to think home dye kits are just as good as going to the hairdressers?

[papayasareyum]

I've always spent about £90 for a cut and colour and been happy with the results. The last time I came out and was chatting to a school mum who said she always dyes her own hair at home. Not highlights, just a mid reddish brown semi permanent dye kit. Her hair does always look lovely.
Can home dye jobs look as good and if so, can you recommend a nice mid brown colour?! When I think how much I'm spending at the hairdresser, it makes me cringe!

[VimFuego101]

I do mine at home (DH applies it for me). I put Vaseline around my hairline/ ears to stop the dye staining my skin, and have a black towel so none of the other towels get ruined. Wipe the bathroom floor over straight away to catch any drips. It comes out just as good as the hairdressers. I've been doing the same color for years though, I wouldn't change colors without getting it professionally done.

[SirChenjin]

I dye my hair at home - I've got a lot of grey coming through, so it would be a trip to the hairdressers every 4 weeks and I don't have the time or the money.

I use Vidal Sassoon's mid cool blonde which is brilliant, takes away the red tones that I tend to get with both home and hairdresser dyes and then use a purple shampoo. The last 2 hairdressers have complimented me on the colour and have been surprised when I tell them it's out of a box (either that or they are being polite!).

Obviously can't do highlights at home, but at around £80-100 for the base colour plus high/lowlights I'll live with that.

[OldManJenkins]

Yes they are only sometimes because it's cheaper they use a red Base which can make your hair warmer but now a days there are cool/frosted/ash tones which take that out.
You can also just go Sally's and buy the colour from the hairdressers yourself.

I went into a hairdressers they charged me 25 for a toner in Sally's ithe cost 10
And it only stayed for 2 weeks!

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

Most dyes, even the dark shades contain hydrogen peroxide nowadays for that reason Barnacles so you might be able to skip your bleaching first, but if it works for you don't let me stop you.

[blowmybarnacles]

I pre-treat my grey with Hydrogen Peroxide, it opens the cuticles
and the hair grabs the colour better. It has to be 9% 30 vols though.
I also use SLS free shampoo, that stops the colour being leeched when washing.
Doing both these things keeps my colour for longer.

I read about these things on mumsnet!!

[50ShadesOfEarlGrey]

My hairdresser gave me the following tips:
Fo brunette hair then go a shade or two lighter than you think you want, otherwise you tend to come out looking like a old emo! (Not her words, she was much more diplomatic)

Also, if you have a lot of colour in your hair already, then when you get to the point of putting colour on the ends don't leave it on as long as the instructions say. Naturally your hair is lighter at the ends as its older hair, and if you want a natural look then you need to replicate this.

My hair, done at home , looks great for 3 weeks, but then the grey comes through, but it does the same if I go to the hairdresser!

[1stWorldProblems]

I think it's fine to use home dyes but it looks better if you can get someone else to do the roots bit - my DH does mine (since the hairdresser I had from age 5-30 retired). Another person doing it will give you more even coverage, which will look more professional. I get all my dye, brushes, etc from Sally's Hair Supplies as you don't have to be a hairdresser to shop there. I do have a block colour - I don't think I'd expect DH to attempt highlights with no training.

[Piemernator]

I did go to the hairdresser but have become allergic to dye. If anyone has any pointers to a anything gentle and the results they got please write here. Myhair is streaky silver people say I'm lucky and that it looks like deliberate silver highlights but I hate it.

[LosingTheWillToSkate]

I prefer a hairdresser by far, but can't always afford to spend 4 hours getting my hair done. When I can't I use a John Frieda one.

[BennyTheBall]

As IF Holly doodah dyes her own hair! Or Davina for that matter.

I do a bit of both.

I am plagued with grey roots, thanks to my 'grey from a teenager' genes. I sometimes home dye just the roots, but go regularly to the hairdresser for a pro job. But it's blimmin expensive (£150 )

[Nivea101]

Not me Tap which is why I'm getting more low lights each time so hopefully one day I can do it myself as I do think darker hair is easier to colour.

If I had Holly's money (and hair) I'd be going to the best in the land not doing it myself over the bathroom sink.

[TapDancingPimp]

So does anyone actually believe that Holly Willoughby uses a box dye then?!

Given my recent experiences, I'm going with 'no fucking way'

Or maybe she's just really good at it!

Seriously though, any fellow light blondes - have you found a box colour that works well post-salon treatment?

[Ilovewillow]

I think the quality is probably pretty good but I think unless you are good with the application then a hairdresser is better!

I'm not very good with the application, hate the mess it makes and quite like the relaxation the hairdresser option provides.

[expatinscotland]

It's cheaper, but if I could afford it, I'd have a hairdresser do it.

[DizzyNorthernBird]

I used this one a week ago:

www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/vidal-sassoon-salonist-permanent-hair-colour-5-0-medium-neutral-brown?gclid=CNi_mPiBxs0CFcG6GwodHvYBEQ

Bought this one as I liked the idea of using a brush (included in the pack) to treat my roots first as they do in a salon. I'd been putting off using it for a while after buying as I thought it might be a faff, but it was actually really easy to use, and less messy than kits where you squirt dye from a bottle nozzle. So far I'm really pleased with the results but I only wash my hair twice a week so I can't comment yet on how long it'll last.

I'm very dark but have greys at the front of my hairline. I'm a bit fan of the Nice 'n' Easy root touch up kits. Very quick and easy to use and you can usually pick one up for a few quid.

[Nivea101]

I have highlights and lowlights every couple of months and a cut it is far too expensive but I've had home hair dying disasters that take far more money to fix up in the long run!! The last time was about 6 years ago and my blonde attempt ended up more like the colour of an orangutan so I went to a local (cheaper) hairdresser and it was way too dark and looked like it had a greenish tinge so in the end I had to go to the expensive hairdresser I was trying to avoid going to in the first place.

[CrushedNinjas]

Home dye kits are fine for brunette tones but you're unlikely to get a natural look if you want to be blonde.
Most hairdressers only have basic colour knowledge so you need to find someone who has done advanced colour courses if you want a really good job doing.
Paying a lot of money in a fancy salon is no guarantee of competence.

If money's an issue, book in as a model at a hairdressing college/salon teaching advanced colour classes.

Sally's staff are notoriously ill-informed, by the way. I've overheard some appalling advice in the past such as 'mix peroxide into a direct dye and it turns it into a permanent colour...! Or 'you need to use 40vol peroxide with that bleach...

[SenecaFalls]

To answer shrunkenhead's question, I dye mine to cover gray. I dye it close to its natural brunette color, but a couple of shades lighter.

[TapDancingPimp]

In fact I recently found an older pic of myself from my salon-colouring days and I couldn't believe how shiny and bright my hair was. Now it looks like shit!

I can't justify the cost at the minute though.

[TapDancingPimp]

I've been dying my own recently and I hate it .

I'm very light blonde and even when I buy the absolute lightest shades it never works and I always look brassy, even when I use purple shampoos.

I think when you have blonde hair coloured professionally it's very hard to transition to home kits again.

But that's just my experience.

[AdoraKiora]

Oh, and I dye my hair to give a richer colour and to cover grey.

[AdoraKiora]

I agree with previous posters - all over brunette colours can be just as good at home.

I'm dark brunette and use a semi permanent box dye. I switch shades now and then, but usually go for a warm, deep brown. Currently Loreal Excellence Chocolate Brownie. Gives a lovely shiny colour.

If I was doing anything more complicated, though, I'd go to a salon. I've had balyage and a dip dye over the last 5 years and would never attempt at home!

[shrunkenhead]

Are you all dyeing your hair because you don't like your natural colour or because you're going grey? I sometimes dye mine different shades of red (at home) , just for fun and it doesnt last long if I dont like it anyway. I dont know what I'd do if going grey.... That's why I ask.

[ByTheSea]

DH does mine and we save loads.

[pod100]

I dyed mine at home for about a year to save money but now I'm back at the hairdressers. I found loads of the brown colours (even dark browns) gave my hair a red tone and I ended up going almost black to lose it. It looked great for a week after dying but then I found it went full quite quickly and the condition of my hair (which has always been excellent) went really dry. The colour was also really flat with no tones. Been back at the hairdressers since February and my hair looks lovely again now