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.

[redbird]

I am all gray and have been for many years. It's not a silver gray but a platinum gray and I like it. It's all natural since I do nothing to color it at all.