Help! Stuck in a highlights rut and can't afford the maintenance - what are the alternatives?

[champagnesupernova]

Have been having my hair highlighted professionally for my whole adult life (the last 16 odd years)
Since having kids, I have had to let the amount of time between appts creep longer and longer and am rather skint at the moment so wondering if there's an alternative.

My hair is the most miserable dull mouse colour naturally.

I usually have a mixture of colours, honeys and caramels as well a bit of bleach if we're any where near summer.

Back in my youth, I used to tint my own hair with L'Oreal castings but it used to vary between rather unattractive beige and scarily close to olive.

What should I do?
TIA MNers.
I await your wisdom.

[wordassociationfootball]

In v similar situation, just not feasible financially. At about highlights + ten weeks it looked appalling but I just sat it out. Eight weeks on it's not half as bad (I don't think) the colours have faded and it all blends in fairly well [deluded, poss not planning to ask for opinions]. I can't afford to have highlights full stop so that's not an option. A few times I've picked up kits in Superdrug but I just think the likelihood I would make my hair look dreadful and yearn for this semi neglected look is very high.

[wordassociationfootball]

So to sum up, I'm just going to carry on doing nothing.

[champagnesupernova]

at doing nothing.

I let them go when I was PG with DS1 in a pfb and I look back at those photos and omg I look so washed out and awful.

Is asking the hairdresser for an all over colour rather than highlights cheaper???
Or do you have to go back just as often, if not more so?

[snowmummy]

Go to the hairdresser and have an all over semi permanent put on. There are loads of different colours, they're not bad for your hair, and they give a great shine. I change my colour often but have not had highlights for years and I would never go back

[mutny]

Getting an all over colour is cheaper. But try and stick to something like bearish your own colour to really obvious root growth.

When I found highlights to much, I went for an all over. I also mine at home on occasion. I have used the new garnier olia home colour that has come out and love it. The colour is great and my hair feels fab.

[Dillydollydaydream]

Maybe an all over colour and a few Highlights through your parting so you don't end up with just a block colour. If you have a full head of highlights maybe alternate between t-section and full head?

[Lovewearingjeans]

Pretend you are going for the ombré look

[Olivermoliver]

DIY Garnier multi lights easy to use, even my hairdresser can't fault them, just through the top layer of hair every 8 weeks. Worth a shot!

[LFCisTarkaDahl]

Do not go for an all over colour - I made the mistake of thinking I couldn't afford it and went browny red shit flat colour for a couple if years.

It aged me. Now I pay 80 quid for colour and cut every 12 weeks for half highlights, every 4 times I get a full head.

£320 a year is not a lot to look not shit. Agree that the highlights look a wee bit rubbishy at 9 weeksish but by 11 look fine and a bit rocky.

[Wowserz129]

Not everyone looks shit who doesn't have highlights or has an all over colour!!!

I would go for an all over colour. Personally I think an all over colour in a nice shade looks a lot better than outgrown highlights

[cerealqueen]

You could go to your local beauty school an get a student to do it for you, or even local hairdressers might have model night?

Alternatively, start putting a demi like Castings on it till the highlights grow out - this is what i did, it took a while but worked well.

Or diy highlights with a cap and then a demi / perm over it?

[LFCisTarkaDahl]

Course you're right Wowser but I'm over 40 and I looked terrible as it was obvious I had grey and then was covering it with colour.

If you're young you can get away with flat colour or if you're old flat colour expensively applied like Nigellas.