DIY Hair Color Recommendations?

[wildbeast]

Ok, so paying $90 every 4 weeks to get my short hair professionally colored is not sitting too well with me right now.  I'm thinking of coloring it myself at home and I'm looking for recommends on brands. My hair has lots of gray and is fine textured.  And I like to shampoo every day (I know this means faster fade-out).

Would appreciate any suggestions you guys and gals might have.

[I'm a red panda]

I liked the Argon Oil color bye One and Only from Sally's Beauty Supply. It is often available half off.

[Snow White]

Probably not want you want to hear but go gray! 😏 I have short hair that I colored for years but I kept developing allergies to the different products which it appears all have some level of toxicity.  I tried every salon and home based product on the market. The home based ones were easy enough to use but started to fade within a week and also they required a lot of scrubbing of shower tile to keep them free of dye.

I haven't dyed my hair in three or four years and it is such a relief. 😀

[SimpleCycle]

I color DW's hair using Feria.  She likes the results, although it took a bit of trial and error to find the exact shade.

[MommyCake]

I've been using L'oreal Preference Mousse Absolute.  It's a little more expensive than the other dyes but it's the only one (that I know of) that's reusable.  I've been dying my hair/hiding greys monthly since October (4 uses) and the bottle hasn't run out yet. 

[Laura33]

Your hair sounds just like mine.  I use Natural Instincts, which is a semi-permanent color - that way rather than having to worry about roots, I just sort of fade so gradually that it isn't as noticeable.  I also leave a few greystrands out, because I think it would look fake if I had solid dark brown hair at my age (50) -- I am just vain enough not to want to have quite as much grey as I do!  Added bonus:  the box advertises every 6 weeks, but my hair really seems to grab the color, and I frequently go 3-4 months between coloring it (or, you know, 6 months if I feel particularly lazy).  I really like the flexibility of not feeling like I *have* to constantly re-color because of the roots issue.

[I'm a red panda]

Probably not want you want to hear but go gray! 😏 I have short hair that I colored for years but I kept developing allergies to the different products which it appears all have some level of toxicity.  I tried every salon and home based product on the market. The home based ones were easy enough to use but started to fade within a week and also they required a lot of scrubbing of shower tile to keep them free of dye.

I haven't dyed my hair in three or four years and it is such a relief. 😀

Why go gray when you can go pink or purple? It's about $20 a year for me to keep the color in.

That's been my stance. (Though the dye I recommend is also good in natural colors.)

[With This Herring]

What are your starting and ending colors?

If you are going darker (not bleaching hair from brown to blond) and are willing to do a little more work, a combination of henna (red tones), indigo (darkening), and cassia (blond tones) will give you anything from blond to a red-shine black.

Note:  Please only use body-art quality (BAQ) henna and other ingredients.  Many "hennas" sold as hair dye include metallic salts, which cause hair damage.

The hair forum I frequent recommends these sites:
http://www.hennaforhair.com/ (and sister site http://www.mehandi.com/ )
http://www.hennasooq.com/fresh-jamila-henna-powder-2016/
for purchasing ingredients and finding good combinations to achieve certain shades.
You can get pure henna, cassia, and indigo at Indian grocery stores, but they also sell the henna hair dyes with metallic salts, so be wary.

The best part is that those who are allergic to PPD can still use BAQ henna (and indigo and cassia).

[MsPeacock]

I have had good success with non-permanent ("demi") from Sally Beauty Supply. It does not bleach or lighten underlying hair, so you can only do your shade or darker. It won't help if you want to be platinum blonde. The color will cover grey and lasts about 8 weeks for me (I wash my hair most days and swim 3-4 times per week). Because it does not use strong bleach it won't damage your hair and is more subtle as it fades. It is also very inexpensive. You use it with level 10 developer, which is very mild.


I stopped using boxed drug store hair color. because the bleach si very harsh and my hair was absolutely fried.

With any hair color, you can mix two shades if you want to adjust the color.

http://www.sallybeauty.com/demi-permanent-haircolor/ION104,default,pd.html#start=25

[ariapluscat]

yes it matters a lot what color you're going to.
if your hair is light and you're going darker, i have friends who really like henna and i like a "creme" type of dye to take my brown hair to black (usually a garnier)

you can also invest in a sulfate free and color supporting shampoo or cut your current stuff with a color protecting conditioner if you want to keep shampooing that much.

[wildbeast]

Thanks for the replies!  I tried out the Garnier no-ammonia product and I like the color.  My hair does look and feel thinner though, so it might be too harsh.  The next product I will try will be one of the demi/semi permanent ones.  If it covers gray or turns it into highlights, that would be ideal. 

I also like the tip about mixing adjacent colors for a nicer result.  And if all else fails, I will check out any teaching schools in the area for reduced prices. 

I've been doing the natural look for a while and I do like the lack of hassle and absence of harsh chemicals on my head every month.  But I have a lot of gray, I'm in my 40s and it really ages me.  A lot.  I'm going to give this a try and see how it goes. 

Thanks again!  I'm going to make a list of all the products recommended and use it as a checklist.

[Miss Piggy]

I have used Loreal Preference for at least 10 years on my short hair. My hair looks and feels better after I've colored. Some brands have products to cover lots of gray; the product I use simply needs to stay on 10 minutes longer to cover stubborn grays. Because my hair is short (generally 2 inches or shorter), I color it all every time...I don't mess with a "roots only" treatment.

[Pigeon]

I use Garnier Nutrisse and have for several years.  It works fine.  I've used several other brands, too, and honestly have never had a bad result.  It is simple to do it yourself.  My hair is probably almost all gray now. 

[CupcakeGuru]

I am about 80% grey and have been using the Argon Oil at Sally;s. My hairdresser is the one who recommended it and it has worked out great for me. I am thinking about just going grey but have not worked up the courage to do it yet.

[icemodeled]

I tried using box dyes at Walmart and none worked well, was trying to go lighter. Using ion color brilliance from Sally's and their developers. I went to Sally's first time asking tons of questions and they were great explaining what would work and how to do it - otherwise would of been lost! I stopped going to the salon over a year ago, I trim my hair and color at home. Love it so much better!

[Helvegen]

I'm 100% gray and use AGEbeautiful from Sally's Beauty Supply. I also use their house brand (Ion or something) developer and sealer. I get compliments on my color all the time, so I guess I must be doing something right.

I usually wait until they have BOGO sales and buy 6-9 months of product at a time using discounted gift cards I find on GiftCardWiki. Sally's are usually heavily discounted due to being physical only.

[GuitarStv]

I've used Kool-Aid with decent results in the past, but it doesn't last more than a week.

[jnw]

I pay $8 for hair dye at Walmart.   I do my roots with it.  It lasts me 4 applications or about 6-8 months.  I use a scale and measure out the grams of both ingredients.  I have had really good experience with this L'oreal dark auburn hair dye.

Watch some youtube videos on doing your own roots, it's prtty easy.  Can train significant other or child to do it for ya based off the vid.   Works great.  Really easy to do.  Just comb through after 20 mins or so, to blend the colors from roots out. Then wait another 10-15 mins and rinse.

My hair doesn't get greasy fast, so I shampoo once every other week.

The first time I did my own roots, I did it myself in the mirror.  Was easier the subsequent times after I showed my boyfriend what to do.  Just keep parting and brushing the greys.. after 20 mins or so comb through and wait another 10-15 mins, then rinse.

Tools needed: disposable gloves (I use surgical nitrile), hair dye bowl, hair dye brush, rat tail comb for parting.  I put a plastic grocery bag over head otherwise you can get those caps.  I bought all this stuff at Sally Beauty Supply.  The gloves I got from Amazon.

Another idea, if your family / friends don't want to help is you could barter on craigslist / facebook marketplace.  Could offer to regularly do their roots if they do yours. I haven't done this yet but have considered it because my boyfriend can get pretty pissy at times about it :P.

[socaso]

Former salon employee here. Do NOT use box color. The problem is the developers in those boxes are much harsher than the developers your stylist would likely use on you. Go to Sally Beauty and purchase the color and developer separately. Developer comes in huge bottles and will last you a long time. Since you have short hair the bottles of color may last you for 2-3 applications. You may need a mixing bowl and color brush but those are reusable.

[elaine amj]

I do my mother's hair using box dye. Generally Garnier Nutrisse but whatever we find on sale. It works well and saves a bundle over professional coloring.

I am intrigued by the Sally suggestions and will check it out once we finish up the next 4-5 boxes of dye in my house.

Sent from my VCE-AL00 using Tapatalk

[jnw]

I've been using box color but have been considering just using color and developer from sally beauty.  I just need to find a match to the color I use.  However, I don't know if I buy that retail box hair dye at store is more damaging, I am thinking it might be a myth propogated by hair stylists who like to get $100 to dye your hair.

[jnw]

The next time I do my hair I'll try the Sally color and developer.

[jodelino]

What are your starting and ending colors?

If you are going darker (not bleaching hair from brown to blond) and are willing to do a little more work, a combination of henna (red tones), indigo (darkening), and cassia (blond tones) will give you anything from blond to a red-shine black.

Note:  Please only use body-art quality (BAQ) henna and other ingredients.  Many "hennas" sold as hair dye include metallic salts, which cause hair damage.

The hair forum I frequent recommends these sites:
http://www.hennaforhair.com/ (and sister site http://www.mehandi.com/ )
http://www.hennasooq.com/fresh-jamila-henna-powder-2016/
for purchasing ingredients and finding good combinations to achieve certain shades.
You can get pure henna, cassia, and indigo at Indian grocery stores, but they also sell the henna hair dyes with metallic salts, so be wary.

The best part is that those who are allergic to PPD can still use BAQ henna (and indigo and cassia).

I second the endorsement of hennaforhair and mehandi! I have been using their products and techniques for years, mixing indigo with henna, to get a rich reddish-brown that covers grays. I had an allergic reaction to a salon dye years ago, and have been DIY with henna and indigo ever since.

[Pigeon]

I've been using box color but have been considering just using color and developer from sally beauty.  I just need to find a match to the color I use.  However, I don't know if I buy that retail box hair dye at store is more damaging, I am thinking it might be a myth propogated by hair stylists who like to get $100 to dye your hair.

Yeah, I've been using box dye for years and my hair is in great shape.