Author Topic: I'm going back to the salon unless someone can suggest a better DIY dye  (Read 4859 times)

Dora the Homebody

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Yeah, usually I go to the salon to get my hair cut/coloured about 3x per year @ $100 per visit.

I decided to skip it and do it myself this time, and the colour is HORRIBLE.  I was using a L'Oreal product. It didn't cover my gray streak very well and it didn't cover the parts of my hair that are pale green & blue (I just wanted to cover it all up with medium brown!). 

What DIY dye do you use? 

boarder42

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or just dont die your hair.  solution solved.

marielle

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You probably didn't leave it in long enough. I've had pretty good results with L'oreal but it does fade over the months.

CheapskateWife

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Is it possible that the prior color needs to be stripped out before your hair can absorb a new color?  I might consider going back to the salon for one last professional dye job back to your natural color and then leave it the heck alone!  Grey streak?  Keep that! 

Dora the Homebody

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Is it possible that the prior color needs to be stripped out before your hair can absorb a new color?  I might consider going back to the salon for one last professional dye job back to your natural color and then leave it the heck alone!  Grey streak?  Keep that!

I want to just go back to my natural colour and then let it grow in.  The faded colours are so faded I didn't think there would be ANY problem covering them up.  But they are yucky and need to get fixed... it looks very unprofessional an unmaintained (it was really very awesome when it was deep blue and deep purple and I don't regret that at all).


wildbeast

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I recently discovered the brand Age Beautiful at Sally's beauty supply.  I really like it.  My hair feels almost as good as when I have it professionally done.  They have permanent, demi-permanent, and tinted gloss.  I've used their demi and gloss with very good results.  When choosing a demi shade, you might want to go one lighter or mix a couple of shades as they tend to run dark.  The demi and gloss are 'deposit only' solutions that will not lighten your hair - and hopefully will not damage it either.  They claim to be the least damaging product and my hair does look and feel really good.

Sally's also has an argan oil brand that was recommended but I haven't tried it.

I tried Clairol and it damaged my hair quite a bit.
« Last Edit: May 18, 2017, 03:13:24 PM by jane x »

Goldendog777

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I used to go to the salon every 2 mos for a cut, color and highlight at $150 a pop only to have to touch up my roots after 2 weeks which was ridiculous!  I found out the color and brand my hair dresser was using - Goldwell Topchic permanent color + developer - and bought it on Amazon for $11 a tube.  I went to Goldwell's site to get instructions on how to use it and watched a bunch of YouTube videos and now I color it myself every 4-5 weeks.  I just don't highlight anymore because that's way too advanced for me but it looks great!  And I'm saving a ton of money!

CupcakeGuru

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My friend owns a hair salon and does my hair for really cheap, but she is on the other side of town so i only make it 2 or 3 times per year. She told me which color dye to buy at Sally's, Argon Oil. Since i am almost 80% grey i have to touch up frequently, like every 2-3 weeks. I haven't made the leap yet to stop dyeing it!

scantee

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Did you strip (bleach) your hair before you put in the green and blue dyes? If so, that is likely your problem. When you lighten hair, even just a little bit, you strip out the underlying red tones that give darker hair depth and richness. If you want to darken light hair, you first need to add the red tones back in before you apply the shade of brown you want. Salons will often do this as a two step process: the first process is just an application of red dye, then a wash and rinse, then a second application of the desired color, maybe in a cooler shade to tone down the red that was initially applied to the hair.

Your first application probably served (poorly) as that first step. You need to dye your hair again to get it to the color you want. You'll probably want to use a warmer tone at whatever level of darkness you select, because your first application likely did not have enough red in it fill in your lighter hair. For home hair dyes, I like Olia, which is a non-ammonia based dye that is more gentle on your hair

(Source: a former professional hair colorist.)


Dora the Homebody

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Thank you that is helpful.

meadow lark

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I use henna, bought at the health food store.  It is $7 (I think) and a box has enough for me to die my hair 4 or 5 times.  You can buy henna in several colors (not just red).  It's weird - it really is like slopping mud on your hair, and it smells like weird mud, but I much prefer that to chemical smells.  And henna is actually good for your hair, as opposed to regular dye.

MsPeacock

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I dyed my hair for many years and went dye-free about 8 months ago.  As I understand it, anything that is a permanent or semi-permanent color is going to bleach your hair.  I used L'oreal as well for many years - the cream excellence or something like that.


Anyhow - I switched to a temporary color. Specifically DEMI permanent color:

http://www.sallybeauty.com/ion-color-brillance-intensive-shine-demi-permanent-creme-hair-color/ION104,default,pd.html?list=Home%7cHair%7cHair%20Color%7cSemi%20%26%20Demi%20Hair%20Color#start=1


This uses a volume 10 lightener - which will only very very very slightly lighten the underlying hair.  I used this as my natural hair color grew out. I did it every 6-8 weeks or so. It is much more gentle on the hair and it will cover grey (processing time is longer). The color slowly washes out, which tells you it is time to reapply. Plus side - it is cheap. Eventually I had a head full of my natural hair color once it grew out and the demi-color washed out. My first attempts were darker than I wanted, but since it washes out over time it faded a bit. I then mixed two colors together to get my desired shade.

That said - I am totally not a hair professional AT ALL and as I understand it dyes can react weirdly with each other.

The other thing that struck me - if you are getting uneven color, you may have missed spots in your application. You might not have had enough product, particularly if you have long hair. The other spot I've seen people miss is the back area of their head. It helps if you have someone help you until you get used to doing it, or use a mirror so you can see the  back of your head.

SimpleCycle

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I've had excellent results with L'Oréal's Feria, but scantee is right about the color correction needed for bleached hair, especially if parts are more bleached than others.  I might get a professional to restore your natural color and then maintain it yourself.

Infraredhead

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I have used Wella Color Charm for years and years which you can purchase at Sally Beauty Supply.  It is extremely economical to color your hair this way.  This is a PDF that explains how to use it:

  https://www.wella.com/professional/m/pdf/WCC_Education_Book-English.pdf

RetiredAt63

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I like this one because it doesn't make my hair go crazy red:
 https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/clairol-natural-instincts-brass-free-semi-permanent-hair-color/ID=prod6302153-product?ext=gooPLA_-_Beauty&pla&adtype=pla&kpid=sku3446769&sst=5e0068e4-e2b0-4183-a3d9-ad72917ce401

This is the brand I use too, but light golden brown.  Since it gradually washes out, if I go a long time between dye jobs there isn't a sharp line where my natural colour starts.  My grey ends up as highlights.  My hair texture is fine.  My sister gets the whole works, permanent dyes, highlights, and her hair is like straw.  When I went to her hairdresser once, my sister suggested I also get the deep conditioning her hair gets, and her hair dresser said I didn't need it.  Semi-permanent is much kinder to hair.

geekette

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<snip>My hair texture is fine.  My sister gets the whole works, permanent dyes, highlights, and her hair is like straw.  When I went to her hairdresser once, my sister suggested I also get the deep conditioning her hair gets, and her hair dresser said I didn't need it.  Semi-permanent is much kinder to hair.
From personal experience, it's not the permanent vs. semi-permanent, but the bleaching.  I have had my hair professionally colored from my 20's on (over 30 years) and the texture is wonderfully silky soft.  I had some highlights put in to attempt to wean myself from coloring it (letting the grey grow in) and it turned to straw.  Hated it.  Back to just plain color. 


nara

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There is a product called esalon for $20 a month for a custom color. I ordered it, but chickened out and ending up just throwing it away. I currently spend about $60 a month for touch-ups in the salon and it's not just expensive, but is a hassle. I am too young IMO to just go all grey and am curious what other lady MMMers do. I can try ordering the same product my colorist uses--but I had a different colorist apply my color once (same formula from my regular girl) and my roots were brassy and didn't match my hair. I guess a lot can go wrong with hair with even an experienced colorist.. so I have no idea how anyone can ever trust to do a DIY job!