How Many Ounces Of Hair Dye Do You Need for your Curly Hair?

You’ve decided to dye your hair at home and have picked a renowned hair dye brand with a shade of your choice.

You also have all the necessary tools required to dye your hair such as gloves, a brush, and a bowl for mixing your hair dye. But you’re confused if the hair dye you’ve bought is sufficient for your hair. 

To avoid such confusion and dilemma we’ve discussed how many ounces of hair dye you need for your hair based on hair length and texture.

So if you’re going to be dyeing your hair at home this summer then make sure to check out the crucial facts you want to know before taking on a huge step to alter the color of your tresses. 

Hair Dye for Curly Hair

How Much Hair Dye Do You Need For Curly Short Hair?

Let’s start off with the simplest first. Yes, it’s much simpler and more convenient to measure the amount of hair dye you need for short hair than it is for long hair. By short hair, we mean the hair length that’s almost up to your neck or above such as a pixie cut or a bob cut. 

For short hair, as we know, we only need about 2 to 3 ounces of hair dye. But that’s only if you want to dye your entire locks.

If you’re only looking to give your tresses a few highlights then you’ll need way less than that but most probably 1 to 2 ounces of hair dye should do. 

When I used to have short hair that had a length up to my neck, I bought a hair dye that almost weighed 4 ounces and I had a lot of remaining hair dye in the bowl which I had to dispose of, unfortunately.

Hence, I would recommend getting a hair dye that’s up to 2 ounces if you have very short hair or if you just opt for highlights.

However, if you’ve got short hair with a thick texture then the amount of hair dye you need would be debatable. In this case, you can opt for a hair dye by doubling up the number of ounces required such as a 4 oz hair dye.

How Much Hair Dye Do You Need for Curly Medium / Shoulder Length Hair

If you’ve got hair that’s almost on a level close to your shoulders then your hair length is considered medium length hair and even if your hair length goes 2 inches below your shoulder it’s still considered medium length hair. 

In addition, finding the right amount of hair dye for medium-length hair can go wrong because you might end up buying too much or too little. As my hair grew to my shoulder-length I bought a 3 oz hair dye that was sufficient for my hair length and texture. 

However, if your hair length is 2 to 3 inches longer than your shoulder length then it’s highly recommended to go for a 4 oz hair dye as more hair dye is required to color these tresses.

But that’s only if you’re giving your locks some highlights again. Similarly, if you have thick shoulder-length hair, a 4 oz hair dye would be sufficient as well. 

For this, you can buy 2 small boxes of hair dye that would totally add up to 4 oz. Empty the hair dye tube into the mixing bowl, add only the required amounts of developer and mix them well.

Evenly apply to your tresses to ensure your overall mane has the same shade of color.

How Many Ounces of Hair Dye Do You Need For Curly Long Hair?

Oh, only girls with long hair know the pain of maintaining their hair and by definition long hair can mean any hair length that’s below your chest. Hence, how do we know the right amount of hair dye for exceedingly long stresses?

That’s why we’ve divided the lengths of long hair into two as shown below:

• If your hair is more than 3 inches below your shoulder, that is almost up to your chest then you can choose up to 4 to 5 oz of hair dye.
• If your hair tresses are way longer than your chest, presumably up to your waist level or longer then it’s best to go for at least 8 oz of hair dye.

Despite having long hair that’s up to your waist level, 8 ounces of hair dye can still be a lot given that you’ll also be mixing a developer with it.

We decided to state 8 oz just to be safe and not run out of hair dye in case you’ve got voluminous hair which requires more hair dye in most instances. 

However, in the rare cases if you’re someone who has very long hair that can reach up to your legs then you might need a bit more than 8 oz of hair. 

How To Choose The Right Amount of Hair Dye-Based On Hair Texture?

Your hair texture is also another factor you should consider before choosing the ideal amount of hair dye. Despite what your hair length might be, your hair density also influences how much hair dye is needed for your hair to absorb. 

Let’s take a look at how we can choose the perfect amount of hair dye for certain hair thicknesses:

For Thin Hair -  If you have thin hair like me then you’d only require a little hair dye since thin hair can easily absorb color pigments more than thick hair. Hence, if you’ve got short and thin hair then 2 oz of hair dye is ideal for you.

 You can double up the amount of hair dye required by considering your hair length. For example, if you have thin and medium-length hair then go for 4 oz of hair dye and nearly 6 oz of hair dye if you have thin and long hair.

It’s also recommended to choose a hair dye that contains a few chemicals like ammonia, bleach, etc if your hair is extremely thin because hair dyes with such ingredients can make your hair even more brittle and damaged.

For Medium Thick Hair - A large proportion of women have hair with medium thickness and most hair dyes can cater to providing the right amount of color pigments to medium thick hair.

Therefore, you don’t have to worry about finding the ideal amount of hair dye if you have medium-thick hair.

 However, make sure to keep your hair length in mind as you need the necessary amount of hair dye based on your hair length.

For Thick Voluminous Hair - Choosing the right amount of hair dye for thick hair is quite complex. This is because thick hair requires a lot of hair dye to penetrate into your hair cuticles to bring out the color. Hence, you might need more hair dye to get your desired hair shade.

If you have thick and short hair then you can choose up to 2.5 oz or 3 oz of hair dye. For thick and medium-length hair, make sure to get a hair dye that’s almost 5 to 6 oz and for long and voluminous hair you can get up to 8 oz of hair dye.

This ensures you have the perfect amount of hair dye based on your hair length and texture as well.

One of the important things to consider when dyeing your hair should be to measure your hair before trying to measure the amount of hair dye you need.

This is because your hair length plays a pivotal role in trying to learn how much hair dye you are required to color your hair with. In addition, also pay heed to the thickness of your hair as it also influences the amount of hair dye required.

How Many Ounces of Hair Dye Do You Need: FAQs

Is 4 oz of hair dye enough?

The amount of hair dye required for your hair depends on your hair length and texture as well. 4 ounces of hair dye is sufficient if you have medium-length hair with minimal thickness. How

ever, for short hair, 4 ounces of hair dye can be too much and for long hair, 4 ounces of hair dye can be insufficient. 

Meanwhile, your hair thickness should also be considered when buying hair dye because thick hair requires more hair dye than thin fine hair. 

How many ounces of hair dye is in a box?

There are several hair dye products that come in different measurements from 2 oz to 8 oz. You can choose the ideal amount of hair dye that’s required for your hair based on your hair length and texture.

If you have short hair then you should get one box of hair dye that weighs 2 oz and if you have long hair then you should most likely get more than 2 oz of hair dye.

How many developers do I use with 2 oz of hair color?

The ideal ratio of developer to hair color is 2:1. If you’re using 2 oz of hair color then mix it up with 4 oz of developer and this would be a total of 6 oz of formula.

How many ounces of hair dye do you need for thick hair?

For thick hair, there’s generally more requirement for hair dye because color pigments don’t easily penetrate thick hair cuticles. If you have thick and short hair then you need between 2.5 oz to 3 oz of hair dye.

If you have thick and medium-length hair you’ll need up to 5 oz of hair dye and above 6 oz of hair dye if you have thick and long hair.