I dyed my hair purple while I was stuck at home, and I found it was surprisingly simple

My natural hair color is a dull shade of brown, so in 10th grade, I tried a small smattering of blonde highlights, then half a head, then a full head of highlights — and then I dyed it black. Then it went back to brown, blonde highlights, a reddish shade, dark brown, blonde, red with some pink, a fully bleached head (regrets) ... I could go on and on. I'm lucky I still have any hair left.

But I've never gone bolder, color-wise, than an extremely light pink. Since we're all stuck at home and my hair salon is closed, I thought, "Why not try it yourself?"

Since it's recommended that you brush your hair out before dyeing it, it's frizzier than normal in these photos. It's also recommended that you don't wash your hair immediately before dyeing it, as the natural oils help the dye stick to your hair and prevent your scalp from getting irritated by the chemicals.

Manic Panic has been around since 1977. Their dyes are all vegan and cruelty-free. They sell various types of dye: the classic semi-permanent (that's what I chose), pastel semi-permanent (only good on bleached hair), their Amplified semi-permanent dye (lasts longer than the classic), dye styling gel, and colored hairspray.

My hair's not bleached, so the pastel tones would not work on my color. As this was my first time, I went for the less intense "Classic High Voltage" dye. According to the website, it lasts four to six weeks, depending on how often you wash your hair.

The jar set me back $13.99 plus tax and shipping.

For those who see this vivid shade and get nervous — mixing the dye with some conditioner can help mellow out the color, though I went for the full ultra violet experience.

If you're looking to do more of a highlight look, I'd recommend getting a tint brush, but since I planned on just covering the blonde parts of my hair, my mom applied with her gloved hands.

Always make sure to do a skin test before applying hair dye — allergic reactions are rare, but not uncommon. Just ask this girl whose forehead swelled to double its size due to an allergic reaction.

Covering up your clothes, using gloves, and applying Vaseline around your hairline are all musts to make sure you avoid staining your clothes and skin with dye.

You can see that the purple barely shows up on the darker parts of my hair. I can imagine I would have been disappointed with this barely tinted dark hair if I hadn't looked up the results before buying the dye.

Always do your research — but as a rule of thumb, having lighter hair makes this much easier.

As I mentioned, this was particularly easy because I was using the natural ombré look that my hair had, since my roots were growing out. All my mom had to do was use her gloved hands to directly apply the dye to all the blonde parts of my hair, and make sure they were saturated with dye, with no random blonde streaks.

For those who are attempting to do more of a dimensional look, highlights, or even a full head of hair, getting a tint brush is a must, so the colors won't look streaky and to ensure you don't miss a spot. The Manic Panic dye does not come with one, or with gloves — here's a kit with solid reviews for $3.99 from Ulta.

The jar was almost empty by the time I was finished. Anyone who is attempting to do their full head should invest in at least two jars of dye.

This was the most difficult part of the process because showering in cold water is an overall unpleasant experience. In the future, I'd most likely ask for someone's help washing out my hair in the sink.

Washing with cold water is important — hot water causes your hair's cuticles to open up, and the water can then leach the color right out of your hair. Also important: just use water, no shampoo or conditioner.

I wanted to see what the water color looked like, so I kept this around. I was consistently rinsing my hair for 15 minutes, and the water still wasn't as clear as it was supposed to be.

Note the purple dye stains on my shirt. Those came after I brushed out my hair.

I'd recommend not wearing anything or using anything you'd be upset about getting stained.

After blow-drying it out, I was extremely pleased with myself and my mom. We'd done it — without staining my skin or blowing my forehead up to twice its size.

It's clearly washed out and become a lilac-esque shade, but I'm still into it.

There's still an entire rainbow left to try.

• Read more:
• 5 things you should know before dyeing your hair, according to a stylist
• 30 celebrities who look almost unrecognizable after dyeing their hair platinum blonde
• For years I dyed my hair bright colors. Here's what caused me to embrace my natural hair color again.
• I was always told not to color my hair — here's why I'll never regret finally taking the plunge