Planning on dyeing your hair yourself? It really is not that difficult to do, and it can certainly save a lot of money if you are able to either dye your own hair or have a friend dye it for you. Most colors 'take' well to hair, with the exception of shades of red hair color, providing you do not try to go too many shades lighter or darker. In order to guarantee success there are a few tips to follow.

First of all it is important to strip your hair of any mineral buildup. As many areas put chemicals in the water you can be sure that many of those chemicals and minerals are gradually building up on your hair shafts. Also, any time you use hair gel or other hair products the buildup grows even more. Washing your hair with a good chelating shampoo will remove all mineral buildup and will prepare your hair to be in optimum condition for dyeing. It will also help to ensure that your hair will end up the color you think it will. Too often mineral buildup on hair shafts can cause the dye to react with your hair and ultimately change the color of your hair to one you were not quite expecting.

If you are not sure whether the color will suit or not, test it out first by using a semi permanent dye. If the color does not complement you, or it does not come out exactly the shade you had hoped it would you can always wash it out, providing you shampoo your hair within the first 48 hours of dyeing it. The more times you wash it, the more dye will wash out.

When judging how the dye will affect your hair, do not go by the picture on the front of the hair dye box. Instead turn the box around and check the shade against the hair swatch photos that are included on the back of the box. That is more likely the color your hair will be.

Finally, follow the instructions included with the dye package carefully. If you do as you are instructed your hair will be more likely to turn out the way that you want it to. Leaving the dye on too long or rinsing it off too early will definitely change things. Use the different creams and rinses included in the hair dye package as well, they are designed to help your hair dye last.