It’s no secret that TikTok has given us some DIY gems.
From Dalgona coffee, to bleached jeans, to foundation that lasts all day long, the platform is a breeding ground for tactful tricks you can try at home.
With the recent isolation orders set in place around the world, creativity has hit an all-time high on the viral platform, prompting users to share a variety of DIY hacks to help us through these difficult times.
And possibly the most creative DIY hack to come out of quarantine yet?
Dying your hair with household items.
While we definitely urge anyone interested in colouring their hair at home to use actual box dye designed for hair, here are the most bizarre DIY ways TikTokers are dying their hair during quarantine.
Reminder: Just because you can dye your hair with these questionable at-home methods, doesn’t mean you should.
Post-It Notes
The DIY hair-dye trend with household items started with post-it notes.
How to?
- Choose a bright colour of post-it notes (pink or blue seems to work best).
- Tear them up and place them in a bowl.
- Fill the bowl with hot water and mix the concoction until the water turns colour. Some mix the liquid with shampoo, others leave it as is.
- Remove the soggy paper pieces and dunk the strands you wish to dye into the mix.
- Wrap your hair in tin foil and leave the colour on hair for 20-30 minutes.
This method does not make much “dye,” so it’s best to try it with just a couple strands.
Does it work?
The jury’s out on this one. While the trend gained momentum because users swore it worked, most who have tried to re-create it say the colour does not stick.
Highlighters
Making hair dye from highlighters came next after TikTokers discovered that blowing the ink out and mixing it with their post-it note dye helped the colour stick.
How to?
There are two potential methods for this.
Using the ink as dye:
- Follow the same steps above.
- Instead of mixing hot water with post-it notes, take apart the highlighter and blow out the ink into the water.
This method will provide a longer-lasting dye.
OR
Colouring the highlighter on your hair:
- Choose bright coloured highlighters.
- Separate the strands you wish to colour and brush makeup powder all over them.
- Colour the marker all over your powdered strands.
This method will provide a more temporary solution.
Does it work?
For the most part, yes. Highlighter ink seems to be strong enough to faintly dye light hair. But should you do it? Probably not. The ink is strong and filled with chemicals. It’s definitely not healthy to be putting near your mouth, nor is it particularly healthy for your hair.
Makeup
Another method with a short shelf-life, users are attempting to colour their hair with makeup products.
How to?
- Separate the strands you want to colour.
- Coat the hair in primer and foundation. Mattifying primer and full-coverage matte foundations work best.
- Choose a colourful, bright eyeshadow shade and lightly brush overtop of the foundation.
- To make it last longer, seal with a matte setting spray or a flexible hairspray.
This method can be tried on all hair colours, including dark.
Does it work?
Yes, colouring your hair with makeup will give you faintly coloured strands. While it’s not ideal for your hair, it’s less toxic than the above methods.
Tie-Dye Colouring Sets
We know tie-dying clothing has been a massive TikTok trend during isolation, and now users are trying it on their hair…ooft.
How to?
- Make sure you have a pair of gloves and foils ready.
- Separate the strands you want to dye.
- Run the tie-dye through your strands. You can use your fingers or brush it onto a foil like they would at a salon.
- Wrap the dyed hair in foil. Don’t leave it on for too long, as this dye is obviously not meant for hair.
- Remove foils and wash your hair like normal.
Does it work?
Yes and no. Like most methods, it seems to work on light hair but not always on darker hair. However, we recommend you leave the tie-dying for your trackies and keep it far away from your hair, as this method could be incredibly damaging.
Desperate times.