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If you’ve ever dyed your hair at home and ended up with streaks or patchiness, learning how to section your hair for dying is the solution you’ve been looking for. Whether you’re doing all over color or just covering your greys, sectioning hair properly is the key to getting even hair color that’ll make your hair look like it was done by a pro.
Sectioning hair is pretty simple, so if the thought of adding one more step to your hair color routine has you groaning, know that this will just take a few minutes. It’s totally worth the effort to get a smoother final result!
What you’ll need:
- Hair clips
- Rat-tail comb
Start by brushing or combing your hair to full detangle your hair. Next, I love to use a rat-tail comb to part my hair down the center. It helps get a smooth and straight line. Parting your hair down the center, even if you normally wear a side part, is a good first step to divide the head into two equal parts.
With one side of your head, take the rat-tail comb and part the hair starting at the tip of the ear and ending at the crown of your head.
Clip that first section tightly so it is secure and won’t get in your way. Repeat on the other side of your head and clip that section of hair as well. You should now have two section on each side of your head starting at the crown of your head and ending at your forehead.
Clip up the top two sections as shown hereAt the bottom of your hair, clip up the two remaining sections on each side of your head. You should now have 4 sections clipped up and ready for hair color.
Sectioning hair before applying color is useful for evenly distributing the color across your head and roots without streakiness or patches of missing color. It allows you to focus on one section at a time, starting with the roots of each before moving onto the rest of the head (unless you are only covering your roots.)
Once you’ve sectioned your hair, it’s a good idea to add some vaseline or even some conditioner to your hairline and around your ears. This will keep the dye from staining your skin. Next, apply plastic gloves to protect your hands from the color.
After you’ve mixed the color, start applying dye on the front parts of your hair first. Because these two sections are the most visible, it’s best to give them the most processing time.
Start by applying color to your roots. Even if you’re planning to apply hair color to your whole head, your roots will need the most processing time because they are so visible, but this doubly true if you have grey roots. Grey roots can be stubborn and resistant to hair color, so giving your roots the extra processing time while you’re applying color to the rest of your head will ensure they get extra attention.
Sectioning hair to color short hair is even easier because you don’t need any clips, but sectioning is still good idea to make sure you cover all of your hair with color. Once you’re ready to add color to your hair, apply the product down your center part down to the nape of your neck, and then again crosswise from ear to ear going over the crown of your head. In this way. You are using the hair color itself to divide your hair into sections.
In order to dye your roots, section your hair as if you were coloring you’re applying all-over color. When you begin to apply the color start at your middle part. Then take a small flap of hair from one of your sections (a thin, lengthwise section from forehead to crown) and apply color to the roots as you lay that flap against your head. Continue applying hair color to the roots with each successive flap of hair to cover all of your roots.
For a full routine to get the most when dying your hair at home, check out this free guide. I wanted to put together all the necessary information together in one place that would be easily accessible (or printout-able) for when it’s time to color your hair or cover your roots. It has information on:
Sectioning hair to prepare for hair color is a lot easier than it seems. It’s a quick and easy way to give your hair a more professional result and keep you from having to redo your work later or live with patchy color and sneaky grey roots. It’s a great step to add to your hair coloring routine whether you’re going for all-over cover or just dying your roots.
