Top 5 Best Box Hair Dyes for Dying Hair At Home
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Are you currently standing at a drugstore in the hair color section just wanting to know which is the best box hair dye of them all? Choosing a box hair dye can be a pretty daunting task as once that hair color is on, its not budging for a while!
If you’re pressed for time and just want answers now, here’s a quick round up of our top 5 box hair dyes for you:
- Best Hair Color for Grey Hair – Clairol – Nice’n Easy
- Best Blonde Box Hair Dye – Garnier – Nutrisse
- Best Hair Dye for Dark Hair – Revlon – Colorsilk Beautiful Color
- Best Ammonia Free Hair Color – Garnier – Olia
- For the Best Natural Hair Colors – Naturtint – Permanent Hair Color
For bold and vibrant colors:
- Best Pastel Pink Hair Dye – Lime Crime – Unicorn Hair (and its a vegan hair dye too!)
- Best Red Hair Dye – Manic Panic – High Voltage Classic Cream Hair Dye (the Manic Panic Vampire Red hair dye is the best dark red hair dye and vegan too!)
If you’re keen to learn more about the best box hair dyes including tips for dying hair at home, the best shampoo for color treated hair, the must have deep conditioning treatments for your hair that will completely transform your hair to smoother and silkier days, then keep on reading!
Box hair dyes have improved so much over the years and the results are actually pretty on par with professional salon results. Literally no one will even know the difference and you’ll have saved yourself some serious cash too.
Most of us fancy a hair refresh when we’re trying to unlock a new version of ourselves. Whether its getting over a breakup, after having a baby or maybe because we simply just need a change and fancy taking a walk on the wild side for once!
Did you know that the average cost of getting your hair professionally coloured at a salon is between $50 for an all over tint and $100 for highlights (and let’s not get started on how much a balayage will set you back).
Granted, nothing comes close to that luxurious salon experience, with unlimited hot drinks and fancy biscuits, head massages and deep conditioning treatments and that gorgeous bouncy blow out that you could only dream to achieve at home. But if you’re trying to save or just don’t have the time to get to a salon right now, just give hair colouring at home a try with a good hair dye. No stress of getting an appointment at your favourite hair salon at the last minute, no rushing in and out in time to pick up the kids, just easy hair coloring in the comfort of your own home.
In fact, who says you can’t create the same salon experience from home? All you really need for DIY hair colouring is one of our best at home hair dyes (we’ve got you covered below), your favourite hot drink and a really good deep conditioning mask or treatment to preserve the quality and freshness of your hair color and restore any damage or breakage post coloring.
What is a Good Deep Conditioning Treatment for Hair?
We highly recommend the Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector as a weekly deep conditioning treatment or Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask, both of which have been featured in our handpicked Shower Essentials Every Girl Needs To Level Up Her Morning Routine article.
Tips For Dying Hair At Home
- Always buy two boxes of DIY hair dye (especially if you have long or thick hair).
- Comb hair first before applying your color to ensure even coverage.
- Start applying the hair color at the top and work your way down – it’s important to color your roots first with a brush as this is where it take the longest time to develop, then use the brush to apply the color to the length of your hair and run a comb through it after.
- Don’t try and mix shades to create your own unique shade. Leave that to the professionals!
- Cover all surfaces with black bags or newspaper rather than towels to avoid staining. Wrap and tie a black bag around your shoulders too.
- Apply Vaseline around your hairline, ears and the back of your neck to avoid getting any hair color in unwanted places. Vaseline will act as a barrier to stop any transfer of dye on to your skin.
- Use disposable gloves while applying hair color and keep an extra pair on standby for washing color out with.
- Use a wet wipe to quickly wipe away any hair dye spillages and splatters.
- To increase the longevity of your at-home hair color, invest in a shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair. We’re a huge fan of the 100% vegan Pureology Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner. It’s also formulated with ZeroSulfate – a mild cleansing system made from coconut, corn and sugar which will provide a wonderful lather whilst optimising and retaining your hair color.
Best Shampoo for Color Treated Hair
It’s always worth storing a couple of the best home hair dye kits in your bathroom cabinet for emergencies, i.e. when your hair colorist can’t get you in for a root touch up for a while, or perhaps if you’ve decided to cut back on certain luxuries to save for something big. This is why it’s definitely worth knowing which hair dye kits are the reputable ones that will actually work well on your hair and deliver (because there’s no turning back once that color is on!).
As always, we’ve done all the hard work for you and have narrowed down our findings in this article to the top 5 best box hair dyes for dying hair at home.
1. Clairol – Nice’n Easy
Following our research, Clairol’s Nice’n Easy definitely came out on top as the best box hair dye on the market.
Nice’n Easy is formulated with oil infused color (making it gentle on your hair and scalp) and conditioners in every step to reveal shinier, softer and natural looking locks!
It’s great for actually concealing those pesky grey hairs and also takes the gold for being the best hair dye for fade resistance too!
You’re guaranteed to get some seriously good coverage for grey hairs with this hair color and it really does live up to its name too (so nice and easy to apply!).
Available in over 50 shades.
2. Garnier – Nutrisse
Next up is Garnier Nutrisse, (our personal favourite at Haul of Fame) where ‘nourished hair means better colour‘. This is the best boxed hair dye for anyone looking to achieve shiny and healthier looking hair after their DIY at home hair coloring experience.
Nutrisse aims to provide as much hydration and nourishment as part of its coloring process, with an after color conditioner that is enriched with avocado, cranberry, olive and shea oils, for shinier and silkier hair.
The Nutrisse colour system also protects hair against dryness for up to 8 weeks!
If you’re after a blonde box hair dye, Nutrisse will definitely deliver with more than 10 shades of blonde DIY hair colors to choose from a total of 40 overall colors.
3. Revlon – Colorsilk Beautiful Color
This ammonia free hair dye not only delivers brilliant gray coverage but its also the no.1 best selling hair dye brand in the US too!
Revlon’s 3D color technology delivers an all over multi-tonal color and even coverage from root to tip and is formulated with keratin and silk proteins to reveal hair that looks healthier, shinier and silkier.
Revlon’s Colorsilk is also the best hair dye for dark hair as its proven to be especially effective at covering greys on darker hair tones.
Available in over 40 shades.
4. Garnier – Olia
Another insanely popular ammonia free hair dye, Garnier Olia is formulated with 60% natural flower oils, making it one of the more pleasant scented at home hair dyes on the market.
Olia will visibly transform the quality of your hair after every use delivering unparalleled shine and softness.
For anyone wanting a dark hair hair dye (the darker colors are a huge hit on Amazon with over 12k glowing reviews) that won’t give them a headache with the strong chemical smell that usually comes with most box hair dyes, Olia is definitely the one for you, whilst still delivering salon quality results.
Available in over 30 shades.
5. Naturtint – Permanent Hair Colour
Naturtint is easily the best hair dye for sensitive scalps or anyone that prefers applying natural hair colors.
Naturtint is ammonia free and enriched with natural plant and seed oils to protect your scalp and nourish your hair.
Containing a lot less harsh ingredients than its well known counterparts, Naturtint still delivers 100% grey coverage, shine and a natural finish.
It also comes with a generous 50ml hair mask to be applied straight after coloring that is made from quinoa and organic shea butter, to fix the color and provide further nourishment.
for the bold and brave…
Lime Crime – Unicorn Hair
If you’re after a pastel pink hair dye, look no further than Lime Crime’s Unicorn Hair which will give you the dreamiest light pink hair color and seriously turn some heads.
This semi-permanent vegan hair dye is formulated with the purest vegan ingredients making it super gentle on your hair and scalp.
Available in an array of beautiful pastel colours for the ultimate unicorn hair experience.
Cruelty free.
Manic Panic – High Voltage Classic Cream Hair Dye
Another popular semi-permanent vegan hair dye for the bold and brave, with over 40 different rainbow shades to choose from including a shocking blue hair dye and the most popular color of them all, manic panic vampire red hair dye which is a deep dark red hair dye.
Lasts on average 6-12 washes.
100% vegan and cruelty free. PPD & Gluten Free.
I love coloring my own hair! This list is helful, thank you!