Someone we know decided that she would like to try dyeing her hair with Koolaid. Supposedly this is an easy, inexpensive, and quick way to give your hair some colour, that won't be permanent ... just in case it turns out really dreadful! How could we resist? We had to document the experiment with photographs, so we could show you how the process works, and what kind of results you could expect. As you can see, our subject has dark hair, so we weren't expecting a dramatic change in hair colour, but only a tint. Someone with light or blonde hair would probably see much more dramatic results than we will get here. O.K., let's get to work! STEP 1:Apply some vaseline to your skin all around your head. This will make the colour wash off more easily when you're done. Use a lot on your ears! STEP 2:Add the Koolaid to a small bowl. Use unsweetened, to avoid sticky hair. Don't use the artificially sweetened kind either, as the chemicals could bother your eyes. STEP 3:Add just a few drops of water to the Koolaid ... you want a paste, not a liquid. We used three packages of Tropical Punch, for a reddish tint. STEP 4:A few drops of hair conditioner are added to make the colour from the Koolaid permeate the hair a little more evenly. It also helps make a paste. STEP 5:Mix the three packages of Koolaid, the water, and the conditioner, until you get a smooth paste. All the lumps have to be completely gone. STEP 6:This is the fun part. You need help for this. Someone has to work the paste into your hair. Try to massage it into the hair, and not the scalp. STEP 7:When you're done, wrap the sodden, pinkish mass that is now your hair in several long strips of sandwich wrap. You'll have to sleep in it, so do a good job! STEP 8:Secure it carefully with tape. This isn't just to protect the furniture, or to keep the dog from licking your head. It's to keep the moisture in, and the dye acting longer. STEP 9:After a good night's sleep, remove the plastic wrap. Don't be dismayed by the gruesome colours on your skin ... everything washes off! STEP 10:Thoroughly wash your hair, apply conditioner, and wash again. Then comb it out and wait for it to dry. The final tint will be less obvious with dry hair.   Done:Here's the final result. As we predicted, dark hair will show only a tint, rather than a complete colour change. But the subject was quite happy with the result. So there you have it ... how to dye your hair in ten easy steps! When you're done, the tint will last several washings, and your hair will smell like Tropical Punch. If you try this in the summer, be careful ... you may find that your head tends to attract wasps and bees when you're outside ... but that's the subject of a future experiment! Resources