Help me color my hair

[migirl]

I'm 37yo and have waaaaaaay too much gray hair for my age!

DH has (reluctantly) agreed to help me color my hair (first time!) and I'm looking for any and all tips on what to do/not do and what at-home coloring products you like.

TIA!!

[MsSassyBaskets]

I've had pretty good luck with the Loreal foam color. I tried a Garnier foam and felt like it really fried my hair. The John Freida was ok. Have your DH bring home a few pairs of gloves - they're way better than the ones that come with the dye. I have my DH check the back of my head to make sure I've gotten around all the edges and that it looks even.

[medpedspouse]

I do not know about products but I would recommend going to Sally Beauty supply (or getting online) and buying the cape & plenty of gloves. If DH were doing my hair, I can just imagine all kinds of mess.

Good luck - let us know how it goes.

[mommax3]

I am too chicken to ever have done this on my own, but I have been paying for highlights, highlights/lowlights, and (as of four weeks ago) all over color for the past 10+ years. I hope it goes well....keep us posted!

[MrsK]

Remove all the linens, towels, shower curtain and rugs from your bathroom before you start and make sure you clean the counters, sink, floor, walls, etc. completely during and after. At home hair color is so messy and it stains badly.

[MrsK]

Also, I'd start with a semi perminant color close (maybe a smige lighter) to your own. It won't cover as well but extreme changes are hard to do at home and for the first time you might prefer something that washes out eventually.

[Sheherezade]

I did mine at home for a few years with semi permanent color that closely matched my own - Natural Instincts, I think. I figured if it was horrible, I could wash it out with a few vigorous days of shampooing! It actually didn't do much but brighten up my hair. That's all I needed then. Once we got richer and my hair got whiter, I went to the salon. Honestly, the first few times, I thought my own crappy at home job was better. Reds are hard. In the end though, the stylist does a decent job. It's crazy expensive to keep up, though. My mom now buys her stuff online and has her husband do it for her at home.

I agree with picking an area that's mostly tile so you can have easy clean up. It's good to have some old towels hand that you don't mind ruining in case it drips. Vaseline along the hairline helps stop stains on your skin and running of the dye. Plan out your attack before you start since it is time limited after you mix it up. The hairdresser paints on the dye but a lot of home preps are squirt bottles that you massage through the hair after applying. It's not so bad if you don't mind messy. Think fingerpainting messy. It's not something you can do without an icky feel.

[MrsK]

Also, depending on how much grey you have, highlights at a salon may be enough. I started getting grey at 24. When I was a single working gal, I used to get highlights done about 4x annually. That's all it took. If I had the time and money now, I'd probably do the same. . . maybe a bit more highlights than I used to get. If you have dark hair, it's a lot easier to go with some lighter highlights just to blend in the grey.

[migirl]

My hair is black so the gray would be hard to hide with highlights, I think.

Thanks for the tips and advice, everyone! For me it's mostly a money issue and constantly having to go back to have it redone. If I can train DH to do it well, I can save on both.

I think we could try it in the kitchen (tile floor), and see how it goes.

[MrsK]

My hair is black too! I use caramel colored highlights.

[MrsK]

And don't do "black" hair color. Go with a dark chestnut. Black hair dye always looks flat.

[houseelf]

Hey as long as we're talking about hair color, what does one do when their hair becomes color resistant. I have colored my own hair for years but I find now that my hair has more....experience...ahem...the color doesn't last as long. Any solutions to this?

I had to go a touch darker because the light color doesn't work as well anymore. I don't like when women keep getting blonder as they age.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

Unfortunately, covering grey hair is difficult because of the makeup of the hair - so it's not just yours - it's all grey hair!

[Pollyanna]

Hey as long as we're talking about hair color, what does one do when their hair becomes color resistant. I have colored my own hair for years but I find now that my hair has more....experience...ahem...the color doesn't last as long. Any solutions to this?

I had to go a touch darker because the light color doesn't work as well anymore. I don't like when women keep getting blonder as they age.

Do you know if you are using a 10 or 20 volume developer? 10 volume won't cover my greys satisfactorily.

I've been coloring my hair regularly since I as 26. Found my first greys at 18. I highly recommend finding a good colorist (it's worth the money). Take the time to learn how they do your color. It really is an art to do good color. When I say take time, I mean more than a year. When you are comfortable with the techniques ask for your formula and try out eSalon.com. You can send in your formula or they will create one for you. I've been really happy with their product. I need to color my hair every three weeks (long dark hair with more that 60% grey) so it is cost prohibitive to see my stylist that often. I go to the salon about every 3-4 months and use color from eSalon in between. One caveat is I don't have highlights, I just do a one color application but I learned how to apply it so my hair looks natural and not like shoe paste, lol.

[medpedspouse]

What Pollyanna said. The developer is the key. I started greying at 18 - although my mom says 15. Grey hair is a totally different texture and is a PITA to control - at least for me.

Anyhoo - my hair grows fast and I need root touch up every two weeks. Not paying for that at the salon. So, I go back to the stylist about every 6-8 weeks...mostly because my hair also needs a cut. What I have found works for me is to get highlights once a year (in the summer) and as they grow out (by the fall) I color all over and still have some color variance. My hair is curly and I need the highlights - if not, my curls get lost in a sea of dark.