Share some ‘nice ‘n easy’ tips for at-home hair care - win a £300 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[RebeccaEMumsnet]

Have a tried-and-tested trick up your sleeve for DIY hair dying? Well, nice ‘n easy want to hear them! They'd like to know the things you do to get a great colour at home, every time.

Here’s what nice ‘n easy have to say: “To help you achieve your most amazing hair colour, we’d love to share with you some nice tips and tricks. Tip #1 : Apply petroleum jelly to your hairline, it prevents colour from staining your skin (Bonus: Dab a little onto your cuticles to soften them!). Tip #2: When your natural hair colour seems to be a distant memory, use your brows as a guide and stick within two shades lighter or darker for the most natural looking hair colour. Tip #3: when the time is up, just set your TV on record even if that’s your favourite program. Over-processing hair is a common colour mistake that ends in colour not being what you expected! These were only a few of the tips we got up our sleeves. What are yours?”

So - what advice do you have for hair dying newbies? Do you have a top tip for prepping your hair before colouring at home, or choosing the perfect shade for you? How about the best ways to prevent staining your skin, or clothes (or bathroom!) - and things to do to pass the time while the colour is on?

Whatever your tips and tricks are, add your comment below and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop gift voucher.

We’re also on the lookout for 5 Mumsnetters who are willing to film their hair dye tip or trick in action. If you would be happy to do this, please sign up here. Those selected will each receive a £100 voucher. More details will be sent.

thanks
MNHQ

Standard insight T&Cs apply

Try and pick a time when you don't expect to be interrupted.

If you have long hair I recommend buying some big string clips and sectioning your hair like this - start from your crown and section teist and clip the front, then the sides, then the back into two halves (so five big clip sections in total). Then apply the dye to each section starting with the back. Yoy can do this either with your fingers but even better with a brush and best done by a willing friend! If no friend is willing then set up some mirrors so you can see what you are doing. Wrap each section back up if you can a reclip gently.

As others have said, lots of old towels and wear old clothes.

Ensure all children & pets are completely out of the way!!

I would like to say don't do it and embrace the grey but my grey hair brings me down.

My best tip is to make sure the children are well and truly asleep so there will be no interruptions!

I find the whole dyeing process very boring so always make sure I have something to do to pass the time. I try and catch up on paperwork that I've been putting off or important reading that I need to catch up on. But obviously I have to make sure I don't get dye on anything important so old towels strategically placed are vital! And always wear old clothes and clear the bathroom of decent towels, as I always seem to get the dye on anything nearby!

Old towels and Vaseline around the hairline/ears so that any drippage is easy to get off.

vaseline round hair line is a great trick, my hair dye towels are so bad i would be embarassed to hang them outside

DO NOT ATTEMPT IT ALONE! Get a friend/spouse to help. Much better results guaranteed! :)

Have a small bowl of cornflour on hand - if you splash any dye on your sanitary ware, you can tip cornflour in which dries it, stopping it staining so easy - and it's easier to clean up. Nothing worse than being covered in goo, trying to deal with spillages because you are freaking out about staining the bath/tiles/floor.

Talc works too! But cornflour is cheaper and won't kill your lungs if you sneeze!

Argh I've tried twice to bleach my hair and my hair totally rejected the dye!? No idea why!
Anyway, my tip is to wrap an old towel around your neck, and use a clip to clip your hair up on your head while it takes its time to colour!

Get someone to do it for you. You can relax while they do the work. Well relax as much as you can while your head is hanging over the bath and water is dripping in your eyes.

Always do a strand test first to check the colour is as you want it!

I have long hair and when I'm done applying, I wrap my hair in cling film to hold it on!

Get a food or a hair brush so you can apply the colour easily and without missing any bit.

Make yourself a cuppa and plan to stay in the bathroom a while.

Always use colour safe shampoo and conditioner... to prevent fading.

Vaseline over ears, forehead and back of neck to prevent the dye transferring onto your skin.

Follow the instructions!
Tear the front of the box off and use the box as a tray to contain drips from the bottle.
Take your phone or iPad into the bathroom with you so you can set a timer and have something to keep you occupied!

Find a friend who also dyes, and do each others.
Spread a cheap shower curtain on the floor to catch drips.

Vaseline round your ears to stop slight discolouring of skin.

Keep away from tile grout.

If you don't have any old clothes and towels you're happy to get stained, they're usually cheap to pick up in charity shops or online auctions.

If you don't have an old handbag or similar, get one of those too, and use it to store your kit, including brush/es, latex gloves, plastic tubs etc.

Having everything prepared and ready in one place really helps it all feel more like one task, rather than a list of things that need doing. For anyone who finds working up to doing something as difficult as I do, that can make quite a difference!

Using a proper bag, rather than a plastic carrier bag or a shelf, to store it looks tidier, and reduces the likelihood of anything getting lost and upsetting your plans.

Have an old towel to hand, we also use a black bin bag to go over the shoulders. Vaseline for around the hairline or in my case, Vaseline all around my forehead, cheeks and neck. My mum absolutely smothers me in hair dye. She got it in my ear last time so there's a new place to put the Vaseline! 😀
Oh and buy some proper latex gloves.

As I am very fortunate only to produce grey at the hairline by my ears I use a toothbrush to brush a small amount of Nice & Easy mix on the offending hair, hence the product lasts for ages as I am never wasting any. Vaseline prevents any skin staining.

I buy the multi packs of gloves online - I have a box of 100 St John's Ambulance gloves at present. Way better than the overly large gloves that come with dye. I use henna & always do a deep condition treatment within a couple of days of dyeing it.

Before you start, open the window and put the radio on. Buy a shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair if you don't already have it.