Preparing the Kool-Aid Dye
Wear disposable gloves to prevent staining your hands. If you’re not careful, you’ll be left with hands that match your hair color! To avoid this, slip on a pair of rubber kitchen gloves or disposable latex gloves to keep the dye from soaking into your skin. If you do stain part of your skin, there are a few ways to remove the Kool-Aid stains.
Select your desired color of Kool-Aid. Choose your favorite color, or mix 2 together to create a custom color. You can use Kool-aid liquid pouches or Powder packs. Grape can create a lovely violet purple. Tropical punch creates a brighter red while cherry produces a deeper red. In the cooler spectrum, blue raspberry results in blue and lime creates a bright green. Mixed berry can result in a light blue. Note that the colors can appear differently on different hair types and base colors. For instance, grape Kool-Aid will leave a light pinkish violet on light blonde hair when left on for just 30 minutes. However, grape Kool-Aid will show up as a deep reddish purple on dark brown hair after 1 hour. If you have brown hair, vibrant reds usually show up the best. You can also try deep purple and dark blue! You won’t be able to get a lighter color than your natural shade without first bleaching your hair, though.
Empty 1 or more sugar-free Kool-Aid packet(s) into a small bowl. If you have very long hair, or if you want a heavily saturated hue, use 2 or more packets. The unsweetened version will be much less sticky than the artificially sweetened kind, enabling you to apply the dye more evenly and smoothly. If you’re not sure how your hair will take to the dye, start with just 1 packet. You can always follow up with another dye session using a few more packets to build up the color. If you’re mixing colors, stir together 2 packets. For instance, try black cherry mixed with strawberry for a vibrant red, or strawberry and grape for red-violet. You could also try blue raspberry and lemon-lime to create turquoise.
Stir in hot water to dissolve the powder. Start by pouring 1 to 2 US tbsp (15 to 30 mL) of hot water into the bowl. Mix together the water and powder, stirring constantly with a spoon until the powder dissolves. A good rule of thumb is to use 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of water per packet of Kool-Aid. Try not to add too much water, or else the mixture will get too runny to paint onto your hair.
Add hair conditioner to the mixture to form a creamy paste. Once the Kool-Aid is completely dissolved, squeeze a dollop of hair conditioner into the bowl and mix it in. Start with ⁄4 c (59 mL) of conditioner and adjust the measurements until a creamy paste forms. The creamy consistency of your dye paste will make the dye easier to handle and apply to your hair. Plus the conditioner will help the dye spread through your hair.
Cover your shoulders and workspace with an old towel. The dye will stain your clothes, so keep yourself protected with an old towel or t-shirt that you don’t mind getting stained. Consider wrapping a large garbage bag around your shoulders and clipping it in place to keep any moisture from getting through. Also protect your workspace with another towel or garbage bag in case any dye drips onto your chair, the table, or the floor.
Dyeing All of Your Hair
Divide your hair into 3 to 6 sections. Start with clean, dry hair and use clips or hair ties to pull back parts of your hair. For even coverage, divide your hair into multiple smaller sections which you’ll apply the dye. Try dividing your hair vertically into left and right segments, and then dividing each of these into 3 horizontal sections (top, middle, and bottom). Alternatively, divide your hair into left, right, and center sections and work your way from side to side. Or, start by exposing the hair at the nape of your neck and piling the rest of your hair up at your crown. Pull out small sections as you work your way from your nape up to your crown.
Paint the Kool-Aid paste onto each section of hair, from the roots to the tips. Either use gloved hands or a hair dye brush to apply the dye paste onto your hair. Start with 1 section and massage or paint the dye into your roots. Then spread the dye down the strands, all the way to the tips, until the first section is completely coated. Tie back each dyed section and proceed until all sections are evenly coated. All of your hair must be saturated with dye otherwise the powder will just wash out, without coloring your hair. If you’re dyeing your own hair, you might want to enlist the help of a friend. It can be hard to evenly coat the hair at the back of your head.
Wrap your hair in saran wrap. Secure the hair at your crown with hair clips. Wind a few long sections of saran wrap around your hair to hold it in place, off of your face and shoulders. Alternatively, try a plastic grocery bag or resealable food storage bag. The plastic will help trap in the moisture and prevent the dye from spreading and staining. Secure the plastic wrap with tape for extra hold. This step is especially useful if you plan to leave the dye on your hair for a few hours.
Wait anywhere between 15 minutes and 5 hours for the desired saturation. If you have very light, fine hair and just want a subtle tint in your hair, leave the dye on for 15 or 30 minutes. But if you have darker or thicker hair, or if you want a deeply saturated dye job, wait a few hours before removing the dye. If you’ve used more Kool-Aid packets, it’s ok to leave the dye on for a shorter amount of time.
Rinse the Kool-Aid dye paste out of your hair with cold running water. Remove the saran wrap and turn on cool running water in a shower or sink. Rinse all of your hair, from the roots to the tips, under the water until all of the dye paste is washed out. Continue rinsing your hair until the water runs clear (or just a pale tint is left). It may take between 10 and 20 minutes to get the water to run clear. Warm or hot water may more quickly wash out some of the pigment from your newly-dyed strands. Don’t use shampoo when you rinse out the dye. This could wash out and fade some of the color.
Blow-dry or air-dry your freshly dyed hair to see the final results. Remove all the moisture from your hair, either with a hairdryer or by letting it dry naturally. Once your strands are completely dry, you’ll be able to see the final results of the Kool-Aid dye! Have fun styling and rocking your new ‘do. To make your temporary color last as long as possible, wash your hair in cold water instead of hot water. It’s ok to use warm water and heat styling tools, but keep in mind that the heat will cause the dye to fade faster. You may need to experiment with the dye process a few times to get the balance right for your hair color. Just remember that if you have darker hair, the effects will be more subtle.
Adding Streaks of Color
Lay a piece of saran wrap or aluminum foil behind 1 section of hair. When you’re ready to start dyeing your clean and dry hair, lift up a small section of hair and lay a rectangular piece of saran wrap or foil behind it. Place the wrap or foil right at the root of your hair and use your hand to support it from behind. Think about how many streaks you want to add to your hair, and cut out 1 piece of saran wrap or foil for each streak before you get started. If you’re creating narrow highlights, try picking up and painting a few thin strands on the same piece of saran wrap or foil.
Use a highlighting brush to paint 1 in (2.5 cm) sections of hair with Kool-Aid dye. Pick up a dollop of the pre-mixed Kool-Aid dye paste with the brush and apply it directly to your hair. Brush it on, working from the roots to the tips, until the whole section is covered. Support the strands from behind with your hand that’s beneath the piece of saran wrap or foil.
Fold the piece of saran wrap or foil around the dye-coated strand. To prevent the dye from getting onto other parts of your hair, fold the saran wrap or foil tightly around each dyed strand. If your hair is longer than the piece of wrap or foil, fold up the tips of your hair into a little bundle close to your roots before folding up the foil.
Secure each wrapped section with a hair pin or hair tie. Once you’ve painted strand of hair and encased in saran wrap or foil, flip it up so it sits off of the under layers of hair. Slide on a hair pin onto the base or middle of the little packet of hair to secure it at your crown. If you’re using saran wrap, try using a hair tie to create little bundles out of each section.
Continue painting dye onto small sections of hair until you have enough streaks. The easiest way to add streaks is to start at your crown and pin back each foil-wrapped section as you work down your head. Once you’ve completed as many streaks as you want, double-check that all the wrapped sections are secure. If you have a lot of streaks, consider wrapping your hair in a plastic bag or with a few long pieces of saran wrap to hold them in place while you wait.
Leave the dye on your hair for between 15 minutes and 5 hours. Depending on the natural color and thickness of your hair and the deepness of the color you want to achieve, leave the dye on for as long as you want. If you want a really saturated hue, leave the dye on for 5 hours. If you have light hair and you just want a light tint, don’t leave the dye on for longer than 1 hour.
Rinse the dye out of your hair under cold running water. When you’re ready to rinse out the dye, unwrap each strand with gloved hands and discard the pieces of saran wrap or foil. Then use cool running water to rinse out your strands until the water runs clear.
Dip-Dyeing the Ends in a Dye Bath
Add 3 to 4 unsweetened Kool-Aid packets to 2 c (470 mL) of hot water. Instead of making a creamy paste that you’ll paint onto your hair, you’ll create a dye bath in which you’ll dip the ends of your hair. Empty the Kool-Aid packets into a bowl of hot water and stir to dissolve the powder. Allow the water to cool slightly, for around 3 to 5 minutes. Choose whichever Kool-Aid color you want, or mix 2 together for a custom shade. Use more packets for more saturated color, especially if you have dark hair.
Part your hair down the middle to create 2 pigtail sections. Make sure your hair is clean and dry before you dye it. As you’re waiting for the water to cool, divide your hair into 2 sections, a right and a left section. Put 1 section in front of each shoulder, and use a hair tie to secure each section into pigtails.
Dip the ends of each pigtail into the dye bath. Keep your strands submerged in the bowl of Kool-Aid dye for about 15 to 30 minutes. If you have darker hair or want a deeper color, leave your hair in the dye bath longer. But if you have light or fine hair, 15 minutes might be enough to give your ends a bright pop of color. Try dipping your hair into the dye bath a few times for a deeper color. This also helps if you want to create a softer division between your dip-dyed ends and the rest of your hair.
Scrunch your damp strands with a paper towel to remove the excess liquid. Once the time is up, pull your pigtails out of the dye bath and squeeze the excess liquid back into the bowl. Use a paper towel to squeeze the remaining moisture from your hair. Make sure you’re still wearing gloves during this process, as the Kool-Aid can stain your hands.
Wrap the strands in a plastic bag if you want to let the dye soak in longer. For a richer color, or for darker hair, let the dye seep into your strands for a while longer. Use a hair tie to secure the plastic bag or a long strand of saran wrap around your dip-dyed ends. This will hold in some of the moisture while the dye permeates your hair. Keep this in place for up to 2 hours, or until your strands start to get dry. If you want to leave the dye on for up to 5 hours, the method of painting on a dye paste containing conditioner would be a better choice. Conditioner keeps the dye from drying out, whereas the dye bath liquid will evaporate after a short while.
Rinse out your hair until the cool water runs clear. Without using any shampoo, rinse your hair thoroughly under cool water to remove all of the dye. Keep rinsing for about 10 or 20 minutes until the water runs clear, or very close to clear. Once the dye is rinsed off, air-dry or blow-dry your hair to see the final results.
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