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 have long, dyed coppery hair that I colour and cut myself. It's all one length and all one colour, so it's easy. I think if you're doing all over colour (not bleach blonde) home dye is the way to go!

Actually the only thing I'd get absolutely get done at a salon is a perm. Ballayage and ombré are also easy at home - the first time my friend and I dyed our hair at home aged 11 we used a ballayage technique without even knowing

I only get mine cut twice a year in salon, I touch up the side fringe myself.

Another one who does it herself at home.
I use L'Oreal casting creme gloss in cherry red or black cherry. £7 a box and Tesco often have it on offer, 2 boxes for £11 It's a semi permanent so fades out and I can change what colour I want easily so not stuck having to get roots done or hair stripped if I change my mind about colour. Nor do I have the money or time to spend getting it dyed at the salon.
I have naturally dark brown hair and both shades make it a lovely shiny auburn red. Most of my greys are at my parting on top and this dye makes the grey hairs go a different shade so it looks like highlights too.
People often complement me on the colour and others have asked me which salon I get it dyed in.

My hair always feels soft after using it and it lasts 2-3mths and I wash my hair most days. Top tip if your doing it at home. Wash the dye of in the shower, don't hang your head over the bath/sink. You'll get all the excess dye out that way and any mess is contained and easily washed away.

Thanks for your advise. Think I'll alternate lovely salon trips with home kits...and will source my hairdressers product online.

Depends what colour you have/want if it's reddy i say carry on at home if it's ashy then i would stay with a salon. The make up of shop bought tends to be stronger and have a more red bases (all colours are made up of a mix of warm -red - and ash -green - tones), as the green tones fade quicker you are often left with a reddy colour.

I have a very ash brown and when i used to home colour after a few washes i looked like a horse chestnut - which isn't my colour at all. I stopped home colouring 2 years ago and you can still see the line across my hair (about jaw length), even tho my colour is the same, the harsh reddish block colour is still visible. The salon part looks so much better a really natural look with tones and highlights in comparison.

Personally i wouldn't alternate, i use a root spray to cover greys and go every 2-3 months instead.

I think the problem with people buying shop dyes is that they can tend to plonk a permanent colour all over their hair and this then builds up and builds up as the longer pieces of hair could have 7/8/9 lots of dye on them - this then causes that chalky look that makes hair looks obviously dyed (imho anyway).

My hair is totally dyed but my hairdresser comes to my house every six weeks - she cuts it and does the roots - every third visit she does two colour highlights.

In between I dye the parting and hairline myself. I use the L'Oreal Majirel dye that she uses and the developer crème. I have a tub and a brush and I don't seem to get any in my hairline. I am so grey and my hair is dyed light brown that I tend to do a few mm of my roots about every 10-14 days.

It doesn't take long and most people are really shocked when I tell them my hair is dyed. To me that's invaluable.

Before I got a hairdresser I used to use Loving Care or Lasting Care I think - it was always very dark - I'm a bit old for that.

Every now and again I wonder about getting the hairdresser to dye it it's natural grey colour but feel a bit young for that!

It is most certainly NOT the same chemicals in salon tint and shop bought boxes! Plus colours don't translate usually as in even if the salon told you the colour you have you can't buy the same colour in a box anyway.

With hair, you get what you pay for.

I'm blonde (ish) and in the past I have tried packet dyes, but each time have ended up with flat yellow hair.

I go to hairdressers for a colour every six weeks. I enjoy the two hours I'm there. But to help with cost, I have it coloured with a fringe trim every 6 weeks then a full cut every third colour. I don't have it blow dryer either. The colour costs me £39 on its own then £79 for cut and colour. Fringe trim is free.

I use daniel field organic dye- leaves my hair in very good condition. Its a tenner for one bottle or two with long hair. Salon dye does look better but i don't think that much better.

Not a fucking chance I'd bleach my own hair. Not a fucking chance.

If you knew me though you'd agree-I'm clumsy and I go in like a bull in a china shop. I'd end up with appalling burns.

I think you get what you pay for - I have mine coloured every 6-8 weeks. It's a complex process with at least 3 different colours being used. No way could I replicate that at home

I did dye mine at home, but now I don't. The box dye really did wreck my hair, it was so dry and brittle and just couldn't do a thing with it after a while. And it got that horrid red tinge that I just couldn't get rid of. So now I only go to the salon, and she mixes up different shades for me. I am fair and the box dyes were just too much of the same if you get what I mean. I now have mixed shades and highlights, which I don't think I could do anyway. But I definitely do not do mine every 6 weeks... more like 4-6 months. My colour now isn't that different from my natural colour so the roots don't show so badly. It fades more in summer (live in hot country so swimming etc does fade it quicker) but now we are in winter I will go in a few weeks and that will be me for a good few months. I do get cut every 6 weeks or so though.

And its my treat to myself every now and then. I also feel so much nicer after I have been to have my hair done.

I did my own for years and have had it coloured in a salon more times than I would dare to add up (thanks DF and your premature grey genes).

People study hair colouring to be able to do it in a salon. You will get a much wider range of choice, tones and expertise than you could ever get at home. Plus convenience and no mess.

I think if you just want an easy tint/all over colour it's fine. It's miles cheaper (unless you wreck a carpet like I did!). But it will look better at a salon. If you have lots of grey, I would always pay, as the texture and timing is different.

I've been colouring my hair blonde at home for years after it got ridiculously expensive at the salon. Never had any problems - even now there are grey hairs.

I have also switched to going to a drop in barber style hairdressers where they just spray and cut. It costs me £12 for a cut and about £5 for a box of colour - a huge saving on salon prices and I can just decide when to get it done without having to book in advance.

I think the hairdresser is worth it! have very dark brown hair and at least 50% grey. I find I just don't get good enough coverage with a home dye. My hairdresser says she uses dyes at the more natural end of the scale and I think the results are good - it feels like there are more different tones in my hair than when I used to do it myself. I pay about £45 and go about every 5 weeks... but it only takes an hour and a quarter (40 mins for dye to 'take' is the longest bit).

YABU - you're sitting in a chair for 2.5-3 hours, these people may 'only' be hairdressers but it's a skill that's worth paying for, and at £60 a time I don't mind paying £20ph considering there's costs for wages, overheads, etc. What do you think a reasonable amount would be?

It depends on the colour you use and how often it needs done. If you're going for say dark brown and do it every month you'll end up with black ends because of colour build up. Mahogany colours seem to come out best from a box dye and will look even if you're doing it maybe every 2-3 months rather than every 4 weeks.

I think darker shades look ok if done at home , blondes not so much .

If you get dye on your skin , rub some of the dye over it and it will come off easily.

Been dying my own hair for 20 years. I've only fucked it up totally once and that was my own dumbass fault for trying to go blonde from black on long thick hair. I did a repair dye job and chopped it. It was fine afterwards.

Even when I've dyed myself on occasion it goes after a day or two max. It's really not an issue to me.

@condensedmilksarnies I've heard that..It really works?

You wont get such a professional result. You need to remember that you are paying for the colourist's time and experience as well as the actual product. I can always tell people who do their own colour. I'm not a hairdresser by the way. But both my mum and dad are!

Henna is good if you don't want to damage your hair or use chemicals, it looks really natural too. It is a lot of work though and you're not supposed to dye over it, you have to grow it out, so probably not for everyone!

It's to do with the level of peroxide in box dyes I believe . Hairdressers are trained in how much to measure out the peroxide to dye ratio for your hair type and colour. Box dyes are usually a lot higher so they will dye different hair types and it the peroxide that does the damage combined with the time its left on for.