Home Hair Color Advice! - Chicago,IL

I have never used that, I used to work in a salon, an I would just go to sallys beauty supply and pick up a thing of the wella brand. I just did my moms hair with it. on top to get rid of the grays I did nutmeg, you can pick any of the colors . Do 1 part color to 2 parts devolper i believe I use the 20 devoloper. after putting in hair leave in 20 min then wash out.

I second Rachel B' recommendation for Sally Beauty Supply. That's where I go to get my color (Ion) and it ends up costing me about $5 in supplies (they give you coupons if you buy a $5 annual membership) each time I color my hair.

I have black hair, and the one time I tried a L'Oreal coloring kit, my hair turned reddish and it got really dried out. I had to go to Sally Beauty Supply to ask the cashier how to fix it. She told me exactly what to do and what supplies to buy (gloves, shower caps, application bottle, color, developer, conditioner). She also helped me pick out the correct color for my hair.

I would imagine Ulta is another good place to try for hair care supplies. Good luck! I can't afford $100 ever 3-4 weeks to cover my gray!

It's pretty easy. I have 2 tips.
1) put a thin coating of Vaseline around your hairline, on the back of your neck, and on your ears. This will help keep you from staining your skin in those places.
2) My hair is shoulder length, and in order to make sure I get it through the back completely, without missing any sections, after a get the color all through my hair, I stand in the shower (water off) and use a wide-tooth comb to go through my hair. This ensures that I've got it all on evenly. And it will splatter when I do it, so that's why I stand in the shower :)

I use Garnier Nutrisse in #70. I have used this product for the last 10+ years and have never had a problem. It makes my hair feel so soft after using it, does not stain your skin, if it does, the stain comes out with the next wash. I have been very happy with this product. I am like you, my grays are coming in faster and i am seeing more and more. :( Good luck! You might have to play around with the color.

I switched to doing my own about 2 years ago. I use a service called eSalon.com. They are great! You can send in a picture of your current color, ask a stylist for recommendations based on what you want...all free, and they will send you salon color for $20.

Check into it!

I use Light Mountain henna. It turns my normally light brown hair liberally shot with grey to auburn with copper highlights.

Just follow directions and you should be fine.
I did that for several years.
But then I was getting to the point where I was coloring every month and every month was what was totally frying my hair.
It was brittle, broke off easily, split hairs everywhere and it was so porous the color faded more and more quickly (which lead to more coloring - it was becoming a negative feedback loop).

Eventually I gave it up and turned to henna (once every 8 or so weeks).
Henna turns my brown grey hair to auburn with coppery highlights.
I use body art quality henna, it strengthens my hair, makes it shiny, there's no ammonia/chemical smell, (I mix it up with vinegar - my scalp loves it), no Para-Phenylenediamine (PPD) and I don't have a single split hair on my head.
I love the reddish hue (it's gorgeous in sunlight) but not everyone wants a reddish hue.
You can use a combination of henna and indigo to get varying shades of brown.

This site explains it all very well:

http://www.hennaforhair.com/mixes

I use Clairol Root Touch Up, Has a special tool to "comb" onto the roots, and then I just blend it into my hair. Looks very natural and is super easy.

Follow the directions on the box and you'll be fine. I color mine at home all the time. Currently it's redish/orange. I was going for dark blonde with red undertones but that didn't work out well. As I always say 'Tis hair and nothing more' as I wait 6 weeks to recolor it.

I tried Sally's and while it seemed like a better deal, it resulted in a color which has been darn near impossible to remove. Sigh. The ladies helped me pick my color and assured me it would be what I wanted. It came out almost jet black when I really wanted medium brown which is my natural color. I don't want color; I want gray coverage. I did buy color remover while I was there. I tried repeatedly to remove the resulting color but it's stuck.

In contrast I normally use Loreal and if I get a bad shade, it's easier to remove. I have had to remove color three times now which isn't bad considering I have colored at home for ten years. I only remove the color if it comes out in a shade I absolutely cannot live with, jet black for instance. I like the Loreal brand and am overall happy with the results, considering the cost and convenience factors.

My suggestions would be do a hair sample test strip which I know seems like an utter pain and waste of money. However, I have always been happier when I bothered to take that extra step. I also suggest you get a box of color remover. The drug stores and Target/Wal Mart sell Color Oops and Sally's has its own brand. Remember gray is notorious for not covering very well. I have lots of gray so I pick colors which are specifically for covering gray. Finally I am able to recruit my husband to do the deed which helps. I ply him with some beer and he doesn't mind applying the color. All in it only takes him about 20 minutes and I get all over, uniform coverage without tired arms. Good luck.

This might sound silly, but, when u wash your hair out...Do not get it in your eyes. At a salon, they wash it for you.

I wash my hair in my kitchen sink...leaning forward. I have a white tub and I do not want to stain it.

I get 5a -- usually. It's brown...and the ash keeps the red out...kind of.

I have red tones in my hair.

I do my roots mostly. I do my whole head 3x a year !

Whole Foods has great color.

I like the Loreal Preference. It makes my hair very soft and easy to manage. Getting the right color is the key to a good result. If you like your stylist, give her a call and ask her what color to choose. Sometimes the difference between the warn and cool shades of the same color can make a huge difference.

That conditioner that comes in the box is amazing; leave it on for 5 or 10 minutes after you color.

no tips on technique, but as someone who also colors their hair a lot.. I started to use Naturtint, it's not as harsh as Loreal and other brands as such.. Also, when on sale, I get it for 14 dollars at Whole Foods.. it covers gray nicely..

good luck

I'm another henna girl. My hair is naturally red, so the henna matches well, but as B said, brown to black tones are achieved by adding indigo and other natural vegetable dyes.

Henna is wonderful for conditioning and adding body and gloss, all with no chemical stink. I use it about once a month to keep roots tinted.

I also use Preference by Loreal - I use the cream - it's not as drippy.

My tips -

1 - If your hair is close to shoulder length or longer get a helper for the back of your head.
2 - If it's longer than shoulder length you may need 2 boxes to get all of your hair
3 - Put cream all around your the skin close to your hairline (forehead, ears, behind ears, neck) it will keep the drips from discoloring your skin
4 - Have a few grocery store plastic bags handy - one for garbage (it's so stinky you want to have that bag open and handy as you go along to discard items that you're done with) and another to put on your head once all the product is in your hair
5 - wear old clothes - really grubby clothes you you truly do not care about. No matter what you will drip some of the product on your shoulder, chest, etc.
6 - Have a few paper towels and a box of tissues hand to wipe up product - paper towels for the bathroom counter, floor - tissues for your forhead, neck, ears, etc.
7 - use clips and big fat comb to separate out sections of hair as you go along.
8 - Do all around your face - right & left - before you go towards the back of your head. This will help to make the color around your face to be uniform and not lighter on one side than the other.
9 - Have an old towel around you shoulders if you can (it doesn't always work - can get in the way with longer hair, etc.) We have a formerly white hair coloring towel in our house - filled with blobs and drip and wipes of hair coloring.

Good luck mama. I've been coloring my own hair for more than 10 years. I've saved soooooo much money! But I must say - when it's longer it is more difficult - when it's short it's easy! My 17 yr old daughter is a great helper - but she goes away to college in the Fall!!!!

Have you considered just doing root touch up? That's where the gray is, after all. A friend of mine says she and her friends all swear by Nice & Easy Root Touch Up - they all do each other's hair or have their husbands do it. It's pretty easy - I tried it on her recommendation and it's only $6-$7 a box. If you part your hair in pretty much the same spot or wear it pretty much the same way all the time, the root touch up should work. Do the part, then the area around your face and ears - you can re-part the hair so that the color goes on more than just a few strands, and you don't have to be totally perfect in parting it every time. The colors for Nice & Easy seem to blend pretty well with salon color. The advantage to this is that you aren't putting chemicals on top of chemicals - you are just treating the new, untreated hair as it grows in.

My tip-

When you open the box, they suggest you do an allergy test on your arm. Do it. It's far better than having a bad reaction on your scalp.

As for color selections, there might be an 800 number on the side of the box. the Clairol one was really helpful to my roommate who wanted to get jet black hair with red undertones.

Best,
F. B.

i liked preference, and also had good luck with clairol nice & easy (natural instincts did not hold the color well.)
i too was way too cheap to pay for it in a salon. happier now that i've gone au naturel, but you too can find exactly the right home color with a little experimentation.
:) khairete
S.