Thinking of getting red hair but going grey. Advice needed!

[SaunteringDownwards]

I’ve had a horrible time in my life recently and have let myself go a bit as a result. I’ve been trimming my black-box dyed hair myself for years and throwing black dye on it but I’ve left it so long I have so much grey root showing and I just feel awful. The black used to suit me in my goth days but I’m approaching 40 and it just washes me out now.

I’ve wanted to have dark/cherry red hair for a while and am contemplating booking a consultation with a hairdresser but I have some questions about it.

If I get it done at the hairdressers the first time, could I then upkeep it myself at home? And as I’ve got grey roots now would it not mean I have root burn all the time?

Thanks!

I used to have red hair (dark cherry red) and I loved it, my hair is naturally dark blonde and the up keep is immense, I think I may have had it done at a hairdressers first but it was years ago, but used to box dye it roughly every 4-5 weeks when I could and would get a halo within a few weeks. I loved it but you really have to be on top of maintenance, as fades etc. I wouldn’t consider it with a lot of grey hair coming through, if it’s only a bit then I would if you can stay on top of it

My main worry is getting it done, but then getting bright roots when I maintain it at home iyswim? I hate going to the salon and wouldn’t do it every time I needed a root touch up.

I would repost in Style and Beauty as you’ll probably get more responses. There’s a thread running where a lady took off black dye and is now copper.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/styleandbeauty/5348470-any-hair-colourists-about-help-needed

I would expect the hairdresser will tell you she needs to do a colour correction to remove as much black dye build-up as possible. What condition is your hair in, can it take quite a lot of processing?

I’ve been in your shoes and here’s what I did. Stripped the colour at home with colour remover. You will reveal a very strange gingery tone because even black dye has developer in it to open the hair shaft.

Live with that for a few days and a couple of washes - as long as you can. Sometimes after colour remover it can darken slightly again, this is why you must rinse rinse rinse as per the instructions.

Then put a semi permanent dye in your chosen cherry red. L’Oréal Casting do cherry red at level 4 and 5. Do not go any darker, it will pull darker than the box, they always do!

ETA: I went from darkest brown box dye to auburn doing the above. I just redo the semi permanent all over every two months or so and it’s pretty uniform. I’m about 50% grey at the front; less at the back.

Unless you're able to help up with the upkeep of the red I wouldn't as the regrowth will be even more obvious as it's a cool tone against a warm one. Have you considered a colour correction with the aim of going light or ash blonde?

I’ve had red hair since I was 15. Am 45 now. 90% of the time I’ve used box dyes.

I’ve just started to get a few gray bits and it definitely shows more so I want to keep on top of the root touch ups now - it’s not impossibly difficult though

i tend to find that if you buy a slightly different shade of red each time and do it yourself without being overly fussy you end up with a multitude of different shades running through the hair which. looks more natural and also blends in small amounts of grey at the roots

I’ve also moved more towards the red/mahogany tones rather than the deep red / purple tones now which seem to wear a bit easier now I not in my twenties.

red fades super quickly, it’s worth using coloured hair shampoos and conditioners.

This is the sort of colour I want for reference. If I were to do it would it take multiple salon trips?

I'm a committed home dyer despite being about 200% grey. Normally dye dark brown but this spring I decided to go more auburn.

What I did was choose a slightly lighter/redder shade of brown each time I bought a box dye, and put it all over, not just roots, so that it tinted the ends a little over the dark brown. But going gradually with the shade changes so that the lighter roots didn't look that noticeable. Sometimes I mixed colours, which was fun. After a few months, all my hair was a different shade.

I think it would take a couple of stages, @SaunteringDownwards. Removing the black to create a light enough base for the new burgundy red. Your reference photo isn’t all one colour either; there’s a balayage going on with different tones and shades.

I do the same as @zaxxon and @LurkyMcLurcker except I have now settled on one colour that I’ve been using every couple of months when the grey roots really annoy me. For a few months into the transition from stripped to dark auburn red, I thought my hair was a bit patchy but I’m happy with it now.

Of course, they’ve just discontinued my favourite dye, but I’ll find a replacement hopefully!

What brand of dye do you use, SoScarlet? I've tried loads but finally settled on Naturtint

I was looking at Naturtint for a replacement, @zaxxon. I was using the ‘new’ Loreal Casting Natural in 553 Spiced Auburn and LOVE IT so of course they’ve discontinued it 😫 Possibly will try standard Casting in 554 Chilli Chocolate but I hate any purple tones so bit nervous of it.

Yes, this is why I mix colours... the dark reds are too aubergine and the bright reds are too coppery. I've always got two dyes out of one box, using half the tint bottle and half the developer each time, but when I couldn't find the perfect auburn I started using 50% mahogany and 50% red, or something. It's more fun that way too 🙂

I have a red balayage, though brighter than you want. Maintenance is a lot otherwise it red goes orange soon enough. I use the Gem lites ruby red shampoo to maintain it, which has really good results, they have quite a few different colours so it might be worth seeing if there is one that would match in between hair dye.

I went dark brown to copper in one visit. She did a bleach bath first to lighten it enough, then straight in with copper. I do go back for maintenance as I'm fairly grey in places and it needs three different mixes to get an even result, but if you're using a darker red/are less grey than me it might be ok at home.