How to dye your hair with Kool Aid

Have you ever wondered how to dye your hair with Kool Aid?  It is an easy way to add color to your hair that isn’t permanent. Kool Aid hair dye is a great way to experiment with a different hair color without a long-term commitment!  Kids will have fun trying out different hair colors.

This is one of the many creative  Kids Crafts and Activities we are sharing this summer here on Skip to my Lou. There is no reason to be bored! Just check out this boredom buster idea list for inspiration.

Kool Aid Hair Dye

This Summer we are trying to do some fun things that are unexpected, fun and things we can’t do during the school year. My daughter’s one request was to have color in her hair.  So I decided that we would let her have her crazy colored hair this Summer since we don’t have any school policy’s holding us back. But our biggest dilemma was that she couldn’t decide on what color she wanted to have. First, it was red, then blue, then pink, purple was thrown in there once too. The only one I told her we wouldn’t do was green because I didn’t want her to look like a little blonde who spent too much time in the pool. We spent too many efforts last year preventing her hair from turning green from our daily swims!

I came up with the perfect solution to her color problem, we would do temporary Kool Aid hair dye colors all Summer long and she can pick whatever color she wants next once the color has faded.

We decided to do the Kool-Aid method. Did you do this when you were a kid? Who didn’t right?!

This was really simple and because of my daughter’s blonde hair didn’t take us long at all. Just something to remember, the darker the hair color, the longer it’s going to take for the color to take hold. It does work better on lighter hair.

Follow all these instructions and tips so you know everything you need to know on how to dye your hair with Kool Aid.

Supplies for Kool Aid Hair Dye

• Old T-shirt
• 2-3 packages Kool-Aid
• 2 cups water
• cup or bowl
• comb
• blow dryer
• hot straightening iron

Kool Aid Hair Color Ideas

My daughter actually wanted purple hair this time around, so we used 2 Purplesaurus Rex packages and 1 cherry to give it a deeper color. It was a very purple liquid but came out more of a deep pink color in her hair. Next time we may try grape instead and see where that gets us!!

This kool aid hair dye chart seems to give some good color combo ideas but unfortunately didn’t have a purple option. You might like some of these color ideas.

• Mixing strawberry and grape can make a purplish red
• Cherry can produce deeper red
• Tropical punch can give a brighter red
• Black-cherry mixed with strawberry can give you a bright red

How to dye your hair with Kool Aid

Dying your hair with kool aid makes a great hair color for kids and is a super easy and cute way to dye your hair. Here are some dyed hair tips.

• This process is best done on freshly washed hair that has been completely dried.
• To finish the prep, make sure to comb out your hair and if there’s any that you don’t want colors, pull them up in an elastic or clip. We only did the underneath of my daughter’s hair, so I pulled the top layers up into a top knot to keep them from reaching the color.
• Also, put your child in an old t-shirt that you don’t care about getting colored. The hair will drip and could possibly dye the shirt they are wearing.
• I recommend gloves if you don’t want your fingers to also be the color of the hair!

Mixing the Kool Aid dye

Combine your Kool-Aid packets and water in a pot and heat on medium-high heat until boiling. Boil for 1 minute then remove from the heat. Pour your mixture into a heat resistant cup or bowl. Depending on how much hair you want colored will determine how much liquid you want. I started with all of it in a bowl but quickly took some out because I didn’t want to risk coloring the whole hair strand as we only wanted a few inches colored. Keep in mind that the color will creep up the hair strands, so dip it about 1/2 inch less than you want to be colored.

Kool Aid Dye TIP

Adding a few drops of conditioner to the hot water and  Kool-Aid will help the color permeate the hair more evenly. It also makes the mixture less runny and easier to handle.

How long do I leave the Kool Aid on the hair?

I did her hair in 3 sections. Dip them in the color and let them soak for about 15 minutes. Darker hair may need 20-25. This is a perfect time to put a movie on and let them sit and watch while you hold their hair in the color. Because of how light my daughter’s hair is, we only kept the hair in for about 5 minutes and it still got a very vibrant color! Once the strand is done, ring it out with an old towel to avoid drips and move on to the next section until all is complete.

Once everything is colored where you want, it’s time to dry it. Blow it dry using a comb to brush out any tangles. Just know that for the first little bit the hair will be a little stiff or sticky feeling.

After you blow it dry, the best thing to do is to use a hot straightening iron to set the color. Just a quick run over the hair will do fine. As soon as I was done, I took a damp cloth and wiped down the heating pads to remove any residue that may have transferred.

Now style the hair as you normally would, and you are all done and have cute dyed hair.

This Kool Aid hair dye is not a permanent dye, but depending on the hair, could last a few days or maybe a few weeks. It’s a fun thing to do with your little ones who want a little personality in their do!

How to Get Kool Aid Hair Dye Out of Hair

So you might be asking how long does kool aid hair dye last? Depending on how often you wash your hair the Kool-Aid will naturally fade in about two-three weeks. If you want it out sooner try this!

Boil a pot of water on the stove. Pour the boiling water into a heat safe container. To the water add 2 Tablespoons of baking soda and stir to dissolve. Dip your hair into the water for about 30 seconds. You should instantly see the dye coming off. Hair may be dipped a few times if needed. This is extremely drying for the hair so be sure make to deep condition after.

Now you know how to dye your hair with Kool Aid a fun temporary hair dye for kids (and adults).  What colors would your child want in their hair?

I would love to know what fun and out of the norm activities you have planned with your little ones this Summer. Leave them in the comments below! I hope you learned how to dye your hair with Kool-Aid and will try it out!  Look below for a few other fun Summer ideas I have on my blog Our Thrifty Ideas.

If you have extra Kool-Aid you might like to make Homemade Gummy Candy or homemade snow cone syrup.

For another great kids activity try making these friendship bracelets.