Some shampoo/conditioner brands also sell hair dye. It may help your case to pick a brand your parents use to wash their own hair. If your parents are vegan or against animal testing, consider picking a dye that’s vegan or doesn’t test on animals.
The chance of you being allergic to hair dye is low, but it’s still worth doing a patch test before you apply the dye to your head. Just put a small amount of dye on your wrist or ankle, and wait 24 hours to make sure there’s no allergic reaction. There are many peroxide free hair dyes. They may not be as cheap as drugstore box dyes; however, they are much better for your hair.
Be at the right age. If the package says, “Not recommended for use if under 16 years of age,” do not use it as a 13-year-old. You could get serious hair follicle damage.
Use “I” statements, which sound less accusing or demanding. For example, say “I want to experiment by dyeing my hair” rather than “You should let me experiment and do what I want. " Avoid saying things like “all of my friends are doing it”. It may trigger “if all your friends were jumping off a bridge” type responses. Try to create space for the conversation by telling your parents that you want to talk to them about something that’s important to you.
Make sure you find a dye that isn’t permanent before you talk to them about this, so you aren’t lying when you say it.
For example, you can say “I’ve thought about this a lot and so I’m willing to pay for the dye and all the supplies myself. "
Explain that you understand how it can go wrong, how the colour might not turn out right, or how it can damage your hair. Research possible solutions to fixing bad dye jobs up and tell them to your parents. This may help further your case.
For example, you could explain that you want to dye your hair while you’re young and don’t have a lot of responsibilities. That way in the future, you’ll know if you want it or not. Sharing your reason for wanting something and explaining how it lines up with your values is a good negotiation tactic.
Tell them “I’m fully prepared to dye it back to my original colour if I don’t like the colour or it looks bad. "
Say “If you’re worried about it being done badly, I could always get it done professionally instead. Then there’s no worry about the quality of the outcome. " The only downside to this is that getting your hair dyed professionally will cost a good deal more.
You can say something like “Maybe instead of dyeing the whole thing, I can just dye the ends. That way it’s less different and it can always be cut off if it doesn’t work out. "
Another alternative is to use coloured hair chalk, which washes out in the shower.
