Today’s ultra-savvy approach to beauty has given us deeper knowledge of individual ingredients’ role in certain products. It’s also made us more knowledgeable in combining two or more products to achieve a better result. Think souping up a moisturizer with a hyaluronic acid serum, pairing vitamin C and retinol in your skincare routine, or—in this case—mixing hair conditioner with hair dye.

This hair product cocktailing trend has taken social media by storm. And while some color-conditioner combinations can yield genius results, there’s also the potential to combine products that may, from a chemical standpoint, not go well together at all. To get the complete details on whether you should mix your hair dye with conditioner and how to do it correctly, we spoke with top colorists Aaron Bradford and James Oxley, as well as aesthetic and regenerative medicine physician Azza Halim, MD.

Keep reading to learn more about the pros and cons of this pairing.

Can You Mix Conditioner With Hair Dye?

Mixing conditioner and hair dye has a few benefits. The primary one is that pairing conditioner with hair dye helps achieve a subtler, more natural-looking result than a solid, opaque color. “Mixing conditioner with your hair color dilutes and weakens the intensity of the deposit,” says Bradford, “This is used to either slow down the process so that the color doesn’t grab too quickly or gives a more transparent coverage, which can be deemed more natural.” Or, if you’re after colors that are anything but natural, Oxley says hacking with conditioner can help get the exact shade you desire. 

Additionally, Halim says that when mixed with semi-permanent or direct dyes, “Conditioners can reduce damage by providing a moisture barrier.”

When Should You Mix Conditioner With Hair Dye?

Not all hair dyes can be combined with conditioner. “When looking at most common hair dyes bought in store, you’ll most likely run into three different types,” Oxley explains, including permanent, semi-permanent, direct, and developer-based dyes. Both permanent and developer-based dyes should not be mixed with conditioner. “There are particular reactions and interactions between the chemicals within them that make these dyes work on the hair,” Oxley says. “The pH (alkaline) of these products is particular to their use, and since conditioners are generally acidic, which causes the cuticle to close (the opposite of what you want to happen with oxidizing color), this would hinder these products from achieving their desired result.”

Therefore, stick exclusively with non-developer-based semi-permanent dyes or direct hair dyes if combined with conditioner. Oxley pointed out that direct dyes are “conditioner based,” meaning they are “a load of pigment molecules suspended in a conditioning carrier agent that can moisturize the hair while also delivering the pigment.” Therefore, adding conditioner is the DIY beauty equivalent of art class: to achieve a lighter, paler color, you add white, but in this case, it’s conditioner. 

How to Mix Conditioner and Hair Dye

Here’s where your inner scientist gets to play. There are a couple of ways to mix conditioner with hair dye for optimal results, including:

Full Application

If you’re going for a full-head dye job, Oxley recommends using a bowl, brush, and gloves for the best mixing and application. The bowl is critical here because what’s in the bowl is what you’ll end up with (when done correctly). You can take two different mixing approaches: pastelize your shade, start with a bowl of conditioner, and slowly add your shade of dye until you achieve your desired hue. To sway the tonality, start with a bowl full of direct dye, then slowly add conditioner in blobs, mixing well each time until the shade reaches your desired lightness.

Before applying your custom conditioner dye to your hair, Oxley recommends doing a strand test to ensure the result is what you’re seeking. Apply some of the dye to a hidden area of your hair, leave it on for the time recommended on the product packaging, and then wipe it off to check the result. 

Gradual Application and Maintenance

Another option is to add a small blob of your hair dye to a bottle of conditioner to make a custom shade of a regular-use product. “This is great for the lighter direct dyes that fade away quickly,” Oxley says. Or, if you’re a darker shade and want to maintain the color as it fades, you’ll get a lighter dose of color to preserve the tonality while letting the depth fade away.

How to Apply

Here are a few things to keep in mind before and during the application of the conditioner and dye mixture for optimal results: 

• Consider Your Starting Color: This is a given for any hair dyeing (or bleaching). Oxley explains that the color of your starting point will always affect the result. Direct dyes work best on bleached hair, as the pigment has more to grasp onto, and even then, the hue makes a difference. For example, if your bleach is golden, a soft pink dye will appear as rose gold. However, Bradford points out that mixing your hair dye with conditioner is better suited for those who want subtle shifts in tone or pastel fashion shades rather than achieving full grey coverage. If you’re after the latter, he says you’re better off using the dye product undiluted and following up with conditioner to gloss the ends. 
  
• Follow the Manufacturer’s Instructions: Although mixing hair dye with conditioner technically means you’re using two different products, Oxley says to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the dye, which is usually around 15-30 minutes. However, the longer you leave it on, the more intense the result will be. “Think of it like a hair mask: the longer it’s on, the more chance your hair has to absorb all those pigment molecules and the beneficial ingredients in your conditioner.”
  
• Choose a Good Quality Conditioner: Since the role of the conditioner is a carrier (and you’ll inevitably go through a lot of it), Oxley says it’s not necessary to purchase the most expensive product on the shelf. However, he advises avoiding super cheap options, especially those that contain non-hydrolyzed silicone, which can coat the hair and potentially lead to patchy results. 
• Opt for Medium Consistency: “I would avoid thick, heavy masks, as these are going to be harder to spread,” Oxley says, “But you also don’t want something too runny you could be flinging the color around your walls.” Therefore, spring for a conditioner with a medium-creamy texture. 

Potential Side Effects

It’s generally safe to mix conditioner with semi-permanent or direct dyes because they coat the hair’s surface rather than altering its color through a chemical reaction. However, Halim warns that combining conditioner with permanent or developer-based dyes can disrupt the chemical reaction and oxidation process needed for permanent color, which may lead to uneven or inconsistent color.

As always, hair dyes contain ingredients that can potentially irritate your skin or cause an allergic reaction. Active ingredients in dyes are unchanged when mixed with conditioner, so pairing the two will “not reduce the risk of an allergic reaction,” according to Halim. “A patch test is still essential to check for sensitivities.”

The Final Takeaway

Mixing conditioner and hair dye is a pairing technique (often used during at-home coloring) that dilutes the dye, creates a protective barrier on the hair, and helps achieve a more pastel or toned-down hue. Conditioner is best paired with non-developer-based semi-permanent and direct dyes, as when used with permanent or developer-based dyes, conditioner can interfere with the chemical reaction and oxidation process required for lasting color, potentially resulting in uneven or inconsistent coloring. Remember—product directions are there for a reason. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so if you have concerns or further questions, head to a pro colorist who can help you achieve the color of your dreams.