I know for whatever reason people aren’t commenting in blogland lately but, dammit, this is an emergency.� Kindly do chime in with help on my hair.
The Mister finds out at the end of this month if he gets laid off.� This is the 3rd game of wait and see in the last 12 months, and we are a wee bit bored with it all.� It is what it is, and I am preparing for the worst.� And by the worst, I mean coloring my own hair.
As I have mentioned in the past, I am 75% gray.� I think.� I don’t let my hair grow out enough to verify, but that’s what my hair stylist estimates.� Gag.� I am willing to pocket the $100+ I spend masking my age, but it needs to be simple, effective, and reasonably attractive.� I don’t want to look like I am wearing shoe polish in my hair.
I know she does it.� And, apparently, so does she.� (She includes a very nice post on how she straightens her hair, too.)� But will all this cover gray?� I’m not doing it for gloss, or to darken naturally fair hair.� I want to remove the gray and leave behind shiny, healthy looking hair.
To be honest, I’m surprised by how many people color their hair at home.� I thought everyone went to the salon, but I am finding more and more people who think I am incredibly stupid for wasting money on something they believe I can do myself.� It must be because I am not looking for anything fancy–no highlights or lowlights or graduated color schemes.� I just want a nice, glossy dark brown to cover my gray.� No purple undertones or coppery reflections or wild, up-to-the-minute color combos.� I want my hair, only better.
Questions:
- Have any of you attempted this?
- Did you look like Eddie Munster?
- Would you do it again?
- Is there a way you can just put it it your hair like shampoo and just wash it out and not have color all over your face and scalp?
- And if the above doesn’t exist, what’s the best product out there that you have used?
I’m afraid I won’t be much help. My husband has made me promise that the next time I wanted my hair colored that I will pay the professionals to do it. Only because I change my mind so much, that I’ve paid quite a bit for “color corrections.”
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First of all, I’m sorry to hear that you have this hanging over your heads. That just really, really sucks.
As far as your hair is concerned… just do it. If you don’t like the way it comes out, you can always have your hairdresser fix it. I know from experience :)
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I used to color mine all the time- the Loreal kind with the highlights. It works really well. I do go professional now, but mostly because she’s better at the highlights and it lasts longer, but because I’m in VT, it’s a whole lot less than other places.
You can’t just put it in and wash it out, but it does work. Nice ‘n’ Easy is pretty much just that too.
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unfortunately i’m like the worst person to give advice in this arena because i never color my hair and my dad has banned my mother from doing so (gotta love a man who thinks silver is chic right?). but this summer i did have a friend put “from a box” highlights in my hair and if you have someone you trust then i would for sure recommend having them help you. even if you don’t feel comfortable totally handing the dye over, having someone to laugh through the process took my mind off of the potential for a hair disaster!
I enjoy your blog, and your “people aren’t commenting” has inspired me to comment! I color mine at home with the L’Oreal preference creme and I seriously think it looks more natural than the few times I’ve paid the big bucks. The product is fairly thick, so you don’t really get it all over.
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I do my own highlights and have been coloring my Mom’s hair forever…just do it! I can’t bring myself to pay someone else to do it. My fingers will be crossed for you that all goes well with the job situation.
I used to color my hair a lot. A lot. Nothing unnatural but I tried a lot of colors from bleach blonde to pitch black. I used Feria because it seemed to give it a little something extra but it was easy – I mean, it’s pretty much apply and wash from what I remember…with a little waiting thrown in.
Oh, and Vaseline is your friend. A wide layer of it around your hairline – all the way around – will definitely help with the skin staining.
I think this post made me delurk, too. Odd.
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Coloring your hair is easy enough, I like Perfect 10, by Clairol. It comes with a choice of narrow tip or a comb applicator, and a really nice leave-in conditioner. It leaves the hair shiny without looking fake and smelling like a bottle of paint thinner. I’ve used it the last four times I’ve colored my hair, and have been super pleased with the result! Good luck!
I just realized that in the last comment, I sound like I WORK for Clairol or something. I don’t, but with the amount of color I buy from them they should be giving me a wage!
I am getting into the “someone needs to tell her to cover a few of those grays” category. Since I too, have the Eddie Munster fear, I have been dodging the hair coloring bullet for some time now. Just don’t part my hair at the top and you won’t see a thing. Unless you are my 9 yr old who looks at me and sometimes says, “Mom, that gray means you’re getting to be very wise.”
I have a friend who has a great color combo for brunettes, she’s gotten it down to a science. She colors at home. I saw her for dinner this weekend in Atlanta and loved her hair. No red, no shoe polish. Just nice rich brunette color. I’ll get the info and email your way.
:-)
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I color my hair maybe every 3 months or anytime I feel like do it . Is easy… of course my hair is around a inch and half long.. is difficult to make a huge mistake here ;)
No advice on covering the gray, Jules, because (knock on wood) at the ripe age of 44 I have yet to see a gray strand – yet. HOWEVER, I quit getting my hair highlighted about a year ago. All I’ve got now is my natural, very moussy brown hair. Yuck! (although the senior lady across the street found the time to tell me that the highlights made me look older and I look much better now – do senior citizens feel they can say anything to anyone? What’s up with that?)
Anyhoo . . . I’m reading the responses because I’ve been toying with the idea of highlighting my own hair. But, then again, I have a hard time handling a blow dryer and a round brush so I’m not sure I should be set loose with dyes of any sort. Keep us posted on the outcome!!!
I colour my hair all the time, though not to cover grey. While I can’t give any advice on grey coverage, I do know about dye (both chemical and vegetable).
You do need to be a bit more careful than just “putting it on your hair like shampoo”. You don’t want to grind the colour into your scalp, or else it can dye your scalp as well (nothing screams “I dye my own hair” like a scalp that’s the same colour as your hair when it’s not supposed to be ;) ). The package will give instructions on how to properly apply the dye. When rinsing in the shower, just rinse away from your face (just like shampoo) so the colour doesn’t get into your eyes on run down your face. :)
Protip 1: Don’t use the crap gloves that come with the dye. Get a pair of proper latex (or nitrile, if you’re allergic to latex) gloves that actually fit you while you’re at the drugstore buying the dye. You can usually buy single pairs of gloves at most drugstores, but if yours doesn’t they’ll probably still sell boxes of gloves. The gloves they pack with the dye are enormous and hard to work in. o_0
Protip 2: Vaseline. I believe it was already mentioned, but it bears repeating. A thin layer of Vaseline around your hairline and on your ears prevents embarrassing dye splotches in places they shouldn’t be. Just don’t push globs of it onto your hair, as the Vaseline will perform the same function there too, and then you’ll end up with undyed bits. Blegh.
Protip 3: If you do have a widow’s peak, it can be tricky to avoid the Eddie Munster look if you’re new to dyeing. Drop by a beauty supply store and pick up a dye brush. This will let you apply dye to the hair only, and avoid the scalp.
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I’ll jump in.. I always color my hair at home because-
A. It takes to much time at the salon and I like being free of that schedule.
B. They always get the color wrong. I can’t do warm colors. I am ash and I think my hair absorbs colors wrong. Orange looks great in my wardrobe, but not in my hair.
C. it’s easy to do.
I’m a 7-ash and l’oreal makes one that goes with my skin. I went gray early ( my first gray was found on my honeymoon 15 years ago, grin) so I don’t know how gray I am now, but home coloring works great.
Eddie Munster? I only think of Ben Stiller when that name is mentioned now. He’s handsome! Embrace the look : )
Don’t be scared, but you may have to try a few before you find the right color for you. … really, you can do it.
I hope all goes well in the career front for Mr.
I always color my hair at home. I use L’Oreal Preference in Dark Golden Brown. I don’t have gray so I can tell you how well it actually covers but, I really really like it. To avoid it getting it all over my face, ears and neck I slather my skin down with vaseline before applying the dye. And to keep the mess to a minimum I get in the shower to wash it out. There’s no need to be scared. If I can do it and not end up with a horror story then I’m sure you can do it. You could always start with a semi-permanent that will wash out after a few washings. I say do it and I want to see pictures.
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Good morning Jules!
I started coloring my hair back when we were looking for every way to save a dime so I could stay home with Jack. I have since been through a couple of different shades of my ultimate shade and two different brands and I enjoy the Clairol Nice ‘n Easy the most. I do have to tell you that I was COMPLETELY freaked out the first time I did it because the dye is a lot darker than the resulting color on your hair, so don’t be scared. :-)
Go for it! I like the subtle highlights that you get from the box and the $7.99 price!
I’m shooting you a link later in the day… :-)
a few more tips –
1. when coloring your hair at home, make sure you use a dark towel for the first time you dry your hair out of the shower because most likely a little color will pull out.
2. if you apply the vaseline and still find spots of color have dripped on your face or neck or whatever, apply some shampoo straight to it to rub out the color – water will make the color set in your skin.
Good luck! Applying color at home is totally easy for anyone to do – but I understand the hesitation – I used to be a color stylist and was scared to do it on myself after I left the business (because really, applying your own hair color is totally different than doing it to a head in front of you) but I can happily say that I’ve never looked back!
I’ve never had my hair colored professionally. I generally dye my hair every 4 to 6 months using, as of late, Garnier Nutrisse. I just use a nice normal medium brown and it always comes out just fine. I always use 2 boxes to insure complete coverage, and I will put some vaseline around my hairline so that any dye that is there wipes off easily. Any other rogue dye drops, I just wipe them with a wash cloth as soon as they happen to avoid dark stains on my skin.
It’s really not too difficult. I’ve never used the brands with do-it-yourself highlights because I find the regular dye is pretty dynamic on me..soo yah. Just put on an old t-shirt and put an old towel on the floor and you’re done in jiff.
I’m starting to feel like this might be something I can do. Maybe I will start with a rinse, like Toi suggested.
Jules-Yeah, I color my own hair. Does it look perfect? Prob’ly not. I’ve tried highlighting it myself a few times (I think 3) and the first 2 came out better than the 1x I had it done at the salon (the strands they did were too thin–making it look suspiciously gray!) Anyways, my last highlight (at home) was not the best and I had some brown dye in my bathroom…so I took the plunge. It was incredibly easy (although I did get a couple of spots on my face-no biggie, they faded and it was only b/c I wasn’t as careful as I should’ve been). I was happy with the look I got-much closer to my normal brown and covered up the brassiness of at-home highlights. I suggest you get one with a special conditioner included that you use right after coloring and continue to use weekly (I had skipped using mine for a few days and it was getting kind of rough…used it last night and it’s soft again!)
I have very fine hair and not a TON of it (normal, but not thick by any means) so that’s what I’m working with-except those darn grays that are very coarse! Good luck! And like the pp said…you can always head to the hair dresser to fix it, you’d only be out like $8-15, right? Good luck! I hope the Mister keeps his job and this is a moot point! :)
I have highlights and no grey (yet), but when I went back to light brown (when I couldn’t afford highlights!) I used Garnier Nutrisse. I was surprised at how easy it was and it look really good. And I suck at following directions.
I began coloring my own hair a few years ago after a few $200 trips to the salon. I’ve found Clairol’s Natural Match is the one that works best for me. I go with the neutral brown rather than the cool or warm. I know some people who buy two different shades and mix them to get the shade they want. I don’t know if I would be that brave but I do recommend purchasing two kits if you’re hair is longer than shoulder length. I always find I’m scraping the bottle to get the last bits out.
I also learned from my mom that if you get any on your skin you can rub in any kind of simple hand lotion and wipe with a tissue and it will come right off. I’ve never tried the Vaseline. I’d be too afraid I would get it in my hair and have a big chunk that didn’t take any of the color. Good luck!
I color my hair at home but I use Natural Instincts and I don’t think it’s for grey coverage but I don’t know. I wanted to comment though. It seemed like the right thing to do! ;)
I’ve used Garnier Nutrisse and I like it — it’s only a 20 minute process, which isn’t bad. I was just doing it for fun, not to cover gray. :)
I started getting grey hairs at 21 (thanks, Mom). I’m now 36 and have always colored my own hair at home. I guess I’m just too cheap to pay for it at the salon- unless I was going to do something drastic, like go red or something. I think others have left plenty of good coloring tips, so I’ll just say that I use Perfect 10. I love it. It takes 10 minutes and I always feel like my hair looks healthy and shiny afterward- and greyless! I used to use L’Oreal Preference and liked it too, but it took 25-30 minutes.