coloring your own hair?

[Ohiodislover]

And - TMI for sure - I don't wear anything while coloring - too many spotted bras! Good luck!

I truly thought I was the only one. I used to have a super old scrub top that I stole from the hospital size 4x, and way to big. It finally gave out, and I had to throw it away. It is now in the buff for me as well

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

I have very fine hair and am too nervous to colour it myself as it may start to thin. The salon only colors the roots and doesn't put on the color on the rest of the hair until the end. I just can't do a good a job myself and believe me, I can't afford the salon anymore. I'm thinking of going every 5 months from every 3. I hate my roots but you can't have everything. Besides which, I am back on the singles market, so I want to look my best. I am going to keep the salon as my one luxury.

 

[DisneyBlonde]

If you plan to go a few shades lighter (or darker) the at home kits are a good option and can save you beau coup bucks. But if you'd like more of a drastic change, you should leave it to the professionals. The at home kits can only lighten your hair so many shades.

 

[ilovepcot]

I have very fine hair and am too nervous to colour it myself as it may start to thin. The salon only colors the roots and doesn't put on the color on the rest of the hair until the end.

This was my major concern...very fine hair. In fact, not only is mine fine, it's also *very* thin and has very little elasticity. My friend, who has done platform work for Redken said I'd actually be better off coloring at home. She said the color sold over the counter is not nearly as harsh as what the salons use and would be far better on my type hair. Started doing it back in the 80's and haven't looked back.

ETA: My friend also suggested only doing "overall" color at the very end.

 

[Shyvioletisme]

I've been doing mine myself on and off for many years. I used to go and get it done at the salon some too, but cant' afford it anymore...
I recommend any of the Loreal brands...I prefer Loreal Feria which here runs about $9.58 a box. But I feel like all of the Loreal brands are nice, that one is my favorite because I really like the colors it offers.

 

[Buckalew11]

I have very fine hair and am too nervous to colour it myself as it may start to thin. The salon only colors the roots and doesn't put on the color on the rest of the hair until the end. I just can't do a good a job myself and believe me, I can't afford the salon anymore. I'm thinking of going every 5 months from every 3. I hate my roots but you can't have everything. Besides which, I am back on the singles market, so I want to look my best. I am going to keep the salon as my one luxury.

Sheree, why don't you ask a friend to do it? maybe even one you could in turn help do hers. 5 months is really too long between color for your hair to look its best. Just get her (or him) to help apply the color to the roots. You may only need to run the color through the ends for up to 5 minutes to refresh.

If you all use long-lasting color that doesn't fade (like color used to fade so terribly quick) you may not even need to touch the ends. This in turn is better for those porous ends--esp. if you use permanent color that has approx. 20 vol. peroxide in it. Never apply color all over your head for a touch up. only the new growth. your ends will thank you!

 

[rn4val]

I have colored my hair for years. I use Preference by L'Oreal. The best thing I can say was last year I was getting my hair cut at the beauty shop and one of the other beauty operators walked by and told my beauty operator she had done a great job with the color. I felt kind of bad for her since I had done the color.
Debbie

 

[Orangeandwild]

I have been doing my own hair coloring for years, it is not that hard and so much cheaper in the long run.

When dying now I wear an old nightgown and actually save my old ones to wear when dying before they hit the rag bag. I can normally wear them several times before I need to trash them.

 

[Catzeyes]

I use Feria, by Loreal also. I have been using it for 6 years to cover the gray. I stick with my natural blond hair color and it has worked out great for me. Good Luck!

 

[DMRick]

Don't forget - put lotion around your scalp line and all over your ears, even in the rims....makes any color super easy to wipe off.

I always did that, and then I had my hair professionally done and she didn't. I asked why, and she said she just uses a bit of the hair dye on a cotton ball, and the excess color comes off. That's what I do now. I don't get why it works, but it does LOL..at least for me.

I use Loreal also, and now I'm using the 10 minutes one. I love how quick it is now. If you have a Price Chopper, it's on sale through tonight and there is a coupon in last Sundays coupon flyer.

 

[kellyg403]

I've been doing it myself for about 3 years. I use the Loreal Colour Experte which has color and highlights in it. Of course the highlights won't be the same, but it does give a similar effect.

I can get the color for about $10-13. It's more expensive than some of the other boxes but it is a brand I like.

This is my favorite as well. I actually use the color from one box and the highlights from another to get my desired result in the summer. In the winter I use the same color/highlight box.

I will tell you that I am one of those people that hates coloring my hair. My good friend who is a hairdresser convinced me a few years ago that she could make it look natural. My hair is a shade of auburn naturally that has more red in the winter and blonder highlights in the summer, so I figured she was wrong. Well she wasn't. She got this particular color, did it for me to show me how to do it and convinced me not to be scared and you could not tell the difference in color. Nor does it look different when growing out except for the grays.

I am afraid to try any other color than this one, it is perfect for the scaredy cat in me!

Kelly

 

[Inigo]

The most important thing I learned is that the color never looks like the color on the box. It all depends on the color you start with. I made the mistake (more than once) of choosing a color that looked like I thought was the same color as my hair. It ALWAYS turned out way darker.

The woman who does my hair highly recommended Natural Instincts by Clairol for people who aren't sure. It is a temporary color (washes out in about a month), but it leaves your hair in better condition, and it gives you a good idea of what color you want. I tried several colors before I decided on which color I wanted to do permanently.

I use Natural Instincts Brass-Free hair color, and I love it. The permanent colors that I used to use would dry out my hair, and the ends would get too dark over time, since I had long hair. (I did the root touch-up method, only putting color on the ends for the final few minutes.) With Natural Instincts, my hair looks more natural and not so obviously dyed, even when it's closer to time to re-color. My hair feels and looks healthier.

I could never find a permanent color that didn't cause at least a little brassiness. The Brass-Free Natural Instincts means my brown hair is brown, not reddish-brown. When I want red hair I dye my hair red. When I dye my hair brown, I want brown.

 

[disbridemimi]

I use Feria by Loreal, love it! I am a redhead, so when I first colored my own hair I made quite a mess, it looked like someone got murdered in the bathroom.


I start by putting a little line of vaseline around the hairline, on my forehead and ears, beacuse the first time I colored my hair, I also colored my skin.

You need a mirror so you can see the back of your head, some clips to separate your hair into sections if you have long hair, and I have a thick plastic comb I use to help comb in the color. (all are really inexpensive if you have a Sallys Beauty Supply near you! You also need a hair elastic that can go in the trash after.

I wear an old shirt then I toss it in the trash after. If you get any hair dye on your skin, you can use shampoo on a paper towel to get it off (no water, just shampoo!!)

I never dye my hair when its freshly washed, I wait til the next day, and after I dye it, I don't wash it for a day or two. Someone told me this helps the color last, I have no idea if it is true or not, but so far it has worked ok for me.

 

[pppiglet]

I've been using Clairol Nice n Easy for the last 30+ years and my hair is long and shiny and in great condition. I love the stuff! My mom introduced me to it when I was in 9th grade.

 

[Carys]

Here are my additional tips for home hair colouring (I have trust issues with hair dressers colouring hair, especially in asia, and grew up in a family of females so am well versed through experiences good and bad in the DIY version!).

- colour from the back/bottom up. Have all your hair twisted on top of your hair, and slowly section your hair off horizontally as you work your way up. This is the easiest way for me to make sure I'm getting all the roots in my thick hair. Some will prefer making sections and clipping them up separately before you start colouring, but I find a single clip on top that you undo to let another section of hair out and then re-clip is the easiest way to work from the bottom up. You need to find whichever works best for you of course

- Be methodical and work systematically; the aim is to avoid what I think of as leopard spotting, where the dye has been applied unevenly or even missed a small patch and so you get darker and lighter patches. Colour variation works in streaks but not in blobs!

- while the colour is on your hair developing, wrap your hair in a (clean, new) plastic bag. Start from the back to capture all your hair, then twist the bag (tight (but not too tight) at your forehead to keep it secure and put a clothes peg on the twist. This makes it much safer to go watch TV while it's developing; you wont get hair dye on the couch.

- if you don't have a low neck (back and front) top kept especially for hair dying, the safest way to go as others have posted is waist up nada; why risk spoiling clothes if you don't have to.

- and my no. 1 tip for first time dyers with long or thick hair - buy two boxes. It's still pots cheaper than going to a hair dresser, and it makes it so much easier than trying to spread a smaller amount evenly over alot of hair. If you don't need the second box, it'll keep til next time. The boxes will usually recommend long hair use two boxes anyway.

Have fun with it! It's really not as hard as it can sound, you just need to have everything to hand before you start, keep an eye on the clock when th colour is developing, and be eagle eye methodical when applying. I also recommend Feria.

 

[SereneOne]

My husband colors my hair for me and I always get compliments. I use L'Oreal also, but I do not highlight or lowlight. I just have some grays that I like to cover and I am too cheap to pay almost a hundred when a nine dollar box will do.

 

[scrapquilter]

I've had it done at the salon a few times (over $100!!! ) and I've done it myself a lot of times. I do an allover color when I do it myself (Garnier for about $8). My hairdresser is a very good friend of mine, and she told me that I might as well keep doing it myself, I do a good job of it, and since I'm not that interested in highlights and stuff, there is no reason not to do continue doing it at home.