Help- at home hair coloring

[kellia]

I would think that on the budget board there are lots of people who color their hair at home! I just started coloring my hair a couple of months ago to cover up the white hairs that have started appearing. My hair is dark auburn and every time I do my hair it turns out so red that I think I look like Bozo the clown! I like the color it fades to after a couple of weeks, just about the time I need to fix my roots.

Is there any way I can "tone down" the red after I do my hair? Without taking the color out of the white hairs I want to cover up? Or, should I leave it on a shorter time?

Thanks for any tips!

 

[okeydokey]

It may have more to do with the color you are choosing. You need to steer clear of the warms and go with the neutrals or cools. I choose the color with a N or NB or CB on the box. (Neutral or Cool Brown).

John Freida makes a nice foam color that has a pretty decent N color, a different number depending on the shade. I use the 5N, but if your hair is darker you may want the 4N or 3N.

 

[DawnM]

What are you using? I like L'Oreal and steer clear of the bright reds. I have medium auburn hair, but tend to stick to the lighter auburns because the grey isn't as pronounced as it grows back in.

I like the boxes with the highlighting kits in them.....the highlights can help tone down the brightness, although for most of the ones I use it hasn't been an issue.

This is one of the ones I have used and liked:

http://www.drugstore.com/loreal-cou...brown-ginger-twist-6-4/qxp178692?catid=183846

 

[tinkmom2]

I love Wella hair color from Sally Beauty Supply. It's not that much harder to do than the boxed Loreal. I have gray around my temples and hair line and I like the richness of their colors. I can also color twice from one bottle of color which is very cost effective. They are online or you can visit them in the store and a rep will help you find the best color.

 

[pooh4evr]

maybe try a box of No Brass- it takes the brassy look out of colored hair?

 

[melwill530]

What are you using? I like L'Oreal and steer clear of the bright reds. I have medium auburn hair, but tend to stick to the lighter auburns because the grey isn't as pronounced as it grows back in.

I like the boxes with the highlighting kits in them.....the highlights can help tone down the brightness, although for most of the ones I use it hasn't been an issue.

This is one of the ones I have used and liked:

http://www.drugstore.com/loreal-cou...brown-ginger-twist-6-4/qxp178692?catid=183846

This is exactly what I use and I get compliments from my stylist wanting to know who colors my hair. I just told her I do. I costs a lot less than the salon and lasts longer too.

 

[mdsouth]

This is exactly what I use and I get compliments from my stylist wanting to know who colors my hair. I just told her I do. I costs a lot less than the salon and lasts longer too.

I love Wella hair color from Sally Beauty Supply. It's not that much harder to do than the boxed Loreal. I have gray around my temples and hair line and I like the richness of their colors. I can also color twice from one bottle of color which is very cost effective. They are online or you can visit them in the store and a rep will help you find the best color.

I've wondered if this was a good product. Thanks to the two positive reviews I will try it the next time I color my hair

 

[Sagginit]

i just started getting my hair done at home. i cheated, my mother went to beauty school and can mix color. my stylist was moving salons and she didn't know where she was going so she gave my mother the formula. my hair is an auburn color, barely red, light brunette mix. we were both shocked to find out all three colors she was using were blonde shades! she was mixing a blonde, a brunette blond, and a red blonde to get my light brunette/auburn color.

i never would have picked that out from a box myself, i totally would have stayed in the brunette range and ended up too dark. in fact the first time i had my hair died she was trying to keep it as close to natural and the color she mixed for me based on my light brunette shade turned out almost chocolate on me! you may want to try an auburn shade that looks a bit more brunette if you don't want it so bright red.

 

[kellia]

Thanks for the replies! Maybe I have been choosing the wrong colors. I admit I have no idea what I'm doing! I have been using Garnier.

For the Loreal one with highlights, do you highlight at the same time you color? Can you do the highlight part yourself or do you need an extra set of hands? (I have shoulder length hair.)

 

[girli565]

I just started using esalon.com. they even ask you to send a picture of your current color so their experts can make sure you're getting the right color.

 

[ceecee]

Thanks for the replies! Maybe I have been choosing the wrong colors. I admit I have no idea what I'm doing! I have been using Garnier.

For the Loreal one with highlights, do you highlight at the same time you color? Can you do the highlight part yourself or do you need an extra set of hands? (I have shoulder length hair.)

I use Garnier and I really like it. Maybe you are choosing the wrong color. They stopped making the color I liked and the last two haven't been right.

 

[Shana Rayce]

Awesome Red!
I have been coloring my own hair for many years... and if you're looking for a darker...richer red... I've found the perfection combination of 2 different colors from Sally's Beauty Supply.... 5IR and 6IR... the brand is Clairol..... I get compliments on the color often! Give it a try!

 

[jms920]

I use L'oreal, Excellence. Color is Medium Reddish Brown. It isn't as red as the auburn colors. I always had dark brown hair with reddish highlights. I love the color and it covers my gray well. ( Now if my hair would grow a little slower LOL) I find if I use hair products for color treated hair and don't wash every day, the color doesn't fade so much. When I touch up my roots, after 20 minutes, I bring the color through my hair and wait 10 more minutes,
it revitalizes the color.

 

[melwill530]

Thanks for the replies! Maybe I have been choosing the wrong colors. I admit I have no idea what I'm doing! I have been using Garnier.

For the Loreal one with highlights, do you highlight at the same time you color? Can you do the highlight part yourself or do you need an extra set of hands? (I have shoulder length hair.)

I do the highlights in the front and on the sides and my husband does a few in the back for me. My hair is really thick so I need a little help evenly distributing them but they look really natural when you are done

 

[sunshinehighway]

I use L'oreal, Excellence. Color is Medium Reddish Brown. It isn't as red as the auburn colors. I always had dark brown hair with reddish highlights. I love the color and it covers my gray well. ( Now if my hair would grow a little slower LOL) I find if I use hair products for color treated hair and don't wash every day, the color doesn't fade so much. When I touch up my roots, after 20 minutes, I bring the color through my hair and wait 10 more minutes,
it revitalizes the color.

I find the reddish brown colors (doesn't matter which brand) are less RED than the auburns. Some of the auburns are very red.

 

[JamesMom]

I have medium brown hair with an auburn tint. It was bright red as a kid and darkened as I age. I got frustrated when my red head was born with people kept asking where he got it from. Me! So I decided to color my hair. At first I used pro kit from Sallys for Auburn but it made my hair burgundy-ish. I recalled a stylist years back saying that many mistake red for gold so I tried 'Lightest Golden brown" from Nice & Easy (114A) and it turned out great. Lightened my brown a bit (and at 45, that is not a bad thing) and my natural red tones come out especially in the sun. Plus, I had natural highlights in my hair particularrly around my face and the same strands are lighter with the hair color on so no need to highlight my hair - bonus! My aunt says my hair looks just like it did in high school. Below is a pic of me and my red headed off spring (oldest takes after his dad

YMMV but it is a thought.

 

[Zhoen]

A friend of mine had the most beautiful golden hair and was always changing the color to something else. Whenever she'd try red/auburn, it would look like a new penny, and very pretty, but she always complained it was too "brassy." She and her sister would use a brand of shampoo called "Silver Fox" (for old folks) to tone it down and they were always happy with the results.

Can say for sure if it is even still on the market, but there you have it.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I have medium brown hair. They grays have been creeping in for years. I used to have mine professionally done but like many of you, my stylist became unavailable at some point. Rehab, I think.

In any event, I began to color my own. A couple of false starts (a DISboard member who was a colorist helped me immensely!) and I am now regularly coloring my own very inexpensively. To maintain my medium brown hair that develops lovely light brown/golden highlights as it grows, I use the L'Oreal color gems system from the beauty supply store. I use 6.0 or 6.3 (light brown or light warm brown) with a 9 vol developer and leave it on my hair for about 80 minutes. I only paint the new growth with a brush. It's a semi-permanent color treatment that blends perfectly with the previously dyed hair. The color tubes ($6) last 2 colorings and the developer ($5) lasts 8 colorings.

Good luck!

 

[mckinley]

I have natural brown hair with a little auburn color in it. I to have the white grayish hairs coming in to in which i hate. I have tried a few colors that always made me look red. But i have found Natural Instincts brand has a Brass Free color that never causing any red in my hair. The Brass Free is wrote on the front of the box hard to miss and i think it has light brown all the way to dark brown colors available. Hope this will help.

 

[ceecee]

My hairstylist told me today that she would stick to L'Oreal. I currently use Garnier but she said it wasn't as good.