For those who color at home.... What's the best and easiest brand or kind for the non-experienced? I want my greys Gone! I've got longish hair and the greys are underneath and I'm sure they stick out sometime or another. The last time, I went to a salon to have it colored. About a year ago. Totally disappointed. Turned out to be the Wrong color. I looked like a red head..that orangeish look. It was suppose to be dark brown with natural looking high lights of alburn/reddish. Which used to my natural color in the summers. It also took 3 months to stop feeling like heavy straw while washing it. Any suggestions or tips?
Natural Instincts. It's SEMI-permanant, so if you don't like it, it will be nearly gone in a month or so--(faster if you get a clarifying shampoo.) What I have done for friends in the past, is "custom blend" colors. You pick out two colors you like, and then mix color with equal parts of developer, and apply the dye, following the time directions. (To get the amounts right, go to the dollar store and pickup a crappy set of measuring cups.) You can then save the unused and unmixed dye and developer for next time, provided you liked that combo. Just put the developer in a ziplock bag, and screw the caps back on the unused dye. Keep in mind your grey will likely take color better than your other hair, so they will have a deeper saturation. This important when going with reds!!! Good luck!
Actually gray hair is resistant to color, it will not grab more color like porous, dry, previously treated hair. That's why semi-permanent colors don't stay as long and they don't cover gray as well as permanent. What color is your hair now and what percentage of gray are you? BTW I don't have a cosmetology license now but I held one for a long time.
Found this Gray Hair Although most people don't see gray hair until their late thirties, a very few see premature gray hair in their teens. Like your haircolor, it depends on genetics. What causes gray hair? As you age, your natural production of pigment slows down and your natural color loses its color strength. This doesn't happen to every hair at the same time, so the contrast between the hair with no color and the hair that still has some color causes it to look gray. So how gray your hair actually looks is determined by the percentage of strands with no color vs. the pigmented strands. Gray Hair Myths Myth: Pulling out even one gray hair causes several grays to grow back. Fact: If you pull out one hair, only one grows back. Myth: Gray hair is more coarse and wiry than pigmented hair. Fact: Gray hair tends to contain a larger medulla region, which can result in a hair strand that is: Stiffer Harder to bend Less manageable (wiry) Gray hair may also be drier because fewer natural oils are present. Myth: Gray hair colors as quickly as pigmented hair. Fact: Gray hair can be resistant to haircolor, due to a decreased amount of melanin. Melanin contains metals such as iron, zinc and magnesium that help the dyes develop. If you want to color gray hair completely, leave the color on for the full time recommended in the product instructions. Your hair may need a full 45 minutes to completely color gray hair. Myth: Your hair can turn gray over night. Fact: Hair turns gray gradually over time. Semi-Permanent Haircolor Semi-Permanent haircolors last from 5-8 shampoos. What they do: Add color that washes out gradually and doesn't leave roots Color without lightening Do not change natural haircolor How they work: Gently add mostly large color molecules to the cortex of your hair. (The large size of the molecules in the dye limits its penetration into your hair.) Color without using ammonia or peroxide Use Semi-Permanent colors to: Blend or cover hair that is up to 50% gray Subtly enhance your starting haircolor Want to add just a subtle boost to your haircolor Demi-Permanent Haircolor Demi-Permanent haircolors last up to 28 shampoos. What they do: Leave no noticeable root line Color without lightening How they work: The actual shades are formed in the cortex by use of several dyes. Color does not shampoo out as quickly because it has actually changed the composition of the hair. Color using no ammonia and low volume peroxide Use Demi-Permanent colors to: Blend or cover up to 50% gray Richly enhance your starting haircolor Permanent Haircolor Permanent haircolor lasts until you change shades, your hair grows out or you cut your hair. Reapplication is recommended every 4-6 weeks to avoid noticeable re-growth. What they do: Change the color so that it does not wash out How they work: The actual shades are formed in the cortex by the interaction of several dyes. The change in the cortex is made more permanent with the use of a higher volume peroxide. Permanent haircolor can lighten hair 2-3 shades, while high lift shades can lighten hair up to 4 shades. Use Permanent colors to: Cover up to 100% gray Achieve subtle or dramatic haircolor changes Lighten haircolor
I've had good luck with both the Garnier Nutrisse, and the L'Oreal Excellence. I just have to remember to do it more often than I do, because I end up with the skunk stripe along my part when I don't. I have found that as I get older, I need to use lighter shades so it's not as abrupt a change along the face when it starts to grow out. I do tell people that I'm trying out the platinum blonde look when the white grows out too much!! I'm 45 and I would say that I would most likely be 80% or more gray/white if left to grow out. I've colored at home since I was 18 because I started graying early. I started as a medium to dark brunette, now am using a dark blonde or light brown.
I think I'm more confused and scared to even attempt this myself :-[ If you can picture this..my hair is dark brown to about my ears and then starts lightening to a lighter brown. Also from my ears down it looks like dark blonde highlights were added. They weren't. It's what happened during all the years of working in the greenhouse year around. Even with having color done, those highlights still stood out but looked like it was meant to look that way, so I don't mind that. Since not being at the greenhouse since Nov, the highlights are growing out, and my natural color returning that I haven't seen in 13 yrs. Percentage of grey? I see grey when looking for it. I don't have a mirror to see what the back of my head looks like. But while scoping do find some long ones. And when lifting my hair is when I see the most. It's like their growing where I can't see them, if I don't look for them. Basically growing "undercover". > And if it matters, my hair is straight, sides are past my shoulders and longest is to the middle of my back. I don't know if that makes a difference for the amount needed, or will one box do me?
Sounds like you're not really trying to cover that much gray. Why not go to the salon and have highlights AND lowlights put in? You have to do this much less often that a full color. My cousin who lives in IL gets hers done maybe twice a year. I do only highlights because my hair is light brown and I can usually get by with about the same especially with the amount of time I spend outside. Right now I'm going on about 9 months but it needs done. You don't cover all the gray that way but it's much more natural and the maintenance is much easier while still getting a professional job. Your hair also stays much healthier. If money is really an issue try a cosmetology school. They have their senior students do the work while under supervision so you don't have to worry about coming out a freak If you do decide to do it yourself you will need atleast two boxes with the length of your hair.
Ditto to Des's above post. Go to the salon and have highs and lows put in. Wil blend much better and will look natural as it grown out. You can get it done much cheaper too if you go to someplace like a Cost Cutters or Haircuttery than at a "fancy" salon.
Even if you don't go to one of those cheap places in the long run you'll be saving money not having to buy 2 boxes of color every 6 weeks.
ok That sounds a lot better! I like my natural color. ummm, not the natural grey though. And I'm bad for not doing things for myself on a schedule, every 6 six weeks I Will fail at doing. I definately like the idea of twice a year! Thanks for the advise Des and ET!
