To think dying hair at a salon is a rip off?

[Noodlebugs1981]

I've been dying my hair in a salon for the past few years. I look forward to it and love pampering. My grey bits are getting pronounced I need it done every 6 weeks or so - and at £60-£100 a go, it's an expense I'd rather not have! Also, with two small kids it's time out I don't really have. My hairdresser/s have always said shop brought dyes are much more damaging/drying/"you can tell a shop brought product by the state of their hair" than the ones you get in hairdressers. Am I being gullible? Or should I get jump into shop brought dyes. I understand this is a small problem in today's world, but just interested in views of (non-biased) hairdressers!

I love my colourist and she's really creative - I don't mind paying for her to make my hair look natural

I had years of box red - till the greys got too much - now it's a lovely warm brown with tones of gold and some blond foils - looks much nicer

Oh I get mine done every 6-8 weeks - when I get it cut

I always use box dyes at home, and my hair salon have complimented me on both the colour and the condition of my hair. I mostly use root touch up - I use that when needed (I am grey underneath!), and only dye the whole head about 2-3 times a year or if the colour is fading a bit which it only does if I have been in the sun in Summertime. I have even managed to change to a shade lighter without bleaching by careful use of root touch up.

I go to a hairdresser who uses Organic Colour Systems- it's cruelty free and low in volatile chemicals. So it's a guilt free and pleasant experience. If I didn't have that option I would (and have) used cruelty free dyes at home. He does a very good job- only sees a couple of clients a day, and it's in a lovely setting so it's a very relaxing experience. I also get away with every 12 weeks.

Been colouring mine for about five years now. Great condition. Four pound fifty when on offer against at least fifty pounds in the salon. I put vaseline on my ears and hairline to prevent staining.

Use Vaseline around the hairline to stop dye staining your face.

Time wise it takes me 1.5/2 hours to get a colour trim and blow dry, it's not a significant amount of extra time compared to doing it at home, yes the expense is more I can understand that factor but the time one doesn't make sense to me.

Any tips for keeping the dye off forehead etc?
I read a good tip for this recently....rub a bit of vaseline round the hairline, stops the dye from staining.

I'm over 60 and been doing my own hair colour for 13 years now.

Always used the salon previously but hairdresser made a mistake with my booking - just before I was due to fly out to the U.S. for a very expensive trip - and had booked me in just for cut and blow rather than colour cut and highlights as requested. As hairdresser was fully booked he suggested he just put a semi permanent quick colour on which should suffice for the holiday. Loved the colour but realised I could have done this myself without the hefty price tag!

Bought a Nice n easy semi permanent colour next time and have stuck with same shade for 13 years. Hair is in great condition and I am Billy whizz at doing it now myself. I colour every 3 - 4 weeks, alternating between semi perm colour - lasts up to 24 shampoos but my grey roots come through quicker now - and root touch up.

Semi perm colours, IMO - and as previously suggested by hairdresser- are the way to go to avoid hair damage as these are less harsh. Definitely wouldn't pay hefty salon price now!

@FatGirlWithChocolate I used to use Vaseline around my hairline to stop from accidentally dying my forehead.

Getting my hair done is my one luxury, I have it icy blonde with a shadow root I wouldn't get that out of a box

I've done mine at home with salon dyes. The difference in price for my whole head is about £20.

It's worth that not to have to deal with the mess it makes of the bathroom (Fake redhead with long hair. It gets every-fucking-where!)

I suspect that almost all hairdressers are going to do a better job than almost anyone trying to do it themself at home, however you can probably find fully qualified hairdressers who would charge a lot less than that. Stay away from fashionable places and find a local hairdresser, or a mobile, or, as someone above says, go to your local college where they are very closely supervised by tutors and always looking for people to practice on.
It doesn't need to be one or the other.
(I pay £20 for my mobile hairdresser - sometimes up to £30 if she cuts my dcs' hair whilst mine is 'taking'.)

I've been doing mine at home for about 5 years now!
Never had it done in a salon but I get quite a few compliments on my hair!
Takes a while to get the hang of it though, I used to do red and once missed a chunk at the back! Red fades so I just did it all over. Now I have it blonde, so just do the roots then combine the stuff through. (natural colour light brown).

I've done mine with salon colours for the last 6 years. i'm giving my hair a bit of a rest now, so got the salon to dye my hair back to my natural colour, but my hair has always been in good nick. If you are dying a salon red, put a tiny bit of brown in as well. That helps keep the red colour longer. (I speak from experience here!)

I do my mums at home with salon dyes. Ive always been good at hair, I should have been a hairdresser really. I cut hers and the dc's, and I do my friends foil highlights as well.

Hairdressers are always horrified "you can't cut your own hair!!!" Why the fuck not, I grew it. And I have had some serious colour fuck ups in the salon so I just would never ever bother. Not to mention the cost!

My hair is almost black and I've grey hair coming through, along with a baby face. Weird combo.

I do my hair at home. It's fine, doesn't dry it out, but I appreciate it's not a complex colour naturally. My hair grows at least an inch a month, more in summer, so I'm having to do root touch up every two weeks, unless I can bear the black/grey contrast.

In fact my hair and nails grow so fast it's blooming inconvenient, but I worry that the spray stuff will come off in the rain or just from running about!

Natural redhead, now greying - just can't find the right colour in the shops...tried quite a few...looked awful...messy bathroom... gave up and went to salon. Expensive yes, but worth it. As a previous poster said, you get what you pay for. I need to keep up appearances, going to the office with patchy orange hair just won't do.

I think it depends what you are doing. If its all over dye/root though up then i don't see that its that different doing it yourself. However if highlights or ballyage i don't see how you can do that yourself

I colour my own hair every 8 weeks but its fast getting to the stage where I think I need a professional to do it but am avoiding it due to cost so will wait till I cannot avoid it anymore and then have it done and then will suck up the cost and resent the time

If its an all over colour then at home is fine. I have long hair and have dyed it myself for years. I always get compliments on the colour and from hairdressers too when getting it cut. They are always surprised its a home dye. I've been chocolate brown all the way up to fair auburn with everything in between done at home.

I ombred it myself too and that go my hair in a magazine so its not exactly difficult but nowadays I go to the salon for anything with bleach or more complicated because I enjoy it.

I've done everything myself for 15 years and none of you could tell.

I've bleached
Dyed
Cut
Extensioned
Relaxed
Permed
Protein treatment-ed

And nobody has ever known that I do my own hair until I tell them.

I pressed send too son - obviously I'm capable of handling my own hair but the products make a big difference

I think it's a waste, I have much better results at home with a packet of clairol nice and easy.
I used to pay £60 a month but as i have grey hair all around the front of my hairline I need to top up every few weeks which is really an extravagance I can't afford not to mention their mirror makes me look 100 years old.
Quite honestly I think I do a better job than the salon. A friend cuts it for me.

I buy salon dyes and Olaplex to use at home for balayage. Made my DP watch a couple of videos on youtube and it turned out to be much easier than expected. He does a really good job and I'm really happy with the results so far.