I’m Meg Ann Lee, hairstylist, makeup artist, and co-owner of Moss Salon in Eau Claire.  Everytime I change my hair color I always get asked if I do it myself. I’ve been doing hair for almost a decade and yes, I color my own hair. Almost every time. Before you say “but you literally work in a salon,” I KNOW. I have incredibly talented co-stylists at Moss who could absolutely do my hair. But here’s the reality, we’re all busy. I don’t prebook my own appointments. And then all of a sudden it’s Thursday and I need my hair done before an event on Saturday. So there I am, just like it’s 2014 again in my bathroom, DIYing my own roots… except now I have a few years of practice under my belt. Here are a few of my tips if you find yourself in a hair DIY situation.

First, GLOVES. Don’t skip this. Next, read the directions! Hair color is a chemical process so follow accordingly. If you’re going to color your own hair, the one thing I need you to take from this is ORDER of operations. Whatever needs to process the longest goes on FIRST. Then work your way down to whatever processes the shortest. This matters because if you put everything on at the same time and rinse at the same time, something is either overprocessed or underprocessed. Timing isn’t just a suggestion. It’s the difference between a color that looks intentional and a color that looks jacked up (and no one wants that).

I filmed my whole process this time so you can watch exactly what I did, how I sectioned, and what order I applied everything. The full reel is on my Instagram @meg_ann_lee77. Go watch it and feel 10 times more confident in your DIY hair skills <3