Advice on DIY haircoloring

[Ginger0314]

I just cannot afford to have my hair done at the salon anymore - at least as often it seems to need it and they want me to get it done. I have never done my own before. Currently me hair is a light brown with 3 different highlights going through it. Any advice? What products? How to go about it? Thanks for any help.

 

[signora]

I just cannot afford to have my hair done at the salon anymore - at least as often it seems to need it and they want me to get it done. I have never done my own before. Currently me hair is a light brown with 3 different highlights going through it. Any advice? What products? How to go about it? Thanks for any help.

I use to use Clariol Nice & Easy years ago, which was okay. But the problem w/coloring your hair especially if you have brown hair and has red pigment in it, your hair will sometimes turn out in a orange/redish shade. Whereas a hairdresser knows how to mix the coloring to prevent that (if your trying to go w/a light brown or have blond highlights).

 

[getbent]

I color my own at home but I have never done highlights. I wouldn't lighten your hair more than a shade maybe 2 own your own. I usually go a shade lighter in the summer and a shade darker in the winter. I usually use Loreal Preference but I have been known to use others if they didn't have a shade I wanted. I always follow the directions and have had no problem. I've heard good things about the new 10 minute color and that's what I'm getting next. Some have a really awful ammonia (sp?) smell so do it in a well ventilated place. I have thick and long (past my shoulders) hair so I use 2 boxes. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Ginger0314]

I color my own at home but I have never done highlights. I wouldn't lighten your hair more than a shade maybe 2 own your own. I usually go a shade lighter in the summer and a shade darker in the winter. I usually use Loreal Preference but I have been known to use others if they didn't have a shade I wanted. I always follow the directions and have had no problem. I've heard good things about the new 10 minute color and that's what I'm getting next. Some have a really awful ammonia (sp?) smell so do it in a well ventilated place. I have thick and long (past my shoulders) hair so I use 2 boxes. Hope this helps. Good luck.

I don't necessarily need to have the highlights. It is just what I got done this last time. With this many colors perhaps the gray will not show as much. Thanks

 

[Ginger0314]

What is the difference in the permanent, semi permanent and 10 minute? hair color? What type should I start out with

 

[getbent]

semi-permanent usually lasts a certain number of shampoos, permanent can last several weeks. The 10 min color is just the amount of time you leave the hair color in before you rinse. Most hair colors are anywhere from20-30 mins.

 

[Ladybug76]

I use to use Clariol Nice & Easy years ago, which was okay. But the problem w/coloring your hair especially if you have brown hair and has red pigment in it, your hair will sometimes turn out in a orange/redish shade. Whereas a hairdresser knows how to mix the coloring to prevent that (if your trying to go w/a light brown or have blond highlights).

So true! I used to have the problem with the brassy orange when lightening my hair, but then I learned to use the "cooler" shades and haven't had a problem since. It has taken me quite a few years to get it right, but I think I finally have. I have had a few mishaps, one including turing my hair swamp green. Hint--don't keep coloring your hair (in one day) if you don't get the color just right. It ended up costing me $$$ to get it fixed.

I have also used the at-home highlighting kits. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Sometimes I feel like I should just go gray gracefully, but it just makes me feel old. I started to get gray strands at 19 and it has been downhill since!

 

[Dye Tied]

I just cannot afford to have my hair done at the salon anymore - at least as often it seems to need it and they want me to get it done. I have never done my own before. Currently me hair is a light brown with 3 different highlights going through it. Any advice? What products? How to go about it? Thanks for any help.

If you go to the salon for color because your grey is resistant, over the counter coloring kits will not cover your grey. You probably cannot do all the colors your salon does, don't even try. Go for one color.

 

[signora]

So true! I used to have the problem with the brassy orange when lightening my hair, but then I learned to use the "cooler" shades and haven't had a problem since. It has taken me quite a few years to get it right, but I think I finally have. I have had a few mishaps, one including turing my hair swamp green. Hint--don't keep coloring your hair (in one day) if you don't get the color just right. It ended up costing me $$$ to get it fixed.

I have also used the at-home highlighting kits. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Sometimes I feel like I should just go gray gracefully, but it just makes me feel old. I started to get gray strands at 19 and it has been downhill since!

I use to go w/the light browns w/the blond highlights (like the box shows), but my hair rarely came out like the box color. I'm lucky I never had a green mishap I have used the highlighting kits in the past, but found the brush on type was messy and the ones w/the cap - it's better to get someone to help you, but mine always came out more like my hair was frosted. So even though it's sometimes expensive to get the coloring, foils, etc. done @ a salon, I prefer it because as long as the hairdresser is good & knows what they are doing - you know it will be done right.

Bummer about the gray, I'm fortunate where I'm in may 40's and still none. But my hairdresser is funny, when I go for coloring, etc., she will look for them.

 

[BS Gal]

I can tell you that Cinnaberry by Natural Instincts is a sucky color.....

 

[vraiblonde]

I can tell you that Cinnaberry by Natural Instincts is a sucky color.....

Maybe you could offer her some paint?

 

[BS Gal]

Maybe you could offer her some paint?

Pretty much any color she can think of....

 

[Ladybug76]

I use to go w/the light browns w/the blond highlights (like the box shows), but my hair rarely came out like the box color. I'm lucky I never had a green mishap I have used the highlighting kits in the past, but found the brush on type was messy and the ones w/the cap - it's better to get someone to help you, but mine always came out more like my hair was frosted. So even though it's sometimes expensive to get the coloring, foils, etc. done @ a salon, I prefer it because as long as the hairdresser is good & knows what they are doing - you know it will be done right.

Bummer about the gray, I'm fortunate where I'm in may 40's and still none. But my hairdresser is funny, when I go for coloring, etc., she will look for them.

I used to be able to get away with just blonde highlights--to take away from the gray. But now it's just too much to hide. I have to go all brown then highlight. I used the highlight kit with the cap and my arms hurt so bad when I was done. I liked the results, but it was very time consuming. I am going to try the brush on next time.

With my swamp green incident, I thought it was black until I sat in the hairdressers chair and she looked at it up close and told me what color it actually was. I swore that day that I would never try to color my own hair again!

 

[signora]

I used to be able to get away with just blonde highlights--to take away from the gray. But now it's just too much to hide. I have to go all brown then highlight. I used the highlight kit with the cap and my arms hurt so bad when I was done. I liked the results, but it was very time consuming. I am going to try the brush on next time.

With my swamp green incident, I thought it was black until I sat in the hairdressers chair and she looked at it up close and told me what color it actually was. I swore that day that I would never try to color my own hair again!

Good luck w/the brush on - the instructions makes it look easy where they make it look like you can make these thin smooth hightlight lines down your hair. I found it to be clumpy and did not brush on easy. So I enjoy just sitting in the chair and letting the hairdresser do all the work - it's expensive, but worth it.

 

[Pandora]

Clairol makes a product (you can find it at Sally's) called Beautiful Collection a semi-permanent color with aloa vera, jojoba oil and vitamin E. There is no ammonia or peroxide so it isn't harsh on your hair. Nickel recommended this product to me a while back. I was a bit concerned using it because I have naturally 3 colors in my hair, blond, brown and red, but it works fine. I use honey brown and if you don't use the entire bottle, just shut it and use the rest later.

 

[Sweet 16]

I have used Loreal Couleur Experte for several years now. It is a two-step all-over permanent color/highlighting kit. I have a lot of gray now so highlights alone just won't cover it anymore. I just grabbed the new box and noticed it now says "Express". Apparently, they have replaced the old giant mascara wand with a new highlighting tool that's supposed to simplify the highlighting part of the process. It does take a while and there's a lot of sitting around but it's worth it and even my hairdresser has been impressed with the results. And at $15 per treatment it's a whole lot cheaper than salon color. Good luck!

 

[virgovictoria]

Pretty much any color she can think of....

Just ask if she wants a "krazy kitchen" kolor or a "brilliant bathroom" blend.

 

[Sonsie]

If you have a lot of damage to your hair avoid any color that says "ash" on it! Many years ago I had a terrible perm, when it was growing out I tried to tone down my natural reds, now burnt and frizzy as hell, with an ash blonde shade. My hair came out a shade of kelly green! The hairdresser had to cut all my long destroyed hair off and use red coloring to cover the green. Thank heavens that was back in the punky 80s and I was young enough to carry off a red flat top.

 

[getbent]

I usually have to use something with ash in the name because almost anything else gives me that orange/red tone. (even if I use color very close to my natural hair color)

 

[Roxie04]

Any ash tone will take away a red tone. Just like when people try to color their hair themselves and turn it green you have to use a red based color to get rid of the green.