Saving money - Color your own hair ?

[pooh2001]

I go to a hair salon and have my hair colored and cut every 6-8 weeks at a cost of $75 - $95 depending on if they condition my hair too.

If I just get my hair cut it would cost me $30.
A major savings.

What brand hair coloring kit should I buy to try to do it on my own ?

I have light brown hair (when colored) and wear my hair just above my shoulders (not too long). My hair is also thick and wavey.

What do you suggest ?

I could save over $400 a year for our WDW vacation by coloring my hair myself.

Thank you for your advice.

 

[nhmommy]

As a hairdresser I suggest you be very careful I have made lots!!!of money on people who needed fixes after trying to save themselves some cash

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I have always done my own. I have medium length brown hair and use the clairol natural instincts. I suggest looking at the hair samples they have attached to the shelf to see which one best matches your color.

A lot of times there are coupons in the Sunday paper for $5 off of two and CVS will have a sale 2 for $8. Who can beat coloring their own hair for less than $2.00.

I was scared at first but it was very easy. I usually wait 20 with the color on before rinseing. I use my 20 minutes to clean the bathroom.

 

[MEK]

You could just try a root touch up or semi permanent color in between your regular color and stretch out your coloring sessions, but then you would still need to get your hair cut. So maybe not such a great idea.

I have to have my hair professionally colored, but I root touch up in between. I like the Clairol root touch up. Works great and matches well.

 

[dakcp2001]

I have been coloring my hair myself for most of my life. I had had a few flops, but none that ever needed to be fixed by a hairdresser. On the other hand, I did once go to a salon for color, and THAT had to be fixed by another salon after the hairdresser turned my hair muppet orange.

Coloring at home is good if you want one overall color. Nothing too far from natural. Highlights and such will need a pro. I prefer John Frieda foam color. It is easy to use and less messy that the runny hair dye. I used to be a big fan of Feria, they have great auburn colors, but they don't cover grey as well as John Frieda.

Here is what I do. I don't wash my hair for a day or two before coloring.

I put vaseline around the hairline and ears to prevent the dye from staining my skin.

I have a hair dye shirt that is ok to ruin (have had the same one for years)

Couple of hair clips to section hair (got mine at Sallys Beauty SUpply), and handheld mirror to see the back.

I do roots first (front top and sides) then section it off by twisting it up in a clip. Then I do the next section under that, root to ends, then the bottom.

It would be easier with a helper, but I do my own. Make sure everything is covered, if up in ponytail and when down.

After coloring, I don't wash my hair for a day or two for the color to set. I don't know if it does or not, but someone told me this once so I still do it. I hate the initial look, its too bright for the first 2 days or so and my scalp has a little color on it. So I plan to color it on a Friday so I don't have to go out with bright hair.

If you get dye on your skin, use shampoo on a paper towel to get it off without adding water. It helps take it off.

 

[dakcp2001]

You could just try a root touch up or semi permanent color in between your regular color and stretch out your coloring sessions, but then you would still need to get your hair cut. So maybe not such a great idea.

I have to have my hair professionally colored, but I root touch up in between. I like the Clairol root touch up. Works great and matches well.

I love this to stretch out time between colors. Just wish they made a reddish or auburn touch up. WHen I do browns though the root touch up really helps you go longer between colors.

I get my hair cut by a pro still. Way less expensive than color.

 

[jennyjinx3]

I have always done my own. I have medium length brown hair and use the clairol natural instincts. I suggest looking at the hair samples they have attached to the shelf to see which one best matches your color.

A lot of times there are coupons in the Sunday paper for $5 off of two and CVS will have a sale 2 for $8. Who can beat coloring their own hair for less than $2.00.

I was scared at first but it was very easy. I usually wait 20 with the color on before rinseing. I use my 20 minutes to clean the bathroom.

I use clairol Natural Instincts too, and love it. It is the same colour as my own, I just use it to get rid of my "ash blond" hairs!!

 

[eliza61]

As a hairdresser I suggest you be very careful I have made lots!!!of money on people who needed fixes after trying to save themselves some cash

Lol, include me in that bunch! I ran to my stylist after my blonde dye job turned grey/green. I'll do a temp. Rinse but for permanent color, I go to the pros.

 

[crisi]

I like Loreal. I've gotten better color out of a box than some of my colorists - however, I've also had some great colorists (although a great colorist doing a great color - all over, highlights and lowlights - was costing well over $100 a shot). The last professional color I had done I went home and fixed.

I do my own highlights. I have dark brown hair and will buy a pretty blonde permanent and bleach out strips (one of my colorists did exactly this as a technique) - because my hair is so dark and I'm just using an over the counter blonde, I really don't get very light. Then I all over color over the top of that. Loreal also sells a highlights kit that works pretty well. I've had stylists say "who does your color?, its really good."

Another money saving idea - a good cut is hard to give - following the lines and trimming up well cut hair is much easier. Have your hair cut by someone good every other - or even every third time - have Cost Cutters or Great Clips or someone like that do the $15 in betweens.

Now, I'll admit I adore a salon day with a full cut and color somewhere that they keep you in hot tea and lemon water and copies of People magazine - but I afford that more often with drugstore color.

 

[Kae]

Don't go too far off your natural color also how grey are you?. U will need 2 boxes of color if you need to refresh the ends. the problem with the "foam Color" is it is hard to do just your roots with it. Find friend to help maybe color each others hair. also wipe the color off around your hairline with just shampoo no water, water sets color just use tissues. You should not deep condition right after color it will make your hair fade faster do it 2 to 3 days before.

Kae

 

[fan4wdw]

I love the Clairol Nice & Easy foam. Its on clearance right now at Target for $3.98. I had several $2.00 off coupons so I was able to stock up for a fraction of salon prices.

 

[Srbright]

You can order demi colors, the semi permanent hair colors that most salons use, from Sally Beauty.

Stacy

 

[GMU MOM]

I have been coloring my own hair for the last 5 years. I use a color close to my natural hair color an I do an all over color.

I'm usually able to get hair color such as Loreal, Clairol and John Freida for either free or very cheap at CVS. At the beginning of the year, certain colors go on clearance and I also use a coupon to bring down the price even further.

So far I have never messed it up. I just can't justify paying big $$ at the salon when I can do it at home for so cheap.

 

[sk!mom]

Thick, wavy, shoulder length hair here too. Quite honestly if you aren't bleaching hair a lighter color or adding highlights, it's easily done at home. I like my home coloring jobs just as much and they last just as long. I love the savings. I'm not brand loyal. I keep a stock of CVS deals in my color from several brands.


Things I've learned- My thick hair requires two kits. The home kits seem to always be darker than expected so I buy a shade lighter than I want. My natural color is dark brown but I use a medium brown kit. I prefer the temporary colors that wash out in a month. They seem to turn out better, are less messy, and my hair grows so quickly I need to color again anyway.


Happy coloring!

 

[Tamar]

I've been coloring for almost 20 years. I currently use Clairol Perfect 10, since it only takes 10 minutes. I do not experiment with colors, though I sometimes use 5 and and sometimes 5A, that's as wild as I get.

 

[midwestdee]

I have always colored my own hair - I'm a L'Oreal fan. They have a Gold Rewards club - buy five - get 1 free (for the past 2 years). My hair is now kind of short, auburn, REALLY thick and CURLY. I can't use root touch ups - too much hair - doesn't work well.

 

[scrapquitler]

I go to a hair salon and have my hair colored and cut every 6-8 weeks at a cost of $75 - $95 depending on if they condition my hair too.

If I just get my hair cut it would cost me $30.
A major savings.

What brand hair coloring kit should I buy to try to do it on my own ?

I have light brown hair (when colored) and wear my hair just above my shoulders (not too long). My hair is also thick and wavey.

What do you suggest ?

I could save over $400 a year for our WDW vacation by coloring my hair myself.

Thank you for your advice.

I do my own, but I don't get into highlights or anything like that, just one overall color. I do it every 6-8 weeks, and I buy whatever brand happens to be on sale, I usually pay about $5-$8 and I've never had it not come out good. My hairdresser even says it looks good and she is my friend so she would tell me the truth if it looked bad.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I color my own hair at home and my DD also colors her own hair at home so we do each other's hair. It is so much easier than trying to do it yourself. I can do my roots very easily but when trying to do the back and root to tip coloring it helps to have someone to do it for you.

I dye my hair from medium Brown to Black, so you can't really mess up Black.

I use any top name brand that is on sale at Rite Aid with a coupon to make them anywhere from $5 to $10 a box. The only one I won't use is Color SIlk. It is normally only about $4 a box and it makes my hair feel rough and dry like horse hair. I used it once and said never again will I use that junk.

I use Preference, Nice and Easy, Feria. Rite Aid always has at least one or two types of hair color on sale every Sunday and they try to match up their coupons with Sunday paper coupons to make it even cheaper.

I color my hair about once every 5 weeks and I don't get hair cuts. I trim my own bangs and my hair is long. SO i usually only go to a salon about once a year for a cut to trim the ends. I save a TON of money cutting my own hair and coloring my own hair.

 

[nhmommy]

Sorry I didn't finish my post someone showed up.

Here are the guidelines for the best chance of success if you choose to color your hair yourself

1 If you want your colored hair lighter you can not put a lighter box of color on top and have it lighten. think blond roots orange ends.
2 If you want your hair significantly darker you can not just pick up a dark box of color and expect it to look like the box. think muddy green ends pretty roots.
3 Do not color from roots to ends every time you color your hair regardless of weather you use semi-permanent or permanent color.If you keep layering on color the ends will get darker and darker.
4DOpay close attention to the color swatches not just the names on the box.
5 Remember you can always go darker but not always go lighter.this applies to semi- permanent color
6 Do notpick too light a permanent color it has the potental to lighten the root area far more then it does the ends.

And last remember you can always pay your stylist to fix it if you mess up

 

[okeydokey]

I use the John Fredia foam color. Worlds well and super easy to use.