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How to Dye Hair Using Kool-Aid ~ A Picture Tutorial

How to Dye Hair Using Kool-Aid ~ A Picture Tutorial

by Andrea
How to Dye Hair Using Kool-Aid ~ A Picture Tutorial
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There’s no need to buy hair dye from the store when you’re looking for a way to color your hair with bold, funky colors.

We tried using Kool-Aid instead and the results were awesome!

Here’s how it happened…

How to Dye Hair Using Kool-Aid ~ A Picture Tutorial

Kool Aid Hair Dying Supplies

  • 1/4 cup conditioner
  • paint brush, optional
  • hair brush
  • bowls/spoons for mixing
  • 4 packets of Kool-Aid
  • plastic wrap

Instructions

How to Dye Hair Using Kool-Aid ~ A Picture Tutorial

1. In a small bowl, mix conditioner and all 4 packets of Kool-Aid to form a paste. Note: Feel free to add a few drops of water in order for create a smoother consistency.

How to Dye Hair Using Kool-Aid ~ A Picture Tutorial

2. With a paint brush — or gloves — apply paste to the section of hair that you wish to dye.

3. Wrap in plastic wrap to prevent staining of clothes and skin.

How to Dye Hair Using Kool-Aid ~ A Picture Tutorial

4. Allow paste to stay on hair for 45 minutes.

5. Rinse the hair with water until water runs clear.

How to Dye Hair Using Kool-Aid ~ A Picture Tutorial

6. Style as normal.

Have you used Kool-Aid to dye your hair? Please share your method with us!

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Category: DIY & Beauty

About Andrea

Frugally Sustainable is a resource for all things natural, frugal, and sustainable. If you like DIY and are bit “crunchy”, this site is for you!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie Levesque

    November 24, 2012 at 11:20 AM

    and how long does that stay in ur hair?

    • Jo Ann

      November 24, 2012 at 2:21 PM

      I used Kool-Aid in my kids hair, it lasts until you cut it off. It is permanent! My son has dark blonde hair. We mixed koolaid with conditioner, covered with a shower cap and left it on over night. It lasted all summer until it grew out and got cut off.

      • caitlyn

        October 8, 2013 at 2:21 PM

        omg I got to do that

        • kiki

          November 14, 2013 at 5:17 PM

          it comes out its own i dyed my hair and it came out but it lasts a long time

          • bam bam

            March 9, 2014 at 12:37 AM

            Question I have dark brown hair would red be noticeable?

            • braiden

              March 31, 2014 at 1:28 PM

              I have dark brown hair to and when i tried it the red stood out a little bit it really just depends on the hugh of the color. Hope this helps 🙂

              • Tiffany

                October 1, 2015 at 7:53 PM

                I am currently trying it. I was told to leave it in all night

      • Abby

        January 21, 2014 at 5:29 PM

        Seriusly thanks for the edvice

    • Andrea

      November 24, 2012 at 4:12 PM

      I can say that within a few days of dying the color has faded but as I understand it the color is permanent and must be cut off.

      • kalisha

        August 25, 2013 at 1:20 PM

        no its not it rinses out with water but it takes about 30 mins but if u try to rince it out with shampoo it will go rong

    • shelly

      May 11, 2013 at 9:26 PM

      it stays for a long time thats what happened to me

    • sarah

      August 16, 2013 at 1:36 PM

      hey i just did this dip dye, and how long should i keep it in for? i have dirty blonde/light brown hair and im planning on keeping it on my hair for about 4 hours

      • K

        October 29, 2013 at 11:21 AM

        if youre dip dying it should only stay in there for 5-10 minutes depending on how dark and vibrant you want the color

    • Amber

      December 7, 2013 at 11:05 AM

      My friends and I have done it, but instead of using conditioner we boiled water and let our hair sit in it for about 30 minutes. It lasted about a month and a half before it came out completely.

  2. Joanna

    November 25, 2012 at 4:49 AM

    Oh my goodness! And people actually drink that stuff?

    • john beauboeuf

      March 26, 2013 at 1:30 PM

      Yea stupid no yo hood fool … We be drinkind koolaid for all of time …. What planet you from………..

      • ToniBey

        December 12, 2013 at 3:50 PM

        lolz… that’s funny.. I rep u.. I respect u.. 😀

  3. Stacy

    November 25, 2012 at 6:52 AM

    We did ours differently….using cold water to allow it to wash out.
    A friend who is a professional hair stylist said, warm or hot water makes it last longer because it opens up the hair shaft, cold water is not permanent and allows it to wash out. We used cold water and it washed out after 1 shampoo.

    We skipped the conditioner. Instead we dissolved the powder in a small mason jar of water and dipped strands of hair in it for 5 minutes, then patted it dry with paper towels, and dried it with a hair dryer to speed up the process. Red Kool Aid turns sort of copper in color.
    Then put a lid on the mason jar and kept it in the refrigerator for future uses.

  4. Dena

    November 25, 2012 at 1:00 PM

    Have any of you used vegetable dyes…dyes like you’d dye fibers/textiles with?? I’m wanting to dye my hair but not put harsh chemicals on my head and hair. Thanks for the post.

    • Michal

      March 10, 2013 at 6:01 PM

      From what I have heard, KoolAid has no harsh chemicals and is completely safe.

  5. Carmel Garcia

    November 25, 2012 at 1:16 PM

    I noticed you had 2 different colors of kool-aid dye, does it matter that you mix and match colors?

    • Mimi

      May 19, 2013 at 9:17 AM

      No not at all because I did rainbow. The only thing is that the colors might blend and form a brownish color. Have a nice day!

  6. Mandy

    November 25, 2012 at 5:39 PM

    That is awesome!

  7. Dana

    November 25, 2012 at 10:01 PM

    I used to do this in the eighth grade, lol! I recall dipping my hair carefully into a bowl of hot water with dissolved cool aid, don’t ask me how I managed the roots! Blast from the past! I’m going to try this with my daughter only use your method. She wants pink strips so bad but I refuse to use the chemical dye. I got some henna but have yet to use it because I’m unfamiliar and don’t know exactly how to proceed. Thanks!

    • Ashlee

      July 26, 2013 at 9:00 PM

      i know its been a while but, to use henna just mix it as instructed until its a muddish consistency and put on the the wanted areas overnight or as long as possible

    • Sam

      December 23, 2013 at 11:56 PM

      The only downside to henna is that you can not chemical dye hair that has been dyed with henna.

      • Sarah

        January 21, 2014 at 1:01 PM

        That’s only if you don’t get pure henna.

        • Karen

          February 11, 2014 at 11:19 AM

          Can you still get henna? I used to wear Indigo Blue which I loved and would love to do again. I have several gray hairs now and I think it would look awesome! If Koolaid would give the same perminant results I would like to give it a try!

          • Stell

            February 17, 2014 at 12:16 AM

            Yep. You can get all the best supplies and info at hennaforhair.com

  8. Alyssa

    November 27, 2012 at 8:18 AM

    Look at your girl!! She is the spittin image of her mama! Looks lime she had fun too!

  9. Stephanie

    November 28, 2012 at 9:14 PM

    Welcome to the Ghetto….
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtkU2ch0sRI

    • Jennifer

      April 14, 2013 at 8:23 AM

      Why does she want to sound more White???? Idiotic statement. Referring to that youtube.

  10. Mrs. Z

    December 1, 2012 at 5:58 AM

    This is awesome!! My kids want colors in their hair, but like the other posters, I’m not willing to buy the chemical stuff. I can’t wait to try this!!!

  11. kristy

    March 8, 2013 at 1:25 PM

    Dollar general sells something called awesome its a spray it takes koolaid out even of carpet I used it in my daughter’s hair even took gum out but use at your own risk it worked on her hair but it may not on yours

    • Abby

      January 21, 2014 at 5:35 PM

      Wow. I want blue in my tips.i dont want it to be permedent or only their for 2 days.what should i do?

      • its_me

        February 19, 2014 at 8:23 PM

        use cold water in the mix instead of conditioner or hot water. it only last for a wash orm2

  12. Mrs.N

    May 4, 2013 at 1:24 AM

    i’ll wear that to school!! i’m in a private one… meh!!

  13. Mrs.N

    May 4, 2013 at 1:30 AM

    can i use tin foil? :/

    • aisley

      June 1, 2013 at 4:56 PM

      i have the same problem.

    • Destiny

      November 19, 2013 at 5:41 PM

      Yes your can use tinfoil!When i dyed my hair with this i used tinfoil and it came out just as i planned c:

  14. Faith Jones

    May 4, 2013 at 9:08 AM

    I’m using purple so I use grape right

    • samantha

      May 5, 2013 at 12:46 PM

      I would mix two red packets with two blue 🙂 grape doesn’t tint too well

  15. Gianna Dez

    May 27, 2013 at 5:50 PM

    Use sugar free kool aid and it would nt stain

    • Lori

      September 28, 2015 at 7:25 AM

      Isn’t all Kool Aid sugar free until you mix in sugar?

  16. mary leahigh

    May 31, 2013 at 12:09 PM

    i really want to do this for my softball team we were all planing to have one red strip and one blue so we would all kinda match 🙂 GO PANTHER PRIDE!!!!!!!!

  17. aisley

    June 1, 2013 at 4:52 PM

    It works awesome

  18. aisley

    June 1, 2013 at 4:55 PM

    thank you for sharing this project i love it

  19. Bailey

    June 17, 2013 at 5:42 AM

    I just used sweetened cool aid to dip dye my hair and I used 3 packets of cherry which gave me a deep red but I wanted a more vibrant red so I took a shower that night and most of it came out!

    **note**:the reason it came out is because u aren’t supposed to take a shower in the next two days!

  20. Jojo

    July 3, 2013 at 12:28 PM

    Will the color come out if I go in water? I want to go to the pool with my kool aid hair

    • Michelle

      July 15, 2013 at 10:19 AM

      The koolaid might possibly come out. I know for my hair it did. First it started to kinda bleed out then when I got out of the pool it was gone and there was a little bit of red in my pool lol.

  21. Mariahmann

    July 11, 2013 at 9:28 PM

    Hi I love it I’m seeing the results now

  22. Mariahmann

    July 11, 2013 at 9:29 PM

    And it look awesome

  23. Nathalie

    July 15, 2013 at 1:46 AM

    Hi I have naturally dark hair and I was wondering if it would work if I did it with cherry red flavor. Would it be better if I did it with:
    -kool aid cherry red with conditioner
    -kool aid cherry red with hot boiled water.
    I’m trying to do the whole head/all my hair. How many bags to I use? A lot of water or a little bit? What should I do to apply on the cherry red dye?
    HELP PLEASEEEEE!!! 🙂

    • Taylor

      August 21, 2013 at 7:41 PM

      The boiled water lasts longer…with dark you might not get the color you want, unless you bleach your hair in the spot you want your kool aid dye in. If you want a red it might might be darker. Oh and dob’t use bags if you are doing your whole hair, use tin foil and cut it into little strips for each section of hair. You might want a little bit of water, if you use too much for your hair the color will be too light unless you bleach it! I HOPE THIS HELPS…

    • Miranda

      October 18, 2013 at 1:16 PM

      Okay i have really dark brownish black hair and i did this. I wanted my hair to be redder and so u mixed 2 packets of red and put it in a tall container and dyed the ends. if you want to doo your whole head then jus dip your head in. then i left it in and didnt wash my hair. i did it for 20 min then did it again 2 days later for 30 min. it stayed in my hair for 3 months now.

    • Abby

      January 21, 2014 at 5:38 PM

      Go to a diffrent website their are a lot more about just that
      Hope that helped

    • its_me

      February 19, 2014 at 8:26 PM

      I bought “sun in” at the store it just lightens ur hair up instead of bleaching it. lighten it up in the spots u want than dye it

  24. Victoria

    July 17, 2013 at 9:36 PM

    for those of you looking for the perfect color blend here is a link to show you what colors you need to make just the right shades. http://pinterest.com/pin/564779609490320642/

  25. Jennifer

    August 1, 2013 at 9:56 PM

    My sister in law did this to my daughters hair. Her hair is naturally light blonde. They did cherry Kool aid in hot water. She’s been swimming and showers each night and washes hair and its been over a month and its fading very lightly. It’s still dark pink.

  26. Meine Seite

    October 18, 2013 at 11:02 AM

    It’s awesome for me to have a web site, which is good in support of
    my experience. thanks admin

  27. karen

    October 29, 2013 at 10:14 PM

    I did my sons tonight for crazy hair day at school tmorrow well i think i might have done it wrong according to these comments. I just used the koolaid right out of the pack and never rinsed it. I left it in. Hes sleeping now. I did it while his hair was wet! Omg I dont think it is going to rinse out now. If you have comments on this please let me knw.

    • Austin

      November 13, 2013 at 11:46 PM

      I’m sorry that no one was able to get on and comment earlier to help you :c But would you mind telling me how it worked out? Thank you in advance!

  28. Haloula

    December 14, 2013 at 4:09 AM

    Hi I was asking I have light brown hair what color do I use and how long will it last ? Thanx

  29. Haloula

    December 14, 2013 at 4:09 AM

    Hi I was asking I have light brown hair what color do I use and how long will it last ? Thanx

  30. Rebekka

    December 22, 2013 at 8:09 PM

    I boiled water and dyed my head with kool aid. I still have the red in my hair, but its unbielivable how long its been in my hair. Its been in my hair since May 2013. 8 months its lasted.

  31. Kaylynn Naquin

    December 29, 2013 at 9:00 PM

    HEY, so I have dark brown hair and I wanted a red streak so I actually did both methods. I think I used cherry and black cherry. I boiled water and put the kool-aid in and let my hair sit in there for 45 mins and then the did the conditioner method and left it over night. I did mid-June and the red in my hair is still there, its not as bright as it used to be but its still there. I tried using other colors but they didnt last as long as the red has. So for those who want a more permanent color, red is your go-to.

  32. Abby

    January 21, 2014 at 5:44 PM

    If i use rasberry kool aid on my mud brown hair will it still show up the color i want?Since im a brunet how shoul i do it right

  33. Eljikata

    April 4, 2014 at 10:46 PM

    hi, i wanna tr this one. but i cant find any kool aid products here in philippines. im just wondering why is it hard to find in every supermarket. i still hope to find some..

  34. Person

    April 5, 2014 at 9:01 AM

    Is there a recommended kind of conditioner that you use to mix the Kool Aid with?

  35. Ashley

    April 16, 2014 at 9:30 AM

    – Does it matter what conditioner?
    – How would it look on dark drown hair?
    – How many packs would i need for it to show?
    –

  36. Mandy

    April 18, 2014 at 2:00 PM

    If you put a whole package of Koolaid into a glass of water, and then microwave it for about 2 minutes, you can dip-dye your hair and get similar results. 🙂

  37. Katelyn

    November 15, 2014 at 7:39 PM

    Can you get Kool Aid in the UK?

  38. Miranda

    February 21, 2015 at 12:49 PM

    Do u use the no sugar Kool- Aid or regular?
    Also does blue or red show up on black hair?
    How long does the dye last?
    And how do u get it out easily? Please find a solution and tell me!!!!!!! THANKS!!! 😀

  39. ttharley

    September 9, 2015 at 6:11 PM

    What kind of conditioner should I use?? I heard it has to not contain one ingredient

  40. Klara

    August 15, 2016 at 5:16 PM

    I have black-ish brown hair so I used about 5-7 packets. I just boiled 2 cups of water and added as many packets of the Kool-Aid as i wanted and stirred it around. Then I just added my hair ( I just dyed the tips of my hair) and let it soak for like 15ish minutes. Then when I took it out and used a towel that I could trash a bit, it so looked like a mermaid’s hair because I dyed it blue! Hope this helps you guys if you don’t have conditioner on hand because you just need water and Kool-Aid basically. 🙂

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