Can I Dye My Hair 24 Hours After Washing it? Yes, but check how you washed it

woman touches her hair washed 24 hours ago because she wants to dye it

If it’s been 24 hours since you washed your hair, you can dye it without any problems, either on your own or in a salon.
This is because the dye will penetrate inside each hair, changing the color.
You must also not use any styling products after washing your hair. I’ll tell you why later.
However, if your scalp is extra sensitive, I recommend waiting 48 hours after washing your hair to dye it.

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I’m guessing what’s happening to you. It’s been 24 hours since you washed your hair. And now you want to dye it. But fear starts to invade you.

Why? Because you’ve heard somewhere that it’s always better to apply dye to dirty hair. And there is some truth to that. As the saying goes, there’s no smoke without fire.

That means that when you hear something often, there’s usually some truth to what’s being said.

As a stylist, I always recommend my clients don’t wash their hair before dyeing it. And if possible, I suggest they don’t wash their hair 24 to 48 hours before coloring it.

This way, if they have a sensitive scalp, the sebum from their scalp will prevent injuries or allergic reactions to the dye.

So if you washed your hair 24 hours ago and your scalp isn’t sensitive, you can dye your hair without any trouble. The chemicals in the dye won’t irritate your scalp or cause itching.

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But here’s another thing. If you washed your hair 24 hours ago, it’s free of hair product residues. So the dye can act without interference in your hair.

The next step is to check how you washed your hair 24 hours ago if you want to apply hair dye. And that’s what we’ll look at next.

Check how you washed your hair 24 hours ago before dyeing it

woman washes her hair 24 hours before dyeing it

We’ve already said that you can dye your hair either at home or in a salon if you washed it 24 hours ago.

Now, think about how you washed it:

Did you use a leave-in conditioner after washing? Unfortunately, you’ll have to rewash your hair and wait another 24 hours to dye it. This is because leave-in conditioner leaves residues that prevent hair dye from working correctly. If you don’t rewash your hair, the color will be uneven or faded.
After washing, did you apply an oil such as coconut oil or an intensive moisturizing treatment? In this case, I also recommend rewashing your hair and waiting 24 hours to dye it. Because oils and intensive moisturizing treatments can leave residues if you don’t rinse them out properly, the color will turn out blotchy if your hair has oil residue.
If you used any styling products such as mousses, gels, or curling creams after washing your hair, you should also rewash it and wait 24 hours to color it.