Hair dyes - any recommendations?

[gingernut]

Gingernut is a bit of a misnomer these days, so I've decided to start dyeing my hair. I'm starting to look much older than dh and I'm not having it!

I'm an (almost) total ignoramus about these things though, so does anyone have any recommendations? I want something that'll last a few weeks maybe, definitely not permanent in case I really hate it but not wash-in wash-out because I don't have time to keep re-doing it. I was thinking of going for a mid- to dark brown as I've tried dyeing it redder (in the dim distant past of my teenage years) and it looked a fright.

Thanks in advance!

I used to use "Castings" for a semi permanent colour. They were easy and gave a good result I did get quite a lot of colour loss for the first few washes - don't use a pale towel to dry your hair!! I'm now into permanent ones though - Garnier Nutrisse.

I splash out at Toni & Guy every few months and have it done properly....justified by not going out anymore so saving money

I have highlights, which catches some of the grey ones, and I like to think makes a nice mix of colours. Mind you I had highlights before I had any grey

The Live Range do both permanent and semi permanent dyes in the same colours. Semi permanent should last about 8 washes I think. Check the box carefully for what type it is. The semi ones are in smaller boxes though. Superdrug, Boots etc all sell it.

Got new (think was l'oreal) hair dye and highlighting kit the other day - was great success and I have to say I feel a hundred years younger (than my 28!!)

First you dye hair and then drag this mascara wand type thing though it - looks lovely, v trendy which for me - with boring plain medium brown hair is a big change!!

Castings has a really good reputation - did a research thing for Revlon - used to be marketing analyst - and they always came out on top (castings - not Revlon!)

Thanks for the suggestions ladies. I'd like to have it done professionally, but I'm `between' hairdressers ATM - having it done by a new one on Thursday in fact. If she's good I might let her do it after a couple of cuts. In the meantime I thought I'd try doing it myself to see what colour suits. I think highlights might look a bit strange - natural colour is quite dark but with a reddish look to it (was auburn as a child). Anyone tried lowlights BTW?

May I make a suggestion? If you do it yourself, invest in a Tesco 'value' pastry brush. They are flat, and about 1.5" wide, and they really help you put the dye on the roots evenly. I mix the dye in the bottle, and then transfer it to a dish.

If you are home dying i recommend doing it on a Friday night so you have the weekend to get rid of any disasters before having to take the kids to school Monday!
My hair likes Henna, but is very goopy, i always have disasters with the strong smelling permanent stuff.

I like Movida, which is semi-permanent. It only takes 15 mins to develop, smells better than a lot of others, and leaves your hair really silky. Only warning would be that the colours often seem to come out darker than they look on the packet, so go for the next lightest shade if you're going to use it. Also, if you are going for a reddish shade, be warned, it's a bugger to get rid of unless you cover it with something darker!

I've had low lights, I have mid to dark brown hair and had a half head of red low lights, it was quite nice although not hugely noticeable. I then had highlights, blonde and gold colours and I didn't like it as it didn't suite my skin and I felt I had to wear make-up all the time, also the blonde bits looked frizzy if I didn't dry my hair properly.

I currently have Compose-it colours (done by hairdresser) a mix of aubergine, black and cappuccino, it's semi-permanent but she put it on in different sections, so I have got alot of black and aubergine at the front and cappuccino mixed through the black and aubergine at the back. I quite like it, a bit different from the usual all over semi-permanent colour and it leaves your hair really shiny. Ooooh I think I've just talked myself into getting it done again!