Find out how your hair will need to be prepared.

• Find out how your hair will need to be prepared. In general, the more damaged or processed your hair is, the longer it will take to get ready for dyeing. A good stylist will know how to prep your strands so they’re ready for color and won’t leave you with an unsightly mess on your head (or anywhere else).
• Do a test-drive first. It sounds silly, but trust us: This can save you from having to go through all this again in the future. Try using a temporary dark brown shade on just one lock of hair and see what happens before going all out with a permanent dye job!
• Visit with a professional hair stylist—not at home! We know you want instant results and don’t have time for expert advice—but unless you’re confident in using coloring kits without making mistakes (and potentially ruining everything), visiting an experienced stylist is probably worth it anyway.

Make sure you know what products to use for your hair type and texture.

• If you have dark hair and are going gray, avoid using permanent dyes.
• If you have light hair, be careful with semi-permanent dyes. They can leave a patchy result if applied incorrectly.
• Use a product that’s right for your hair type and texture (see below).
• Always check the ingredients list before buying; make sure it doesn’t contain ammonia or peroxide.

Get ready for how much time it’s going to take.

The time it’ll take to turn your hair gray depends greatly on the color you’re starting with, which is why you need to do a test run before you commit. If your hair is naturally darker than light blonde, it will take longer for your roots to show. This is because the roots are more resistant than the rest of your hair so they’ll be more difficult for chemicals to penetrate and dye over completely. If this sounds like what’s happening with your own situation, expect your salon visit(s) to last much longer than usual—you may even need two appointments for full coverage.

The second thing that could add time is how often and how much maintenance comes along with dyeing your grays back into their natural color or another one entirely. While some people opt out of spending extra hours at home coloring their roots themselves (and who can blame them?), others still enjoy doing it themselves in order to save money; while this might seem like an easy task, it takes serious commitment—and sometimes multiple days’ worth of work—to achieve desired results!

Remember that color fades over time, so you’ll want to keep up with it.

Remember that color fades over time, so you’ll want to keep up with it.

Fading varies depending on hair type, color and brand of dye used.

It can be caused by UV exposure, chlorine in pools or salt water. Even if you don’t swim often or spend much time in the sun—even just living in a place where there’s a lot of wind will cause your gray roots to show through! If this is the case for you, try using a leave-in conditioner on your roots every day after showering for at least two weeks after dying your hair to help blend them better into the rest of your strands.

Find out how fast and expensive roots are going to be so you can budget accordingly.

Do some research on how long your hair will take to grow out if you’re transitioning from a darker shade. It’ll also help inform how much money and time you should budget for upkeep. If you’re going gray gradually, it might be worth the extra money to keep your stylist on speed dial so they can give you regular touch-ups when necessary.

If this sounds expensive or like something that might stress you out every six weeks (or sooner), don’t let it deter you! There are other options for both transitional shades and permanent dye jobs.

Do a test-drive first if possible.

If possible, do a test-drive first. A test-drive is when you get to wear a small sample of the color in question and see what it looks like on your hair before making the big move. If you’re lucky enough to live near a salon that has this service, it’s usually free (and some salons even offer full-size bottles!) but most salons don’t offer this service because it’s risky for them—what if you don’t like how it turns out? And if they’ve already dyed your whole head and you have to take time off work under these circumstances… Ouch! So unless your local salon is really awesome or just crazy cool about things (which happens), then probably not. Still, if you can find someone who’s willing to do this for free and doesn’t mind being an unpaid guinea pig (again: ouch!), by all means go ahead and try out that new shade before committing yourself fully.

Visit with a professional hair stylist if possible.

When it comes to dyeing your hair, you can’t beat a professional. A hair stylist will have the experience and the knowledge that comes from years of practice, not to mention the tools necessary to get the job done right. If possible, visit with a professional before you start experimenting on yourself.

Most importantly, if you’re looking for gray-hair inspiration or advice on how to achieve this look as your first attempt at coloring your own strands, go see someone who knows what they’re doing! For example: if you have more of an olive complexion that tends towards redness rather than yellow undertones (like most “redheads”), it’s best not to use colors like ash-blonde or platinum blonde—the result will probably look dull instead of shimmery silver.”

Stay away from coloring kits unless you’re confident in using them.

If you’re looking to save a few bucks and buy coloring kits, remember that these products have their own set of pros and cons. While it’s true that the price for many of them is lower than what a professional stylist will charge, there are some risks involved with using them. For example, the instructions included with color kits aren’t always clear about how long you should leave it in your hair or when you need to rinse it out. If you’re not careful about following these directions properly, this could result in damage to your strands—and possibly even some chemical burns!

It makes sense that professionals would know better than us at home how long we should wait before rinsing out our new dye job (and what kind of conditioner is best), but let me tell ya: I’ve seen my fair share of horror stories from friends who tried coloring their own hair (with varying degrees of success). So if you don’t feel confident enough yet in using these kinds of products safely and effectively on yourself or someone else—or even just want an extra pair of eyes watching over—then why not consult with someone who has done this before?

It’s important to prepare yourself before dying your hair gray, even if it’s a small change.

If you’re ready to take the plunge, there are some things you should do first. Instead of just throwing your hair into a beauty salon chair and hoping for the best, prepare yourself by thinking about what your goals are for this new look. Do you want your gray to be as dark as possible? What shade will suit your skin tone best? How much patience do you have for upkeep and touch-ups?

What’s more important: being able to maintain the color yourself or having someone else do it for you? The answers to these questions will help determine how much money and time needs to go into making sure everything comes out right. If it takes too long or costs too much money (or both), chances are that this dye job won’t work out in the end because no one wants to put in so much effort only to have their dreams dashed by something as simple as poor planning or bad luck…