Never dilute hair dye with water if you are looking to make the dye less intense or want to create a pastel shade.
The color molecules are too large to cling to the hair strands. The result will be a pale version of your usual shade, but it won’t be permanent.
If you have recently bleached or lightened your hair and intend on dyeing it again with another color, then diluting the dye with water may yield more desired results than simply dyeing it as usual.
The dye won’t cling to the lighter sections of your hair, but it will deposit some color on them for a more natural look.
Use this diluted method sparingly, though; excessive use may leave you with unwanted results.
When would It be Okay to Use Water or Conditioner in the Mixture?
You may want to use diluted water instead of conditioner if you are dyeing your hair an even lighter color since conditioners contain oils that may stick to the dye and prevent it from depositing uniformly throughout your strands.
If your hair dye manufacturer recommends mixing the dye with water, use purified or distilled water instead of tap water.
What about Using Dish Soap to Dilute Hair Dye?
You should not dilute hair dye with dish soap because it will cause uneven distribution and undesirable streaking within the dyed sections of hair strands.
Can We Dilute Hair Dye with Water Instead of Conditioner?
No, you should not dilute hair dye with water. Hair color molecules are too large to cling to the strands of dry or wet hair if there is no conditioning agent in the mixture.
The result will be a milder version of your usual shade, but it won’t be permanent.
If you have recently bleached or lightened hair and intend on dyeing it again with another color, then diluting the dye with water may yield more desired results than simply dyeing it as usual.
The dye won’t cling to the lighter sections of your hair, but it will deposit some color on them for a more natural look.
Use this diluted method sparingly, though; excessive use may leave you with unwanted results.
The conditioner will not dilute or lighten hair dye, but it can help wash the color out of your hair after dying.
Hair dye companies do not recommend using silicone conditioners since the molecules in this ingredient may stick to the dye and create a film on your hair strands.
This will cause the color to look duller than before you dyed it.
If you want to use conditioner during the dying process, then you’ll want a formulation that is dye-free and made for color-treated or bleached hair.
Look for these conditioners in your local drugstore near other hair dyes.
Make sure whatever conditioner you use contains no oils, as this may cause the hair dye to stain your skin.
Heat is not a friend of hair dye. You should not attempt to use a hairdryer, curling iron, or any other heating device during the dying process after you have added conditioner to the mixture.
This will cause the color molecules to expand and diffuse out of the hair shaft, resulting in dullness, streaking, blotching, and in some cases balding.
Keep in mind that when you use conditioner in the hair dye mixture, it will not lighten your hair as water does.
This can be helpful if you want to achieve a darker tone of your current hair color to enhance the depth of the color; for example, dying brown hair is a shade of auburn.
When would It be Okay to Use Water or Conditioner in the Mixture?
You may want to use diluted water instead of conditioner if you are dyeing your hair an even lighter color since conditioners contain oils that may stick to the dye and prevent it from depositing uniformly throughout your strands.
If your hair dye manufacturer recommends mixing the dye with water, use purified or distilled water instead of tap water.
You should not dilute hair dye with dish soap because it will cause uneven distribution and undesirable streaking within the dyed sections of hair strands.
Dish soap is best used to remove hair dye from your skin.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, we can see that you should not dilute hair dye with water, but it may be okay to do so with a conditioner if you want a more natural shade. Do not attempt to dilute hair dye with dish soap as it will result in uneven distribution.
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