Elmo888
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2001
Watch the CVS fliers - hair color will go on sale and you can get CVS extra bucks. That's when I buy (with a coupon, too)!
It is a lot of trial and error with brands. I would start light and go darker if needed. One thing that took a while for me to learn - Ash means "no red". If you find that your hair is getting redder and redder (which can happen even with the medium colors as the red is deposited over and over with each dye job), look for an "ash brown" ("medium ash brown", "light ash brown", "dark ash brown", etc.). I always thought that "ash" sounds like an awful color, but that's what I need!
I have dark brown hair, too. My problem has been "stubborn grays". I think that my hair isn't very porous (Google "hair porosity" to learn how to test your hair) and doesn't take color well. I have found that Nice n Easy Gray Solution works best, but using a shade lighter (medium brown). The root touch up just doesn't "stick" for me - it fades in about 2 weeks (although I recently tried it with some "neutral filler" from Sally's, but I'm still waiting it out!).
I learned a lot from reading reviews at drugstore.com and listening to a few recent podcasts from the cosmetics cop (on itunes or http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cosmet...o-the-best-hair-color-at-home-or-in-the-salon and http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cosmeticscop/2010/06/25/how-the-industry-formulates-new-products).
And I have to echo what other posters said - just do the roots! I never "pull color through" anymore (esp. after listening to one of those podcasts). I actually used a product called "Color Oops" in the fall (after reading a bunch of reviews!) from CVS to remove some color. (My ends were so much darker than the roots, but I have been dying my own hair for years and only recently tried to learn some things out of frustration.)
I haven't tried the foam, but I am now intrigued!
If it makes you feel any better, I haven't made a mess of my hair ever (the worst problem was the darker ends than roots, but that was after years of coloring my own hair and my friend, who would tell me if something didn't look right, couldn't tell even when I asked her). I just think that dark brown is more difficult to mess up than lighter colors.
Good luck!
ETA: Sally's can be a bit intimidating, but I highly recommend going to buy a color application brush and little bowl like your colorist uses. I find that I can be much more accurate with the brush than with the bottle that comes in the box. (And if I can get my 11 year old to brush color on the roots in the back where I can't see, it is a bonus!)
It is a lot of trial and error with brands. I would start light and go darker if needed. One thing that took a while for me to learn - Ash means "no red". If you find that your hair is getting redder and redder (which can happen even with the medium colors as the red is deposited over and over with each dye job), look for an "ash brown" ("medium ash brown", "light ash brown", "dark ash brown", etc.). I always thought that "ash" sounds like an awful color, but that's what I need!
I have dark brown hair, too. My problem has been "stubborn grays". I think that my hair isn't very porous (Google "hair porosity" to learn how to test your hair) and doesn't take color well. I have found that Nice n Easy Gray Solution works best, but using a shade lighter (medium brown). The root touch up just doesn't "stick" for me - it fades in about 2 weeks (although I recently tried it with some "neutral filler" from Sally's, but I'm still waiting it out!).
I learned a lot from reading reviews at drugstore.com and listening to a few recent podcasts from the cosmetics cop (on itunes or http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cosmet...o-the-best-hair-color-at-home-or-in-the-salon and http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cosmeticscop/2010/06/25/how-the-industry-formulates-new-products).
And I have to echo what other posters said - just do the roots! I never "pull color through" anymore (esp. after listening to one of those podcasts). I actually used a product called "Color Oops" in the fall (after reading a bunch of reviews!) from CVS to remove some color. (My ends were so much darker than the roots, but I have been dying my own hair for years and only recently tried to learn some things out of frustration.)
I haven't tried the foam, but I am now intrigued!
If it makes you feel any better, I haven't made a mess of my hair ever (the worst problem was the darker ends than roots, but that was after years of coloring my own hair and my friend, who would tell me if something didn't look right, couldn't tell even when I asked her). I just think that dark brown is more difficult to mess up than lighter colors.
Good luck!
ETA: Sally's can be a bit intimidating, but I highly recommend going to buy a color application brush and little bowl like your colorist uses. I find that I can be much more accurate with the brush than with the bottle that comes in the box. (And if I can get my 11 year old to brush color on the roots in the back where I can't see, it is a bonus!)
I am going to try this brand next,I have bad luck with my colors,and how long they 'don't last.....
my roots are lighter than the rest,ew! I feel like an oild lady, my normal color is dark brown,but I tried to color a shade lighter for summer.....
