Awesome Ways To Color Your Kids’ Hair Without Permanent Dye

As kids get older, they get more and more interested in dyeing their hair different colors. Of course, as parents, we usually want to avoid permanent dyes in our kid’s hair for as long as possible. However, we don’t want to stifle their creative individuality. Wanting to color their hair is a natural part of growing up and seeing other kids with dyed hair only fuels that want. The good news is that there are some pretty awesome semi-permanent dyes or temporary dyes to color your kids’ hair without making it permanent. Read on to check out the best temporary hair colors and ideas to make your kids’ hair look great! 

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Color Your Kids’ Hair Without Permanent Dye

Kids have an incredible imagination and a thirst for adventure. They love expressing their individuality through various means, and one fun and safe way to do so is by experimenting with their hair color. Many times when kids have brown hair or black hair they want to change the way it looks. Even children with blonde hair want a different look. They want to go with vibrant colors that will make a difference in the way they look.  While permanent hair dye might not be suitable for young children, there are plenty of temporary hair dye and non-toxic alternatives that allow kids to sport colorful hair without any commitment. From vibrant hues to subtle shimmers, temporary hair color opens up a world of creativity and fun.

In this colorful guide, we will explore a plethora of exciting and easy ways to add temporary color to your kids’ hair. Whether it’s for a themed party, a special occasion, or simply a day of creative play, these non-permanent methods are sure to spark joy and excitement in your little ones. Embrace your inner hairstylist and embark on a hair-coloring adventure together, creating lasting memories and plenty of Instagram-worthy moments along the way!

The Safety First Approach:

Before delving into the magical world of temporary hair color, it’s crucial to emphasize the importance of safety and sensitivity. As well as take precautionary methods to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.  Always prioritize your child’s well-being and ensure that any product you use is suitable for their age and hair type. Conduct a patch test on a small area of their skin to rule out any potential allergic reactions. Also, make sure and do a strand test on your children’s hair. It’s also a good idea to consult your pediatrician if your child has any skin or scalp sensitivities.

For months my daughter had been begging to dye her hair and I didn’t know if I was ready to let her go permanently because of the damage permanent dye could do to her young hair. I was worried about hair loss or change of texture.  However, after finding her in the bathroom with tissue paper and alcohol after watching a tutorial on Youtube I decided it was time to research coloring her hair without permanent dye more seriously.

 So I began to research various ways to dye her hair without making it permanent. Kid’s hair is much more delicate so using something as abrasive as splat, hydrogen peroxide or bleaching can damage it very easily. There are even dangerous chemicals in permanent hair dye that can cause damage to your child’s hair. One such chemical paraphenylenediamine that’s commonly used in permanent hair dye can cause a severe reaction and may even cause permanent damage to your child’s hair.

That’s why it was important to look for less abrasive ways to help color my girls hair. 

Now they both have dark hair making this job extra hard. For some reason if your child has light hair it might suck up the color and it can end up staying in for a very long time. However, if their hair is dark it might not even show. 

Here are some of the best methods I found to help dye your kids’ hair. Some will work better than others depending on your child’s hair. 

Natural Ways to Dye Your Kid’s Hair

Use Beets!

Seriously. If your son or daughter wants that burgundy tone, use beet juice or beetroot powder. It is a completely natural way to get those tones, without damaging your kids’ hair.

Natural Ways to Dye Your Kid’s Hair

Use Beets!

Seriously. If your son or daughter wants that burgundy tone, use beet juice or beetroot powder. It is a completely natural way to get those tones, without damaging your kids’ hair.

DIY Dye your kid’s hair

Natural Food Coloring. Diluting food coloring into some water and vinegar can be a fun way to add colors to your kids’ hair. Pretty much like dyeing Easter Eggs! You could also use food coloring gel and add some amazing streaks.

Kool Aid Colors! Using Kool-aid to aid bright, fun colors to your hair, is a tried and true method that kids have been doing for years! It may be a little sticky, but the colors are definitely cool. Here’s a great tutorial on how to do this! 

Try Chalk. They make hair chalk that you can buy, but in all honesty, you can also use sidewalk chalk! You can either just color it onto your hair for some highlights, or crush it into a spray bottle of water and spray the hair for a fun look!

 

 

 

Other Great ways to color your kids’ hair

 

Colored Hair Sprays! There are a lot of colored hair sprays out there nowadays that wash out with one wash! These are great for crazy hair days and Halloween, or to let your kid see how that color would look.

 

Colored Hair Gel. They even have colored hair gel options that you can use to style your hair and wash it out the same night. These tend to be a little softer than the colored hair sprays and a little less crunchy.

There are a lot of options to color your kids’ hair without permanent dye, as you can see. You can also take them to the salon, where they can add things like color butter, which is a conditioning treatment that lasts a few washes, or even hair coloring powder! These are fun and awesome ways to let your kids experiment without permanent damage.

We also love using vegan hair dyes like Arctic fox  or Good dye young which are fantastic semi-permanent hair color options.  These have been our personal favorites. Like my girls did below:

Things to keep in mind when dying your kid’s hair. 

Always doing a patch test first to check for an allergic reaction. If you are using a wash-in dye, your child must be able to sit for at least twenty minutes; and should be mature enough not to touch, or fidget around too much during the process. 

Also, remember that some of these more natural hair dyes may last longer. 

Don’t apply to the hair root. Some of these methods will stain the scalp. There are hundreds of videos of people and kids who tried splat hair dye and couldn’t get the color off their scalp. Believe me, you want to keep it off the scalp.

Finally, I can’t stress doing a patch test. Some methods may not work AT ALL some may work all too well. If you still want to dye your hair and nothing from the above list helped, you can always head to the salon and have it done professionally. 

If you still don’t want to do a semi-permanent hair dye there are plenty of temporary options and  other great hair color products like:

Temporary hair chalk

Hair Color Wax

Clip-on hair extensions

finest flecks of glitter

Color hair spray

That’s what we’ve done for my darker hair girls. I did go down the route of bleaching their tips and then using Arctic Fox which has truly become our favorite.

Looking for more fashion help for kids and tweens? Check out 8 Tips for updating your tween’s wardrobe.