Seeking Help Coloring Hair

I am a hairstylist and my advice to you is this: Go down to Sally's beauty supply (they are all over the valley). In my salon I use Wella Color Charm liquid color. Pick out a color. They cost just under $4. You also need to purchase developer/peroxide. If you are doing all over color and making your hair darker than your natural color, you probably need 10 vol. developer. I use the Salon Care brand. You will need to mix your color 1 part color to 2 parts developer (not true with all color, but true with Wella Color Charm). If you have ?'s the girls who work there should be able to help you out. All over color is really easy and I think you can do it. Just don't buy the color in box at the store. I've seen that trash so many people's hair and it never seems to color your hair the color that you think it will. Good luck!

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Hi Lindey, I go to Sally Beauty supply and get the Wella and some 30 % peroxide it called. If you want the all over color it is really simple. You mix one bottle of the Wella to 2oz of the peroxide. in a mixing bottle and shake really well. Please wear gloves. leave on for about 25 min. and rinse well and shampoo and condition as you would. If you can let your hair air dry for the first time. I would recommed some Aura cherry almond conditioner as well for your hair.it is a bit pricey but you only need a small amount. It is so worth it. It is better for your hair than the box stuff

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It is really easy, and once you get over your nerves you will wonder why you were paying someone else to do it :). Pick a color close to what you have, stay away from anything that has ash in front of it. Apply to your roots first, the back is a little tricky but you can usually feel when it is wet enough. Once on your roots go back and pull it through the rest of your hair, start with a brush and brush it through and saturate the rest of your hair, wait for however long it says and then rinse it out.

Good Luck!!!

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I am a hairdresser and my advice would be to try getting your color from sally's beauty supply. Anyone can buy the color there and it will be better than the stuff in the grocery store. I would pick a color that matched your natural color then put it all over. They have swatches of the colors in the store. The wella color charm seems to work well and cover grey. Just remember you need to buy a bottle of developer with the color bottle, probably a 20 volume peroxide on the developer. The people in the store should be able to help you out if you need it too. When you have to recolor your hair because it grew out, try to just do the regrowth. The color doesn't need to go all over every time. Maybe you could have a friend help. I hope this helps.

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Don't be afraid! It's super easy - do it myself every 6 weeks. Go to Sally Beauty Supply and get a little haircoloring paintbrush - it works better for painting the roots than just the bottle tip. Use the pointed end of the brush to separate small sections of hair to "paint". I do all the roots first, then add color to the rest of the hair. For the rest of the hair I just squirt it on and use my hands (in the provided rubber gloves) to massage it in all over my head. As far as brand/color, I've used several - Preference, Feria.....all the brands are pretty much the same. Just find a color that is close to what your hairdresser usually used. Be sure to do an allergy test (as directed on the box) 48 hrs. before coloring. It really is easy and soooooooo much cheaper than coloring at the salon. It was actually my hairdresser that taught me how to do my own hair when I was making personal budget cuts almost 15 years ago. Been doing it myself ever since and have actually had hairstylists question where I have it done because it's such a great job!! You can do it! Good luck!

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I have dyed my hair for years (until recently) and have always had a friend do it for me. I buy it and she comes over and we have a girls night. I have quite a bit of gray (for being 26 anyways) and I prefer Nice and Easy. It keep the grays at bay. :) Now I have always just dyed my hair black, which is pretty hard to mess up, so if you do something more complicated then you might want to ask around and see if any of your friends have done what you are wanting before. One thing I have notice is if you are going dark you will have to re-dye ALL your hair when you dye it. Now this could just be my hair or the dye I use, but I have found the darker permanents do fade so I never did root touchups. However I do agree with Amanda, you can go to hair school as well. I have hair down to the small of back, and it was becoming too much to rinse in the shower (and was buying $25 worth of dye), so I started going to a school. It is cheap (mine was $20) however if you are doing something more complicated than just dying your hair all one dark color, you might want to request an advanced student. Hope this helps!

i am a cosmetologist and i would not suggest the box hair colors you can get at the drug stores. i would go to sally beauty supply and have them help you chose the right products for your hair and they will tell you how to use them. :)

I'm in the same boat! I will be curious to see your responses!

One thing you could consider, depending on the finance situation, is having your color done at a school. An all over color isn't technically difficult and the schools charge a fraction of the cost of a salon. That way you get the professional product with a discount. You can look up in the phone book some local cosmetology schools and call for a price range before you decide what to do.
If you do decide to do your own color with product from the store make sure you write down the color that you choose to do because it may or may not look how you want it too and you'll want to know which one you used, so you can either buy it again or avoid it the next time.
You could also have someone help you color it. It really isn't hard and you could have a friend help you. Just follow the instructions on the box. They come with everything you need and the instructions are usually really easy to follow.
Good luck

I love messing around with my hair color and I have never had a "bad" result using a box. I do think tha if you can afford it Sally Beauty Supply would be a good option, but I do have to say that usually buy revlon for $4 and it turns out great. Just make sure the color is what you want first-do the strand test in the instructions.

I go to a great salon called Lowry Urban Salon. My hairdresser is Kayte Charles and she does a great job!

This is simple, actually. Buy a box of hair color at Target or Wal-Mart. Follow the instructions. Put an old towel/blanket underneath the area where you're standing in the bathroom so that drips don't stain the bathroom floor. Also, put a towel over your pillow on the first night.

After about 12 years of salon color, I bought the $7.00 box, did it myself, and was then mortified at the amount of money I'd spent over the years!

Garnier Nutrisse is a good brand.

Hi Lindsay!

Try this book: http://www.amazon.com/Hair-Color-Mix-Book-Salon-Perfect/d...

It's packed full of tips and tricks and methods to successfully color your hair at home. I have it and have used it on my daughter (I'm not brave enough to work on myself quite yet though) and have had great results with the product recommendations. Totally worth the investment!!!

You could try going to a cosmatology school to get your hair colored, less scary than doing it yourself and way cheaper than going to a regular salon.

I've used a few different brands and Loreal (True Match) is my favorite. It really is not hard to do on your own. You will probably need to do the roots every 4-5 weeks. Let me know if I can be of more help.

I guess that you could maybe talk with your hairdresser and ask for information as to what color to buy etc. I have been having to do my own due to finances also.

Hi L.,

Rather than going with a traditional commercial color, I'd recommend checking out a natural brand called Naturcolor. I used this for several years to cover grey and my hairstylist was amazed at the richness and natural look of the color. The best part is that it doesn't have harsh chemicals in it, which can be carcinogenic. My scalp never burned while using it. It's available at health food stores -- I used to get mine at Vitamin Cottage. (I quit dying my hair when I married a gloriously, also prematurely grey-haired man, and it actually looks really neat!) Dying it yourself really isn't that hard, but a friend's help would make it even easier. :) Blessings!

The first place I would go is to a salon school. Colorado Springs has some awesome schools. The students are supervised by licensed professionals, so you get the cut & color you want and pay a fraction of the cost. I go all the time and always ask for a senior student that specializes in whatever I want done at that time (cutting curly hair, color/foils, etc.).

Hi L.,

For an all over color, try:
http://www.haircolourtogo.com/

They are a salon that mixes the color for you and mails it to your house after making your fill out a questionnaire about your hair type. They also send you the actual color swatches to look at before you order it.

I think they are better than store brand because it lasts longer on your gray hair, but less expensive than a salon. You have to put the color on your hair with a brush, where most store stuff you put it on your hair with a bottle.

M.

L.,

Being a hair stylist I hesitate to recommend anyone to 'over the counter color' or store bought color. However, I understand when people tell me their in a financial crunch.

My suggestion - please be careful, because store bought color is unpredictable. The reason hair stylists get a license is because it takes some chemistry & understanding of color & formulas to make great colors.

Anyhow - my best advice is to find a color closest to yours & stick with a brand like Loreal or Clarol thats been around for a while. They have perfected their lines. If you're an all over color have some go section by section only putting the mix on your roots. Leave on for the directed time... the last 5 minutes smush through ends & use excess in bottle on ends too just to refresh them.

I cannot guarantee any positive results because It depends on the color you choose, they type of hair you have, the condition of your hair, etc etc. Mind you - grey hair is the hardest to color & get accurate results.

GOOD LUCK