Tissue paper hair dye: How to dye hair with tissue paper

A colourful craft box essential, tissue paper is normally used for wrapping presents and making decorations. But now, it’s being used for some a whole lot more creative – dying hair.

Over the lockdown, with no one sure when hairdressers would be reopening and plenty of craft supplies available, lots of people have been learning how to dye hair with tissue paper and even cut their own hair at home too!

From box hair dyes to a quick trim or even shaving it all off, everyone has – at some point – experimented with their hair. So if you’re looking for a new style for the summer and want to test out a radical colour before making it permanent, or are looking for just a fun activity to do with your kids before the schools go back, try experimenting with tissue paper to dye hair.

Follow our handy tutorial on how to dye hair with tissue paper and create a whole new look. But don’t worry – it’s definitely not permanent.

Looking for more colourful craft projects to do? Check out our rainbow craft projects for kids for easy ways to bring (even more) colour into your home. And for more fun inspiration, see our pick of the best hair accessories for girls, or boys!

How to dye hair with tissue paper

Decided what wacky colour you want to dye your hair? Great, dig around in your craft box for these essentials…

You will need:

• Tissue paper (if you don’t have any left, we suggest heading over to Baker Ross, where you can buy 50 assorted colours for under £5)
• Bowl of warm, salty water
• Elastic bands

How to dye hair with tissue paper

1. Cut the paper into strips, then add to the bowl of warm salty water.

2. Section your hair into ponytails and rest them in the mixture for half an hour

3. Rinse your hair with cold water

4. Dry as normal

This is great for just doing the ends of your hair, in a "dip-dye" style. Opt for lots of different colours and create a rainbow effect by using lots of different tissue paper colours, all in separate bowls.

Alternatively, you could also...

1. Wet the paper strips in the water

2. Take them out

3. Using the elastic bands, tie the wet strips to the parts of your hair that you want to dye.

4. Wash your hair with cold water

5. Dry as normal

This technique will also work well if you want to create a “highlights” effect, as well as if you want to dye all of your hair.

How long does tissue paper hair dye last?

The great thing about dying your hair with tissue paper, as opposed to the common wash out dyes you can buy in the shops, is that it comes out after two to four washes.

This makes it a perfect craft to do with little ones, since it will be out of their hair long before school reopen again.

Is tissue paper hair dye safe?

Many parents have raved about the hack, first discovered on Facebook before making its way onto YouTube, but others have been concerned about how long the tissue paper dyes hair for – and whether it will stain it.

Speaking to Yahoo UK, L’Oreal colour expert Ruby Hook said, “In some tissue paper the pigments are fake and could be damaging for the hair. Not only that, depending on how it is made and what is used it could stain hair and make the colour harder to come out.

“Also, if it doesn't turn out the way you want and it stains, it could take a while to get it out your hair. If anything and if possible use the temporary colours you can get in the shops. Like a lot of internet trends and hacks, be careful.”

But Mums across social media have taken to defending the project, saying it only takes between 2-4 washes to come out and that their kids have walked away all smiles.

Plus it’s important to remember that hair grows out, so if you’re concerned just dye the ends of their hair for the time being.