Haircolor

[catnapper]

I color my hair to hide the fact that I'm 50% gray and not yet 40 years old. I have tried hairdressers and bottled color and nothing really does the job --- too dark, too light. Too ashy, too red. Fades too fast. You name it.

So I read online that people like me are best witha demi permanent. Which is a fancy way of saying temporary. I found the BEST solution for me this past week. Now, if only it doesn't wash out in 10 days like the rest (they all promise "last through 28 washes")

Anyhow, the way I found it was that I had tried everything from the aisles of Target, Walmart, etc. So I figured I'd go to a beauty supply store. I found something but the salesgirl gave me major attitude. She said salon hair is best. Oooh la-la-la. Maybe SHE has the money to spend $100 on haircolor at her store, but I certainly don't. I had issue with $12 for a box of temporary hair color.

Why is covering grey hair so difficult?

So whats your hair color?

[caseysmom]

I feel for you, I use to be able to lighten my hair myself and now I spend 125 dollars a pop...

[kittycats_delight]

My natural hair color is quite dark. A 'lovely' dark dingy brown. I used to dye it on occasion with a light natural auburn but when I started taking insulin my entire complexion changed and became very pale...death-like is the best way to describe it and all dark colors made me look worse still. My mom's friend is a hair stylist and suggested I try going with a medium golden blonde. She did it for me the first time and it cost me $20 plus the cost of the dye. My massage therapist thought it was natural. She had thought the natural brown was the dyed color. I dye my hair myself. Store bought dye. I use TestaNera Natural & Easy. It has 3 color tones in one. And it gives a really nice natural look. They also have one called Natural & Easy Grey Expert and it works amazingly well. My hubby's aunt is almost completely white on top but the back is a silvery grey and it takes to her hair perfectly. It is the first one out of countless we have tried that works. Don't know if you can get testanera there but check it out and give it a go. It has worked extremely well for us.

[Randi]

In my twenties/thirties I used Henna. It looked quite good, but I got fed up with it. I'm a natural blond, but going grey. What I like the best, is to get thin stripes put in, leaving a bit of your own color. I like to get three different color stripes. That way, you can let your hair grow out without getting that awful edge you will get with a full color. Nothing looks more horrible! It's expensive, but it will last for at least 6 months.

Another option is to get a "shampoo color" that you leave in for 4-5 min. It washes out after 7-8 washes, depending of which shampoo you use, but it doesn't leave that awful edge. Unfortunately, I can't get it in Copenhagen, but when I'm in England I buy it. Superdrug has it. Get one close to your own color, though.

[pomtzu]

Funny you should start this thread - I just re-did mine this morning.

I never used to color my hair - except for frosting or highlights - but over the past few years, I have gone totally silver from my natural medium brown. It really is very pretty - not yellowish at all like some gray gets - and it would look lovely on an 80 year old. But I still have time to go before I get there, and the beautiful glistening silver made me look at least 10 years older than I am.

My ex-DIL is a beautician and cuts and styles my hair, but I can't afford the salon coloring, so I asked her what to use - a temporary color since I don't want to deal with touching up just the growing out roots. She recommended Clairol Nice N Easy in a medium ash blonde (color 8A), and that works great for me, and actually looks like a dark ash blonde with highlights. It gives me a really nice color, lasts 6-8 weeks, and costs less than $8 for the kit at Walmart. I know it's time to re-do when it starts to get a little brassy looking and gray roots start to show. I get the foam formula, just apply it all over and massage like a shampoo, and after 20 minutes, wash it out. Pretty simple and pretty cheap to do too!

[kuhio98]

Kim ~ My father was completely grey by the time he was 25. I found my first grey hair at 18.

In my 20's, I did the henna thing.
In my 30's, I did the over the counter stuff.
Now, I pay $100 a bucks to have it professionally done with permanent color.

The lady who does my hair says that there are very good products on the market if you want to do your hair yourself. She also said that if you want to extend your color, mix a little of the hair color into your shampoo bottle. Then, each time you wash your hair, you're adding a little color.

She also said that if I decide not to color my hair anymore and let it go grey, to let her know and she'll start using semi-permanent color. That way it will wash out a little at a time. My hair is long, and I think I want to keep it tha way, so I don't want 6 inches of grey/white at the roots and the rest of it to be brown. I'm not ready to commit to that yet.

[Freckles]

I will never color, but I do have "highlights".
Check out my profile picture.

[jennielynn1970]

I used to go with a color to match my brown, which is a medium reddish brown. Then this summer I got bored. I decided I wanted to see how the blondes live. Never thought I would ever go blonde or look good blonde. I tried boxed color for it, but I couldn't get close to blonde with my dark hair. It was fine for my browns, but not for the blonde.

I go to a girl who lives up the street from my mom and dad, and for $60, I get a cut and a color from her. That is a steal!!! Granted it's a root touch up, for the original color it was $80 with the cut. But still, it wasn't nearly what they would have charged me at the salon I was going to. She does a good job too. I'll have to post a pic of it when she does my roots next Saturday. You'd never picture me as a blonde, I know I didn't, but I'm enjoying it, lol. It's REALLY blonde too, like a vanilla blonde. It seems to get blonder every time she does my roots, but I like it that way. Not sure when, or if, I'll go back to brown.

Forgot to add that I started getting grays when I was about 16. Was not a happy camper about it at all. I've got a lot of gray at this point. A lot behind the ears, and at the top of my head. Not sure what I'd look like if I let my "natural" color grow in. Don't think I want to know!!

[Freedom]

From my Mum's side of the family, we are all gray by the mid - 20's. Thanks, Mum.

I was working initially, and went to a salon. Once I stopped working to care for Dad, couldn't really afford that. I like Clairol's Natural Instinct and use that. It comes with a tube of conditioner which leaves the hair so soft!

With both the salon and on my own I tried to stick to my natural color for many years, a dark brown with some auburn. Then earlier this year the receptionist at the vet suggested I try Egyptian Plum. What a great color for those of us with olive skin tones! I buy it at CVS for $6.99, and don't have to spend 2 hours plus at a salon.

[Grace]

I'm a few years older than pomtzu, and I have very little gray - scattered through my hair - which is medium brown. Once upon a time I had highlights, done at a salon, and really liked the effect.

I used to envy my brother - he got the blond hair that got lighter every summer when he was out on Narragansett Bay. Now I don't envy him - he's got more gray than I do, and lots less hair

[Queen of Poop]

Grey hair is less porous, thus won't grab and hold any color for any length of time.

I've gone a few shades lighter with some much lighter hilights and I can't see the grey at all. But my hair grows really fast and I have roots showing around 3 weeks so I see my stylist every 5 weeks.

A good shampoo that won't strip the color will help extend your color. There are many out there made specifically for colored red, brown, blonde, etc. hair. Condition the heck out of it too so it doesn't get dryed out.

I found my first greys at 17 and have been coloring ever since. I did have the good fortune of working in a hair salon many years ago and learned some good tricks as well as all the fabulous things they can do with color.

[Taz_Zoee]

I do not have grey hair......at least that's my story. My hair is so many colors of blonde and brown that you wouldn't see one or two grey strands anyway.
But I go to the salon for my hair color (had a horrible home experience and swore I'd never do it myself again...I looked like Tony the Tiger). I have not figured out the correct way to state exactly what I want to my stylist. But I think I have it now. So next time hopefully I will get the color how I want it.

My mom has super thick dark brown hair. When she finally started going grey (in her late 40's early 50's) she started using box color (what ever brand is cheapest at the time, usually Clariol I think). So with her natural dark color and then the reddish/auburn color she adds it just looks like she has natural red highlights in her hair. She didn't go mostly grey in the front like most people do. She had speckles throughout her hair so it looks nice. I'm hoping to take after her in the grey hair department. My dad is basically all grey now and he is in his mid 60's.

[neko1]

I go to a salon, it's expensive but I love the results.

My hair color is the brightest, reddest red they have at the salon. I'm the only client that uses it!

My red used to fade very fast, but now that I've been coloring red for awhile, it lasts a little longer.

[chocolatepuppy]

I'm a natural blonde, but my hair is getting darker and darker. So a few years ago I started using Sun In spray and my blow dryer. Just enough to still look blonde and have highlights. I haven't went gray 'yet' at 54.

[sparks19]

My color comes from a box lol

It's permanent color but it's red so it fades badly. Now that I've been doing the same color for a year now it doesn't fade as badly as it used to and it doesn't stain the towels like it used to when I first started.