DIY Lampshade: Ombre hair Dye

Crazy hair colors are all the rage these days. It seems that many of us, no matter what age, are attempting to reclaim the days of our cool youth. Why not use it to add some pizzazz to your home as well. Lamp shades are the perfect DIY home accessories. They are simple to decorate and they are a perfect blank canvas for creative ideas. Using your leftover hair dye to create a bold and fun lampshade is a project that can spark your creative juices.

Here’s how it’s done:

1.    If you already have a lamp with a boring white shade, awesome. If not, they are cheap enough to purchase at your nearest superstore.

2.    Choose your hair dye color. Bright colors will work wonderfully for this project; but you can do an ombre type design with just about any shade.

3.    Gather your supplies. You will need a bucket or basin, plenty of newspaper to catch the mess, and some cloth rags.

4.    Fill the basin or bucket with a couple inches of warm water, then dip the lampshade into the water, rolling it in a circular motion to wet the entire shade.

5.    Scoop out a dollop of hair dye and add it to the water, preferably with a hair tinting brush. Make sure the dye product is well mixed, otherwise you will have to deal with lumps.

6.    You can test the color by dipping a piece of white fabric into the bucket before dying the lamp shade. The color can be adjusted by either adding more warm water to lighten it or more hair dye for a more intense color.

7.    Roll the bottom of your lampshade into the hair dye mixture. Allow the shade to soak up the dye for a few moments, then remove it and allow it to dry on the newspapers. Use the cloth rags to even it out or clean up any splatters.

Now, to achieve the ombre effect:

8.    Pour out some of the warm water and dye mixture, and then add more plain water until there are about 5 inches of liquid in the basin. Now roll your lampshade into the basin, which is now more deeply filled with water and dye, but lighter in hue.

9.    Remove the shade after thoroughly soaking in the dye mixture, and allow it to completely dry before placing it back onto the base of the lamp.

You will end up with a beautiful layered ombre dyed lamp shade. So if you’re a bit too mature for pink or blue hair, you can add the fun of wild colors to your home decor.