Hair coloring advice

[AnOtHeRdIsNeYfReAk]

I've been noticing the odd gray hair since I was 16, so the huge amount i've developed at 25 was not such a huge deal to me. Also, most of the grays are on the sides of my head so my other hair covers most of them. Well, now I seem to be getting more on my part line which is very, very noticeable. I have brown hair with natural streaks of red and I've never colored my hair before, so now that i'm considering it, I'm a bit lost. I would like to try something that is not permanent, before I make the decision to get it done. Perhaps something that will wash out in a week or two. So my questions are what kind of coloring should I use, and will it cover the gray? Thanks

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I use Revlon Colorsilk when I color, it is Semi Permanent, but usually washes out within 6 weeks. I think they make some other brands that are truly temporary, but I have never used those, as I grew up with a mother and grandmother that colored their own hair and just followed suit.

BTW, Colorsilk is about $3.00 a box and for me lasts just as long as the stuff that costs $10 a box.

Suzanne

 

[KimR]

I have very little gray (probably less than 10%) and I've not had much luck at all with store-bought products - the gray hair just doesn't take the color well for some reason. Now I go to the salon and the color takes easily. I think it's a conspiracy.

 

[Polyluvr]

I second the salon advice; their products use a stronger peroxide for better grey coverage~ perfect every time.


Please see a stylist!

 

[MomofKatie]

I use Clairol Nice 'n Easy Gray Solution- it seems to really cover those grays well. My color is Med Brown- it is pretty and has a bit of reddish tone to it. My lighter strands (and grays) act as "highlights" that are reddish brown- the rest of the hair is a glossy medium brown.

This is a permanent color- I usually color every 6-8 weeks when my roots and temples start to become noticeable.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

The $3 box of color has always covered my grays and last as long as any salon color and around here that can be anywhere from $50 to $100 and I am just not going to pay that when I cna do it myself.

Suzanne

 

[Pixie Princess]

My hair grayed the same way as yours. I would put off all over color for as long as possible. More than likely you'll be fine just getting some highlights. That's what I did for years. Once you go down the all over color road, it is very difficult to leave it. That's the boat I'm in thanks to a horrible salon experience. Get some recommendations from friends or co-workers for a salon (and a specific colorist if you can), and then talk to them about what you're wanting to do.

 

[Buckalew11]

You know, what you could do is something like Redken's Shades EQ which is not permanent color. You can't lighten the natural hair but you can color the gray and make the gray strands a lighter color than your own so it is more of a highlighted effect. The semi-permanent color fades off instead of growing off with a line of demarcation. It is a very pretty look as long as your natural hair coolr is not too dark--then, imo, it get trickier. You could try this at home with a dark blonde color.

It'd probably be a good first option w/o going permanent yet. I haven't gone permanent yet & I've been doing hair for 27 yrs.

 

[Tracy Savage]

You can try adding Low Lights,in the same shade as your natural color using a semi- permanent color. It's applied the same as hilights except you deposit color instead of lifting and by using a semi permanent color it will gently fade out.