HOW TO: SILVER LILAC HAIR, WITH STARGAZER SILVERLOOK & PURPLE HAIR DYE

I've been dying my hair unnatural colours since I was about fourteen (that's nearly ten years now!) and I've literally been every colour now (ever since that accidental green incident). But one colour I keep returning to is cool toned purple, and this silvery lilac in particular. I actually feel more natural, and like myself, when I have this hair colour - which I've never really felt before, as my 'natural' hair colour doesn't feel me. I'm sure other unnatural haired folk can relate!

Now the pastel hair trend is in full swing, with pastel shades being more readily available than ever. But sometimes, it's nice to make your own custom shade. For the past few weeks I've been dying my hair with a silver and purple mix, to achieve this lovely silvery pastel lilac hair colour. Keep reading to find out how I did it, and how you can too!

YOU WILL NEED:

Mixing bowl and tint brush

Stargazer semi-permanent hair dye in Silverlook

Stargazer semi-permanent hair dye in Purple

Any white conditioner

HOW TO:

1. Empty all of the silver dye into your mixing bowl.

2. Squirt about a third of the purple dye into the mix.

3. Add conditioner until you have enough dye mix to fully cover your head. 

4. Mix everything together until you get an even colour - don't worry, it will look bright blue!

5. Start with freshly washed and towel dried hair.

6. Use tint brush to spread dye along your hair line, then begin sectioning and dying your hair, making sure to saturate each section of root area with dye.

7. Once all of your roots are done, use gloved hands to spread the rest of your dye mixture down the length of your hair, massaging it in to ensure it's fully saturated. I've found it's easier to do it this way.

8. Leave on for 20-30 minutes then wash out until the water runs clear. 

Note: If you have hair longer than shoulder length you will likely need more dye.

 Once your hair is dry, you will have a lovely pastel silvery lilac colour! Of course, the colour you get will be determined by your base colour. My hair is pretty much pure white, and so I was able to get this silvery tone. But even on my hair there are a few slightly yellow patches where the dye didn't completely take.

Sadly, though this colour is beautiful, it doesn't last long (as is the way with pastel colours). The photos here are with fresh colour. After one wash, it lightens a few shades, which does look a little patchy to be honest, but is still a nice colour. Then after another wash it turns into a pure silver, which is gorgeous. After that, washing returns my hair to a bright 'toned' white, and any subsequent washings remove all traces of colour.

I've done this dye routine twice now, and while I love the colour, the staying power just isn't there for me - the various colours last me about a week until I return to white again. This could just be that dye falls out of my hair, as it is very damaged... but then again to achieve this colour you have to have white hair which, unless you are incredibly lucky, inherently comes with damage.

If you're just looking to try out a pastel lilac shade, this dye would be perfect to give it a go without it sticking around or staining your hair. However, if like me you've fallen in love with the colour and want to keep it, it's not ideal. I'll be looking for a brand that does a similar colour, just with more staying power. 

I can pick up two packs of stargazer dye for £10 in a local alternative shop, but you can readily find them online for various prices (here's Silverlook and Purple on Amazon).

I think I've found 'my' colour - I feel more like myself with this coloured hair. Anyone else feel like this with unnatural colours?

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