There are ten items that I find myself using every time I dye my hair - whether I'm bleaching it or dying it purple. These items are essential to nearly every single dye job.
1. Clips: I use the butterfly clips that are pictured in the image above. They grab a decent amount of hair and because they are plastic, they are easily washed - which means you can get hair dye all over them! Clips are important for sectioning off your hair or moving already dyed hair out of the way. You can buy a pack of these for under ten dollars at Sally's Beauty Supply or most other beauty stores. You can probably find them for a great price on eBay or Amazon, as well. I would advise getting a pack of them and not just one or two - I use anywhere between one to five of these each time I dye my hair; depending on what kind of dye-job I am doing.
2. Hair Ties: I would suggest using black hair ties when dying your hair because even if you get dye all over them, you can't really tell because they're already black. Make sure they are not the rubbery ones - make sure they are the soft ones so they can slip in and out of your hair easier. These are also great for sectioning off your hair. I often section my hair off with a ponytail and then use one of the clips from Number 1 to clip the ponytail out of the way. (Note: Don't put hair up in bun with an elastic - you'll be wearing gloves and it's a nightmare to get the hair tie out of a bun with gloves on. Trust me, I know.)
3. Gloves: Nobody wants dyed hands! Hair dye can dye your skin for up to a week, even with constant washing! I use black latex gloves that I purchased from Sally's Beauty Supply. The ones I got are nice and thick so hair dye never gets on my hands. They're also reusable, so that's a huge plus. You can find a decent pair of latex gloves for a couple of dollars and under. (Note: Try not to use the doctor's office kind. I mean, you can use those but they are very rubbery and stick to your hair, causing a lot of unnecessary pain from the pulling. Plus, they are very thin and more prone to holes.)
4. Old Sheets/Towels: It is important to protect the area in which you plan on dying your hair. I usually dye my hair in my bathroom, so I make sure to remove the rug from the floor and clear off the counter-top completely. I then put down some old sheets to protect the floor and get old newspapers or towels to cover the counter top. Sometimes I even tape some up on the wall behind me because when you're getting the back of your head, you can flick some dye onto the wall.
5. Paper towels: It's also good to keep some paper towels handy in case you get some hair dye somewhere on your face. That way you can wipe it off before you give yourself polka dots.
6. Bobby pins: Secure back any little hairs or layers that don't fit in a ponytail or are too stubborn to remain within a clip. Sometimes already dyed little hairs can be touching your neck or even your cheek and you won't notice until after you've washed the dye out. Secure those suckers down with a bobby pin to keep your face from being striped!
7. Petroleum Jelly: This stuff works wonders. Apply some to the skin around your hairline in order to protect the skin from being dyed. It really works! Apply a decent amount - it doesn't need to be caked on, but also make sure it isn't rubbed into your skin. Put it on so it covers about an inch of your skin. You can also dip a paper towel into it and use it to rub off some dye that might have gotten on your arms or neck. It comes off easily - just use some soap or shampoo while in the shower to get it off! If there's any leftover, it will just absorb into your skin.
8. Comb: A comb is great for parting your sections and combing out any last-minute tangles. In order to make sure that you have evenly soaked your hair in dye, run a comb through it to get it all the way through. It also helps to pull out some of the excess dye to reduce your rinsing time in the shower. The comb I have pictured is available at Sally's Beauty supply and has a metal application to the handle that is used for precision when parting your hair. It is great for picking out individual hairs and sectioning them off.
9. Old shirt: Remember when you bought that t-shirt from Wal-Mart that you thought was cute but actually ended up being an embarrassing part of your wardrobe? Well, go find it! Use old, unimportant t-shirts when you are dying your hair that way you don't ruin a perfectly wearable shirt. If you don't have any old t-shirts, head on over to Target, Wal-Mart, JoAnn's, or even the dollar store and buy a simple t-shirt that you won't grow attached to. I'd also advise wearing bottoms that aren't important either. And your socks/shoes (if you're wearing any) shouldn't be important either. Globs of hair dye manage to get everywhere.
10. Bowl and brush: If you are using a box-dye, you might not need this because they usually come with a small application bottle; however, I still pour my dye into a plastic bowl and mix it around with an application brush. A bowl makes it easier to mix up your hair dye and it also helps you to see how much you have left so you can manage the portions you're using on each section. I purchased a plastic bowl similar to the one pictured at Sally's Beauty Supply for a couple of bucks. I have a cute purple one and a turquoise one. The application brush is great to help brush the hair dye onto your strands of hair. I mostly use my hands, but I do use my brush when I need to get an area with more precision - like the part or an area that is close to other hair that I am trying to avoid.
I hope you guys have found this helpful! Let me know what your essential items are in the comments.
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