Color your own hair

[Skatermom23]

For those of you who are going to a salon, are you having an all over color done or a foil? I have been getting foils done for years but I am noticing more of the greys getting left out. I wonder if I should switch to an all over color? A friend recently told me that she gets a semi permanent color every 6-8 weeks (at a salon) and it covers the grey without the part line. Anyone have experience with that?

 

[JandJ]

For years I had my stylist color my hair a reddish brown (naturally I'm a light brunette with 4 or 5 greys on top), but then I saw my sister's hair and loved the color (she has a lot more grey than I do) and she said she uses Nice N Easy. I asked my stylist about it and she said if I got a color that matched my ends it would be fine. I've been doing it for about a year now and no one believes I've switched from professional to Nice N Easy! It looks exactly the same! But, if I wanted to go another color - a lighter brown, for example - my stylist would have to do it the first time to bleach it all out, then I'd get an over-the-counter color that matched it and keep doing it myself.

I was paying anywhere from $40 - $60 and I have very short hair. Now I pay about $7!

 

[es45]

Need some help and advice. I am considering getting my hair colored for the first time. I started getting grey hair when I was 18. I am now 42 and have had some grey hair for most of my adult life. So I am used to seeing me this way, but I have really been feeling like a change.

My questions to you all are, should I have it done professionally or should I do it myself. If professionally, what do you all pay. If you have done it yourself, what brand do you use.

Thanks all.

Have it done professionally but do touch-ups at home. You can use a colored glaze (I use John Frieda) or a root touch-up (Clairol) product and extend the professional coloring.

I pay $50 for color. I pay $5-7 for the home products that I use to extend the color for 2-3 more weeks.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

For those of you who are going to a salon, are you having an all over color done or a foil? I have been getting foils done for years but I am noticing more of the greys getting left out. I wonder if I should switch to an all over color? A friend recently told me that she gets a semi permanent color every 6-8 weeks (at a salon) and it covers the grey without the part line. Anyone have experience with that?

An all-over color is the only way to make sure you cover EVERYTHING. You can do a foil with a tint-between (the hair not in the foils is also colored), but it's hard to make sure EVERYTHING is covered. A semi-permanent color goes on just like permanent color with the same initial results. The difference is that the semi fades with every shampoo and will need an all-over touch up (as opposed to just the new growth) sooner than a permanent color would. Semi-permanent is great for those who change their minds often or just want to try something new for a bit.

 

[EMom]

I have some gray mainly framing my face. My hair grows super fast and I'd go broke paying to have it done since I have to do the roots every 4 weeks. I use permanent dye from Sally's. (liquid Wella, mixed with peroxide) I mix half light blonde and half medium blonde and it looks nothing like a combination of the two when I am done. But it turns out to match my natural hair color and that's what I wanted.

I only color the new growth next to my scalp. Otherwise, it would be too harsh to color it so often. What winds up happening is that the color "takes" better on the non-gray hair than on the gray hair and that makes the gray hair look lighter......as if I've highlighted it. People either have no idea I color it or they ask where I get my highlights because "they look so natural." I say, "Honey, those are the gray ones."

The color stays put on the stuff I dyed ages ago.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

P.S. I do echo the blonde highlights, especially around the face. I do that almost exclusively for the 40s set, and it does cut down on the obviousness when the grey grows.

 

[njcarita]

I'm finding all the responses all very imformative.....I'm dreading coloring my hair for the first time.... I am not a salon person at all.... I drag myself in for a haircut about twice a year...... I am 45 and still have jet black hair ... every so often I find a wirely grey hair sticking out of my head.... but thats it..... I know when the time comes I'll probably be coloring it myself....

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I color mine myself with semi-permanent color. I use a light-medium brown with golden undertones plus a clear gloss with a really low developer (9 vol) to keep fading to a minimum. I color new growth only, every 6-8 weeks, and what grays I have end up looking like yellow-blonde strands. It's a single color process that ends up looking like sun-given highlights.

 

[EMom]

Kind of off topic, but related. DD was a very blonde baby, but like a lot of kids, it's getting a bit darker as she gets older. Also, like a lot of kids, it lightens up in the summer. And...she has a lot of natural highlights and streaks of various shades of blonde. Anyone who has blondes in their family knows what I'm talking about. My own hair was NEVER one color, but several.

When DD was 8, she was at her friend's house and they're Indian. As in, from India, Indian. Not a lot of sun streaked blondes running around where the mom grew up and I suppose that explains her question to my DD. She complimented her hair and asked in earnest, where I took her to get it highlighted. DD didn't have a clue what she was talking about. She said, "You know, to get the blonde streaks in it." DD told her she didn't go anywhere, that's just the way her hair was. When she came home and told me about it, she said, "I don't think she believed me."

DH and I had a good laugh about someone thinking we'd take a 2nd grader to get her hair highlighted. Although to be honest, 3 girls in DD's grade were already getting streaks in their hair by then. Strangely enough, they all had black or very dark brown hair. None were blondes.

 

[Beckypooh1972]

I have some gray mainly framing my face. My hair grows super fast and I'd go broke paying to have it done since I have to do the roots every 4 weeks. I use permanent dye from Sally's. (liquid Wella, mixed with peroxide) I mix half light blonde and half medium blonde and it looks nothing like a combination of the two when I am done. But it turns out to match my natural hair color and that's what I wanted.

I only color the new growth next to my scalp. Otherwise, it would be too harsh to color it so often. What winds up happening is that the color "takes" better on the non-gray hair than on the gray hair and that makes the gray hair look lighter......as if I've highlighted it. People either have no idea I color it or they ask where I get my highlights because "they look so natural." I say, "Honey, those are the gray ones."

The color stays put on the stuff I dyed ages ago.

Yep, this is exactly how it works out for me to color my hair at home too. In my opinion blonde is easier for not showing the grays. I only touch up my scalp which is about 50/50 gray and brown when my roots start to show. I used to have my hairstylist do my color and she'd do a good job but it was expensive and occasionally didn't lighten as well at the roots as I would like. I use Loreal Preference and having tried many others I think it is the best by far. Avoid the ends if you just need to touch up the scalp. If you are going brunette I'm not sure I would due to the amount of gray you have; I think most home color fades enough to show gray. If you are mostly gray right now, I would recommend you go to a stylist - a good one - for your initial color choice, then keep up the roots yourself - match your color to the home color boxes at the store.

 

[Sadie22]

I'm guessing she goes to a boutique-type salon (unique as opposed to chain). They tend to offer a more individualized (read: personalized, spa-like, etc.) consultation and experience than the mall/Wal-mart/Supercuts type of salons, hence the heftier price tag.

I was talking about a salon, not the chains such as Hair Cuttery, Walmart, Sport Cuts, etc. where you would not likely get the same stylist twice. My stylist was also shocked at the big city price.

 

[melafive]

My friend recently graduated from cosmetology school and she gave me an awesome tip. If your gray roots grow in fast like mine use redken shades in between professional colorings. It extends the time between your colorings and you don't have that nasty root line when it fades. The first time I bought the shades from her but last time I just bought it off ebay. I've never had a problem with it. Oh and if you have problem gray develop it under heat for a bit.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

I was talking about a salon, not the chains such as Hair Cuttery, Walmart, Sport Cuts, etc. where you would not likely get the same stylist twice. My stylist was also shocked at the big city price.

I don't live in a big city, but those are the prices here for higher end salons. Interesting. I guess it's all about perspective where money is concerned. Of course it's more expensive than the chains (where the focus is quantity), but I've never thought salon prices (even before I was a stylist) to be . Actually, the $10 haircuts scared me more than the $60 ones.

 

[TxRabbit]

I did my own for the first time in February. My hair used to be blonde. After being pregnant, my hair got so incredibly dark. Like my mother said to me for years, I could now say, my DS stole my blonde!!

To compensate I would let my hair grow out so that the sun would fade it. My hair was a mess in the color department where you could literally see the seasons in it. It looked like "grow out" at the bottom and dark at the top.

Based on a recommendation, I used this product:

http://www.wellausa.com/color_charm/for_consumers/demi_glazing_shades.php

It's a professional product available at Sally Beauty Supply. It blended my hair beautifully. As I was told, this product would not result in "roots". It lays on your hair and is designed to naturally wear off. Because of the nature of the product it is also recommended for first time color people. I would think that this would be a good start for you.

My mom used this product to cover and blend her gray. It worked beautifully. She also kicked it up a notch and added some red all at the same time. She started with faded brownish hair with gray concentrated in the temple areas. My mom had it done in the salon using this product.

Whether you do it at home, or in the salon, this is an excellent product and definitely one I would recommend for you.

PM me if you are interested in exactly what tools and the procedure I used to do it myself. It was very easy and inexpensive.

 

[JCMHutch]

I have long medium ash brown hair that has turned white on the top of my head (the rest is still brown - go figure). My hairdresser colors it 2 times a year ($80 for a wash, cut & color) and then I use Root Touch Up or Performing Preference between professional colorings. This works well for me and keeps the ends from getting too faded out.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Lately I've been getting professional color (but only a few times a year - I'm cheap and really don't care too frequently about the lonnnnnnnnng gray roots ). But I've colored my hair for over thirty years, at first just because I wanted red hair, but after not too long because, well, here came the gray.

OP - you CAN do it yourself. Start with a semi-permanent color, a shade or shade and a half LIGHTER than your natural color. Why? Because it will color all the strands of your hair, and especially if you're brunette, it will make your brown hair more harshly brown. A lighter shade of brown will only slightly color your brown hair, while making your gray hair look like highlights. And the advantage is, it washes out after about 24-28 shampoos. Worst case, if you really hate it, you just wash your hair more often.

 

[Junebugwv]

I have colored my dark brown hair for about 25 years. It is thick and a little below the shoulders. My gray is color resistant so I leave the coloring on for 45 minutes and I use any semi-permanent brand that does not have ammonia. I use 1 or 2 shades lighter than my natural color.

Seems like my roots grow faster than the ends! I color every 3 or 4 weeks and have to use a color stick to cover the roots after 2 weeks.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

I have colored my dark brown hair for about 25 years. It is thick and a little below the shoulders. My gray is color resistant so I leave the coloring on for 45 minutes and I use any semi-permanent brand that does not have ammonia. I use 1 or 2 shades lighter than my natural color.

Seems like my roots grow faster than the ends! I color every 3 or 4 weeks and have to use a color stick to cover the roots after 2 weeks.

Your ends never grow, just your roots. I'm always in a perpetual state of "growing it out," and I wish the ends would grow, too. Would definitely speed up the process.

 

[apnep]

For years I had my stylist color my hair a reddish brown (naturally I'm a light brunette with 4 or 5 greys on top), but then I saw my sister's hair and loved the color (she has a lot more grey than I do) and she said she uses Nice N Easy.
I was paying anywhere from $40 - $60 and I have very short hair. Now I pay about $7!

I was getting my hair colored to at $45 a pop and then I saw a friend whose hair looked great and decided to give it a shot. I bought the Nice N Easy Perfect 10 (it only takes 10 minutes) and it came out great! It was very easy especially because the bottle came with a comb attached to comb it through the hair. I find that the coverage on my grays lasts just as long as if I had it done at the salon.

Why spend $45 + tip JUST for color (not to mention 1-2 hours of time) when you can do it in 10 minutes for $5-7 (especially if you have a coupon)?

I also just tried the Garnier Nutris and loved the color on that one too.

Ang

 

[tar heel]

I'm pretty cheap, but coloring my own hair is something I'm not going to do. I want an expert, and that isn't me. I pay $53 plus a $10 tip every 5 weeks at a local salon -- I call it "getting the red put on." God used to put the red on for me, but he stopped for some reason.