Kool Aid Hair Dye: How To Get Bright Colors For Just Pennies!
Ever heard of using Kool Aid Hair Dye? Like seriously dye your hair using the drink mix Kool Aid? Sounds crazy, right?
But it actually works, and works really well on dark hair to get amazing colors without bleaching it!
We actually tried two different methods of using Kool Aid as hair dye, but one worked way better than the other.
In this post, I'll tell you all about what Kool Aid Hair Dye method worked, which one didn't, and how to do it yourself for awesome results!!
I’m including printable instructions for this how to dye your hair with Kool Aid at the bottom of this post, but it’s really just the absolute basics meant to refresh your memory.
You’ll want to read the whole post first to get all the important tips and tricks for using Kool Aid Hair Dye to get this project right the first time!
Dying dark hair is harder than you think!
My 13 year old daughter has been begging to dye her hair a bright color for months. Several of her friends had amazing colors in their hair and she just wanted to do something fun too.
She has pretty dark brown hair, and I was doubtful that color would even show up in it.
Since she's barely a teenager, and I wasn't a huge fan of using bleach on her hair so that the color would show.
So we started on our journey to find a hair color that would actually show up in her dark brown.
We started at our local beauty supply store and bought a semi-permanent color. We went through the entire, painstakingly smelly process of putting it on her hair, only to have it not even be really visible at all.Then we tried hair paste, purchased from the same beauty supply store. It sort of showed up, but it made it stiff and hard to style and it was gone after one wash.
After all the frustration and disappointment, we'd kind of given up. I was tired of making a huge mess in our house only to have zero results from it and I was also REALLY tired of the high price tag of these experiments!
But one day my daughter stumbled upon a chart, listing which flavor combos of Kool Aid make which colors in your hair.
"Can you really make Kool Aid hair dye?," she asked me.
I didn't know how to answer her. I'd never really thought about it. So we started doing some research together.
Pretty quickly, we were able to find lots of different methods for using Kool Aid hair dye.
How To Dye Your Hair With Kool Aid
Some used mixtures of conditioner and Kool Aid. Some just made a paste out of Kool Aid powder. Some used a dip dye method.
Every method we investigated was extremely inexpensive and involved easy to find ingredients.
Kool Aid Hair Dye: Method #1
Since I was pretty doubtful it would work, we decided to use a Kool Aid Hair Dye method that involved leaving a conditioner/Kool Aid concoction on her hair for an entire day.
It involved an extremely messy mixture that was difficult to apply and even harder to clean up after the inevitable mess we made putting it on.
She also had to wear baggies on her hair covered by a shower cap ALL. DAY. LONG. Talk about uncomfortable!
After all that work, it still didn't show up.
I was baffled. Why had this Kool Aid Hair Dye method failed us? What did we do wrong?
I started analyzing the steps we took and figured out that the mixture we made of the conditioner and the Kool Aid probably didn't have enough pigment in it to really make a difference.
I'd simply just diluted it too much.
I still had two packets of Kool Aid left, so we decided to try a different, simpler method the next day. Spoiler Alert: this one worked!
Kool Aid Hair Dye: Method #2
This Kool Aid Hair Dye method, called dip dying, involved mixing the Kool Aid with hot water and letting the ends of the hair sit in the mixture until colored.
We followed the instructions to the letter, and to our surprise, it worked AMAZINGLY well! In under an hour, we had gorgeous bright color on her brown hair!
Here's what we did to accomplish the dip dye method of Kool Aid Hair Dye:
We started by prepping an area to work in. We used our bathroom, but if you can work outside, it's even better for clean up.
We spread towels out all over the floor and brought in a chair for my daughter to sit on. We also wore old clothes.
Kool Aid Hair Dye CAN and WILL stain clothes and surfaces, so use a lot of care here so you don't make a terrible mess.
We gathered her clean, dry hair into a low ponytail at the back of her neck.
Then we went into the kitchen and mixed two packets of UNSWEETENED Kool Aid with just one and a half cups of water in a saucepan.
We heated it on the stove and brought it to a boil. We let it boil for two minutes and then transferred the mixture into a large mug.
We used a mug for stability and ease of movement since the handle won't be hot.
Now we had our Kool Aid Hair Dye, and we moved immediately into applying it.
This is the part where we had to be REALLY careful. We were working with a boiling hot mixture here, and any spills could cause injury.
We started by covering her shoulders with two layers of towels to protect her from burns.
Then we had her sit back in the chair, close to the countertop of the bathroom.
I then gently lifted her ponytail and placed the end into the piping hot Kool Aid Hair Dye mixture.
We let her hair soak for 30 minutes in the mug.
When our 30 minutes was up, I gently removed her ponytail from the Koolaid Hair Dye and immediately rinsed it in cold water until the water ran completely clear.
Then we just styled it as usual.
This Kool Aid Hair Dye method was super easy to do, and clean up was SO much easier.
It also blended really nicely. We ended up with a really nice ombre effect, with the color gently transitioning at the bottom.
The final product turned out really pretty, and my daughter was so excited she could barely stand it.
Things To Know About Kool Aid Hair Dye
After we dyed my daughter's hair with Kool Aid, I got a lot of feedback from readers on how it went for them.
Will Kool Aid Hair Dye Work For Everyone?
For most people, this method should work well. Unfortunately, I've heard from a few readers that the process did not work for them.
I'm really not sure what might be causing the problems.
What I can say is that they type of Kool Aid you use matters! I would only use Kool Aid brand packets for this project and you should absolutely NEVER used the pre-sweetened type.
Something about the sugar substitutes keeps the pre-sweetened packets from working well for dyeing hair.
How Long Does Kool Aid Last In Your Hair
I had read that color is supposed to last 4 to 6 weeks, but I've heard varying reports from friends about how long it actually stayed in their hair.
For my daughter's non-chemically altered hair, the Kool Aid hair dye seemed pretty permanent.
She kept it in for about 4 months with very little fading before she decided to chop her hair off short.
If you want it to fade, I recommend using a non-color safe hair products.
My hairstylist recommended using dandruff shampoo to make color fade.
I've also heard that using a paste made of crushed Vitamin C tablets can help remove hair color.
I've actually tried this myself with a permanent box dye from the drugstore and it did lighten it up a shade or two. It definitely didn't remove it completely, but it did help.
I haven't tried it on Kool Aid hair dye, but I can only imagine that it would do the same thing.
Bottom line, this method seems pretty permanent, so I'd keep that in mind when using these steps.
You're in luck today because I'm happy to share our printable "how to make Kool Aid hair dye" instructions!
*WARNING*: Please use extreme caution when using this method, as you are dealing with water temperatures that can burn you. I DO NOT recommend using this method on children, due to the risk for burns.
Use this Kool Aid Hair Dye method to dip dye the ends of your hair. Even works great on dark hair colors! WARNING: This method is NOT recommended for use with children, as there is a risk for burns. Please use extreme caution! You are making dye, and it will stain surfaces, hands, clothes, and other items. Use with care. The mixture will be very hot after boiling and can cause injury. Please use extreme caution. This method is VERY difficult to do on yourself. Find a friend to help you apply the dye. The permanence of the dye seems to vary on different types of hair. The color stayed bright and vibrant for us well over a month, and only really was gone once her hair grew out and we trimmed it. Be aware that this method might be permanent!How To Make Kool Aid Hair Dye
Materials
Tools
Instructions
Notes
Want more fun things to do with your teens and preteens? Check out How to Make a Hexaflexagon!
Is it possible to separate hair into several sections dyeing each a different color? We are concerned that when washed the colors will bleed. Thank you!!
You can definitely do that! I wouldn't worry too much about the colors bleeding. The pigment needs time to set into the hair, and the rinsing process shouldn't give it enough time to do that. If you're still concerned, after dying each section, you could wrap it in a plastic baggie, secured by a rubber band and rinse each section individually.
I have been dip dying my daughters hair for years with Kool Aid. And yes, it is extremely permanent. It fades a little over time but we usually end up trimming it eventually. You can Google different ways to remove it that are pretty harsh on your hair. We just leave it in. It's my daughters trademark hair now haha!
Awesome! My daughter loved hers, and I'm sure we'll be doing it again soon!
I did Method #2 with my daughters hair per your instructions and her hair turned out so good!
She has dark brown hair, and the cherry DID show up!
She is super ecstatic about her hair for her birthday, and I am the coolest mom ever now for not only letting her, but for helping her, too.
Thanks for the helpful tips!
Yay! I'm so glad it worked out for you! My daughter loved hers too.
My son wants to do something with his hair but only the top he has very dark brown hair Any suggestions?
I would try the conditioner method, only I would use a lot more packets of unsweetened Kool Aid. Most recipes call for just a packet or two. I would do more like 3 or 4. The more pigment you have, the more chance it will show up on the hair. It also needs to stay on the hair a lot longer than the dip dye method, so I would make sure you have a shower cap to put over it while the dye is on the hair.
Keep in mind we found the Kool Aid method to be permanent color. Just make sure it's what he really wants before giving it a try.
Which flavor did you use for your daughter’s hair? We used two packs of grape on my daughter’s brown hair which is similar to your daughter’s hair and it worked amazingly well but turned out a very dark color. Almost black. Did you use cherry for the red effect?
Yes. We used the cherry flavor for the red. I think the Fruit Punch would work well too.
What flavor should you use for purple? Or blue? Should you mix red and purple kool-aid for a nice purple?
I'd use grape. That would give a nice deep purple color. If you want it lighter, I'd use blue raspberry and maybe pink lemonade. It would be more on the blue side, but still pretty!
This worked soooo well! I used the blue raspberry lemonade flavor for my light brown hair. I hope the color lasts the whole summer.
To remove the color try the same method...only just use boiling water and dip the hair in.
Why does it have to be unsweetened? I bought one of those canisters of regular Kool-Aid before reading this and it's already been opened ? will that not work?
I'm not sure what it is, but the pre-sweetened Kool-Aid does not adhere to the hair very well. My assumption is that the pigments are diluted with the sweetner. The unsweetened packets are your best bet for this technique.
Just curious but will the koolaid rub off on towels/pillowcases/clothes after a few weeks or does it just fade after showering?
It did seem to transfer to towels after washing, but when dry, we didn't see any transfer to clothes or pillow cases or such. That being said, we did use an old pillowcase for her for a week or two, just to make sure. Please note that the dye stuck around quite a long time, and didn't fade for her like we thought it would. She ended up trimming her hair to remove the colored ends.
I will try again. Wasn’t successful because I probably had regular KoolAid.
Saw this referenced on your fairy hair post and I had a bit of a chuckle. Back in 1993, when we were 10, my bestie and I were desperate to dye our hair and our parents refused to buy us any hair dye. So after making Kool-Aid and staining our hands, we wondered how it would work on hair. We literally mixed like 5 different Kool-Aid colors and slathered that paste on. My poor Nonna’s bathroom was never the same since. 🫠
I’m super happy there are still people dyeing their hair with Kool-Aid. It works! And best part, when you accidentally get hair caught in your mouth, it tastes delicious. Still happens to be the best, most vibrant auburn-purple I’ve ever had in my hair.
I did my daughter’s hair last school year, mid way through the year and her hair still has color (end of Sept 2023) we are actually going to do it again because she had her hair trimmed so there’s very little left. She washes her hair with regular kids shampoo and it still lasted a long time
This was cool to read. In the late 90's I went to a boarding school in Oregon and my roommate my first yr had this one strip of hair that she always wire separate from the rest. It was always braided and she would dye that braid with kool-aid all the time. After all these yrs I never heard of anyone else doing it and was kind thinking she was a lone soldier on this one. I am soooo trying this.
Used Kool-aid method #2 to dye my nieces hair tonight. She’s for light brown hair and the method worked great! I used three packets of mixed berry to get a blue. Once all was said and done it was more teal than blue, but she absolutely loved it! Super simple with easy clean up! Thank you for such clear directions!
Yay! Glad it worked for you!
does this work on curly hair?
Yes. My daughter's hair is actually curly. She was just in a straightening phase when the pics were taken.