Newbie Mom Wants to Cover Gray Hair

I am 40 also and just started to get a few white hairs ( I am a redhead). Luckily I do get blonde highlights at the hairdresser. However, I do color my teen daughters hair and a few friends with the demi permanent color at home. It is super easy and washes out gradually. I suggest Loreal. If you have a Sally's beauty supply that is the best place to go and they can help you pick everything you need and answer any questions you may have. Very inexpensive and you can do it alone of have a friend of family member help. Good Luck!

I can relate to being nervous about covering those grays . . . I have thin, shoulder-length blonde hair, too.

About ten years ago when I decided to color my hair, I used a product that was good for 30-days - temporary - called color casting (or something like that). So, I bought a box every month because I was nervous about treating my hair in general -- damaging the hair, but it worked out just fine. Eventually, I got around to trying a permanent hair dye treatment, and have never looked back!

I use L'Oreal Prefernece, number 8 1/2A - Champagne Blonde, to 9 - Golden Blonde. I love it - thin blonde hair takes well to coloring. The perk about coloring your hair is that it gives it more body because the coloring agents attach to the individual strands of hair and give it more texture, lift.

You will be able to do it. Good luck!

Whole Foods now sells some great all-natural hair color products. I LOVE THEM! Good luck!

You could try a beauty school or vocational school - they are often looking for volunteers to practice on, and they are supervised. Otherwise use a name brand product - you can try some offprice stores that sometimes carry things like that. If you do, check the expiration date on the product box to be sure it's still within its effective dates.

The other thing is, use a color-protection shampoo from the same company. Do not over-shampoo, and do not shampoo for the first 48 hours after coloring - you can wet it and style it, but don't wash it. If you can shampoo every other day (wetting in between) the semi-permanent color will last longer.

It will grow out depending on the rate at which your individual hair grows - the average is 1/2 inch per month.

See if there are "hair samples" at the place that sells the products - I know it's synthetic, not real hair, but it's hard to match colors off the box. Take another friend with you to help you match things.

Have a great time!

I'll be 41 on thursday and I've done both salon color and from the box. I have to tell you I was so pleased with the results from doing it myself. My stylist actually recommended me trying it at home. She said the products are similar, they just mix the colors. I ended up getting the least expensive one they had at Walgreens and my hair looked great! If you're nervous, try a semi-permanent color. The at home color cost $2.99 compared to a $35 treatment. Big savings, which as a sahm is important. =)

Sucks!!!!
Nice and Easy has beautiful coverage.....you cannot screw it up!!!! And once you've done it you'll feel liberated-the best place to buy it is at Target-the prices are lower. Just read the box and work it through like your applying gel and at the end of your time your lather it up like a shampoo and rinse! The heardest part here is finding your color!

Best of luck!
You'll look great!

hi,
i am 41 and have been attending to my grays and whites for 5 years now. i have blonde, thin hair. the shade varies depending on the time of year as i am a sun worshipper. i started off using nice and easy, good coverage and affordable. the ammonia was a turn off though so i tried revlon colorsilk and never looked back. i apply it every four weeks and only to the roots and then i wash it out. i do not pull it through to the rest of my hair for the last five minutes. my grays remain pretty well covered and it does not affect my natural color. it took me a couple of tries to find the right shade, but since i only do the roots, this was not a big deal. it costs anywhere from three to five dollars depending on where you shop. hope this helps!

Blessings,
K.

Hi - I've been having my hair colored for years, and this is one procedure I would never do myself. Selecting the color can be tricky and you want it to look natural, and protect your hair. I have several blonde friends (OK, light brown) who have highlights put into their hair to hide the grays, rather than having a full process color that covers every strand from root to tip. Ask around your friends who color their hair and see how much it costs in your area. I've found that there's been a migration of Newbury Street salon professionals out to the suburbs, and their prices have come down accordingly. Good luck.

Hi C. - Definitely use Clairol's Nice & Easy - it's the best and incredibly affordable. I do my own hair for the same reason & have never had a problem with that brand (from my own personal experience - i've used others & never again!!!! it came out horrible!!! so now i stick to nice & easy every time). If your nervous about doing it yourself - ask a friend or sister? or an aunt or whoever - to do it for you. it takes no time! and they can see all around your head to make sure no spots are missed. have some coffee/tea & some pastries while you wait before you have to rinse it out. =0) have fun with it and good luck!

I receive emails from Sephora and they recently advertised a type of "pen" that you use directly on areas that need coverage. I have used a stick type before that I bought at Sally's, but this seemed easier and better looking. You can go to their site and search for such products. I cannot remember the brand name.
Hope this helps.

you could try to go to the beauty academy, much less $$ and a little more experience.

You can absolutely do this yourself.

I am a 47 year old licensed cosmetologist and I have been coloring my own gray hair since I was 23 -- WAY too young to be gray! I started out using a semi-permanent color and it worked very well until the gray started getting out of hand. At that point I switched to a permanent color and still do it myself.

If you use a semi- permanent color, there is nothing you can do wrong, except pick the wrong color, and even that will go away in 4-6 weeks! Just be SURE it's semi-permanent and not permanent. A good rule of thumb is that if you mix two bottles/tubes together, it's a permanent color and NOT what you want. The word developer will also be used in the directions for a permanent color. For a semi-permanent color to cover gray, I would choose the color closest to your natural color or one shade lighter -- that would basically make your grays highlights. Most name brands will be fine. Follow the directions and try to keep it off of your skin as much as possible. Voila! You have beautiful shiny hair, with no grays! It's that easy.

I wouldn't, however, recommend doing a permanent color yourself without some guidance from a cosmetologist.

Good luck to you!