple when she washes her hair.) At all steps in The Method I recommend that you shower carefully and keep a spray bottle of diluted bleach handy if you don’t want to stain your bathroom. And be wary of rainstorms.

“Doctor Pig?” by Dylan Meconis. Commissioned for me...

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:57:03 -0500

“Doctor Pig?” by Dylan Meconis. Commissioned for me by my amazing and wonderful girlfriend Angela.

Just 2 short days before the New Year, I share with you...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:27:08 -0500

Just 2 short days before the New Year, I share with you something old mixed with something new that’s providing me with much-needed inspiration.

(The video is nothing special; the audio’s the thing. I encourage you to close your eyes, sit back, and listen.)

Harry Potter and the Chinese Bootleg Subtitles

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:34:35 -0500

thegeorgemott:

jesus christ. I’m dead.

Someone help me, I can’t breathe.

Watch a first kiss between virgins that will make you never want...

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:21:00 -0500

Watch a first kiss between virgins that will make you never want to have sex again.

“… Because after watching 21 seconds of what appears to be two wounded pelicans fighting over carrion…”

"I am listening to a marriage disintegrate at a table next to me in this restaurant. Aaron Sorkin..."

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 09:00:00 -0500

“I am listening to a marriage disintegrate at a table next to me in this restaurant. Aaron Sorkin couldn’t write this any better.”

- Andy Boyle live-tweets a marital spat between strangers at Burger King.

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Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:51:56 -0400

They’re calling it an Inkling. That idea that everyone has...

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:44:47 -0400

They’re calling it an Inkling. That idea that everyone has had for years but never made work, only now Wacom says it will, and so we believe them.

Not going to lie, I’ve wanted to build my own PVC Pipe...

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:15:54 -0400

Not going to lie, I’ve wanted to build my own PVC Pipe Organ for years (via Blinky.)

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Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:19:00 -0400

Submitted without comment.

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:32:23 -0400

Submitted without comment.

Check out A Doctor World, it is totally making my day today....

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:26:00 -0400

Check out A Doctor World, it is totally making my day today. Prose from Joey Comeau’s A Softer World mashed up with stills from the new series of Doctor Who. 2 great tastes that taste great together.

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Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:06:49 -0400

thedailywhat: Laughing To Keep From Crying of the Day: Comedian...

Thu, 26 May 2011 16:57:52 -0400

thedailywhat:

Laughing To Keep From Crying of the Day: Comedian Eugene Mirman (of Delocated/Bob’s Burgers fame) reads aloud a full page ad he recently ran in New York Press and elsewhere excoriating Time Warner Cable for being the worst.

Funtivity: Replace “Time Warner Cable” with the cable company of your choice and the crux of his message magically remains relevant.

Background starts @ 3:13; letter recital starts @ 4:38.

[pri / gotcha.]

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Sat, 21 May 2011 13:01:06 -0400

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Fri, 13 May 2011 18:03:43 -0400

In case anyone was wondering, this right here is why John Green...

Fri, 13 May 2011 16:35:50 -0400

In case anyone was wondering, this right here is why John Green and Maureen Johnson are my favorites.

"Please, miss, you mean they could only just sit there and watch? They couldn’t do anything? Didn’t..."

Thu, 12 May 2011 14:14:14 -0400

“Please, miss, you mean they could only just sit there and watch? They couldn’t do anything? Didn’t everybody feel terribly isolated or alienated or ignored?”

- How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet | Douglas Adams on the internet circa 1999.

Coming Soon: Android-Controlled Lightbulbs

Wed, 11 May 2011 13:24:00 -0400

Coming Soon: Android-Controlled Lightbulbs:

What is your Royal Wedding guest name? Start with either Lord or Lady. Your first name is the name of one of your grandparents. Your surname is the name of one of your first pets, hyphenated with the name of the street you grew up on.

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 12:00:52 -0400

zitsandwrinkles:

shorterexcerpts:

tumbologna:

fauxprose:

Lady Ruth Spanky-Dalewood

LOLno.

Lady Vera Moondoggie-Currywood.

Please refer to me as this from here on out.

Lord Edwin Midnight-Rogers.

May as well be a character in Downtown Abbey fanficiton…

Lady Beatrice Buttons-Springs, at your service.

Lord Edward Chelsea-Treeborough, defender of the peerage.