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Coloring Hair with Kool Aid®

Coloring hair with Kool Aid® is a fun and inexpensive way to experiment with hair color.  Before getting started, here are some things to consider.

Precautions: Anything that can dye hair has to potential to stain other things such as skin, towels and clothing. Take the same precautions you would with any dye. 

Supplies

To dye hair using Kool-Aid you will need:

•  Shampoo
•  Conditioner
•  One packet of unsweetened Kool Aid®
•  Tin foil
•  Plastic wrap
•  Towel
•  Disposable bowl
•  Spoon
•  Gloves

Unless you plan on bleaching your hair, this type of hair coloring works best on lighter hair.

Getting Started

◊  Measure one tablespoon conditioner, place in bowl.

◊  Add packet of Kool Aid® and stir.

◊  Gloves should be worn as Kool Aid® will stain skin. 

◊  Once mixed well, massage into hair.

◊  If highlights are desired, section off hair and apply to selected areas, encasing with tin foil and rolling up in a pile on top of the head. Continue until all sections are complete.

◊  If all over color is desired, massage through entire head, pile loosely on top and cover with plastic wrap to keep mixture from seeping. Applying the plastic wrap over the foiled highlights may also be done to stop any potential leakage.

Processing

In order to attain a deep color, leave mixture on hair as long as possible. Any time frame can be used, in fact 20 minutes can yield results; however, such shorter processes lead to quicker fading of color. After processing, wash with shampoo, conditioner and style as usual. Over time the Kool-Aid color fades and typically lasts somewhere between a week to a couple of months, depending on processing time and original hair color. To speed up the fading process, toothpaste can be applied to hair in order to remove the unwanted dye. Toothpaste works well, but does not completely remove the dye from bleached and/or blonde hair.

Choosing Color

Generally, red and blue are top picks that work well in this process; however, a combination of several colors can be used to achieve a sherbet effect throughout the hair. Whatever color preferred, remember to use only unsweetened forms of Kool Aid®.