Self Hair Color Suggestions??

i color my hair at home all the time, since really, who has the money to fork out for the salon all the time!! personally, i use Revlon Color Silk, which can be found at walmart for less than $3 a box, which is great if you have long hair bc you can actually afford to buy more than one box if needed. as for colors, i couldnt tell you any specific names, as i am a redhead not a blonde, but i can tell you not to get any color with the word ASH in it!! my sister is a blonde (or was when she was younger) and she bought a box of ash blonde hair dye once, and it actually turned her hair green!! lemme tell ya, she was NOT a happy camper!!

I have colored my hair myself hundreds of times. One thing I have learned never do bleach yourself. It can be really damaging if you dont know what you are doing. I totally fried my hair trying to do my own highlights. I like the suggestion of going to students if you cant afford to go to a salon, which is completely understandable it's really expensive. Otherwise if you would like to color your hair yourself do it something that doesnt have bleach in it meaning going darker than you are right now or just another tone of what you are now.

My hair took years to grow out enough to look nice again. I would really suggest against it.

If you don't have color on your hair right now, then take your desired hair shade level #, multiply if by 2 and minus your existing hair shade. For example, you may want level 10 and you are an existing 9. That equation would be D X 2 -N, or 10 x 2 - 9 = level to use. Therefore, you will need to use level 11. Match your existing color to a swatch at a beauty supply store, look for your desired color level, do the equation. Also, you will need to look at the tone of your existing hair color, do you have any red or orange in your hair? If so, you will need to use your desired level with ash or blue to not lift and have a brassy look. To get rid of a non-desired shade, go directly across from that shade on the color wheel. Therefore, if you have orange, you will need to have some blue mixed with the color to get rid of it. You will need to get 20 or 30 volume developer. The products that you need can only be bought at a beauty supply store. Don't buy a "kit" at the grocery store.

Color can't lift (make lighter) color. What that means is, if you have color on your hair already, you can't make it lighter using permanent hair color. You will have to use bleach to lift the existing color. Make sure you use bleach that can touch your scalp. Many times when this is done by someone that has never done it, they will get chemical burns on their scalp. Be careful.

My suggestion, is to have it done by a professional. If that is out of the question, go to a school and ask for someone that is about to graduate. They have to go to school for 1500 hours. This means they go all day, every day for almost a year. If you go to a school, you will most likely have to sign a waiver of liability. AKA, if your hair falls out in the sink, they aren't liable. Good luck.

Nice and Easy!!!Be careful some are NOT good for your hair...(I can't remember WHAT one my Stylist said that she has had to do alot of Fix It's because of it...So be careful...

You should not be coloring your hair at this stage of your pregnancy, especially lightening. The chemicals are bad.

Hi E., I work/manage a salon in Forest Lake and will give you $15.00 off of your first visit, (this applies to anyone)the reason I want you to come in is not for the money, but blondes are very tricky, even for the proffesional, your roots could turn orange, your ends could get paper white, not to mention brake off.

I am at City Looks Salon in Forest Lake
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C.

Like others I would recommend caution with doing that type of process on your own. Especially as you are not experienced with self-coloring. Lightening is much trickier than just applying color to cover gray or tint a little. And ULTRA blonde is basically the most difficult color to get right. I have had my hair pretty much every color of the spectrum and did it myself until just a few years ago. Depending how light you need to go you would have to bleach first and then tint with the desired blonde color. Assuming it all works out you then have a lot of maintenance to keep up with that color. When I went blonde I had a pro do it and it still ended up being very damaging to my hair in the long run. Have you thought about just doing highlights to keep salon costs down? That's an easy way to lighten your hair a lot and the roots aren't so noticeable either. That's my 2 cents, but if you're determined I liked Feria and Preference blondes.

I was in the same boat--our budget made it impossible to keep spending so much on hair coloring. So I tried out Regency Beauty Salon by Ridgedale--it's a beauty school but they do a good job and it costs about $35 (a little more if you need extra color, etc.). I tried doing mine myself but it was a disaster. They have a supervisor there whom the student consults with, etc., so it's a good deal. They have other services, too (haircut $9, etc.). I would recommend that route.

E.; yah to do it yourself saves you sooo much money, any way have a freind help you, it will turn out better, i helped color a freinds hair, and she did not like how it turned out, and so we colored it again, almost that same day , and that did not hurt her, but doing too much on your hair can damage it, so do what is best for your hair, the box will tell you not to do it agian for a short time, but know your own hair, it should be fine, and if you have really thick hair you might want two boxes anyway, a freind can help to make sure you get the back really well, or the roots, just have fun with it and enjoy , D. s hey p.s. read the label, you may not be able to do it while pregnant?

HI!
I just started coloring my hair at home. I have had great luck at the Sally Beauty Supply stores. The staff has been very helpful and knowledgeable. It is inexpensive and fun to look at all of the supplies.
Hope this helps.

One of my girlfriends has that blond hair and colors it to make it even blonder and she uses Garnier Nutrisse. (sorry if that is spelled incorrectly) I have also tried it and I have light brown and wanted to go lighter as well and I tried that brand and I liked it as well. It doesn't dry out my hair like other brands. Good luck!

I suggest you go to Sally's. Look on their website for a store near you. (www.sallybeauty.com) I go to the one in Burnsville - near ToysRUs and Michael's. They are fantastic with helping you to choose the correct colour and product. Good Luck.

Hello! Congrats on the new baby :). I color my hair myself as well, and I have the same natural color as you. the main thing is to go for more of an ash blond so that you don't end up too brassy. I would go to a Sally Beauty Supply and pick up a very light ash blond color with a 30 volume developer so that you get a bit more lift than a regular permanent color. I'm guessing that you are naturally light enough to not need to use a bleach. You can also ask a salesperson at Sally for help once you're there. Just a suggestion. I have also had good luck with the L'oreal Preference Blondissemes (spelling?)shades. I prefer Sally, though, because you can get professional color without a license which is better for your hair. Good luck! Just remember ASH blond. Also, if you can get away without using a bleach you will get a lot more natural looking result.

I've always used Clairol's Nice and Easy. I've been doing it for years. But I will suggest waiting until your baby is born. The chemicals can get into your scalp and possibly harm your baby, not to mention what you're breathing as well.

You have gotten so much great advice already! I just wanted to throw my two cents in. I've been a hair stylist for almost a decade. I rec getting your hair color from Sally because they can help you out, rather than guessing at the store. I would caution you though, ultra blonde is a difficult color to achieve, often taking two processes. In my experience, I have had a challenge getting the hair to lighten past the gold stage on a few pregnant women. Another thing to consider is the maintenance. You will need to retouch your hair evey 3-4 weeks. When you retouch you will need to be careful not to get any color on the exisiting blonde, otherwise you could end up with breakage. Highlights are a great alternative because they will lighten and brighten, but they will grow out more blended, and only need to be retouched every 3 monhts or so. To help with the cost of this you can do a partial foil, which will lighten the top and around your face. You could go to a beauty school or even Fantastic Sam's. They always have specials and coupons running. One last thought, it is less expensive to have it done right the first time, than it is to have to have it fixed professionally after a mistake at home. Good Luck!

I, too, have a hard time forking out $100+ each time I need my hair colored. That is why I often go to the Aveda Institute (NE Minneapolis). There, color jobs range from about $35.00-$70.00 dependant upon the length of your hair and the service itself (all over color, highlights, highlights and lowlights, etc). All work is done by students under the supervision of licensed instructors. My thoughts are that even students have to have offer more expertise than a 'do it yourself' job I do myself (I colored my hair myself once and it was a disaster!) :)

Good luck,
M.