Semi-permanent hair colour - salon vs DIY

[CookieMonster]

Are there any hairdressers out there (or anybody else for that matter) who can tell me what the difference is between having a semi-permanent colour done by my hairdresser as opposed to doing it myself?

I am thinking about getting my hairdresser to do a semi-permanent next time I go in December and thought I'd try one out for myself before then to see if I liked the colour.

So I paid about £4 for a Garnier kit and tbh it looks great and the condition of my hair is superb ... so my question is what am I getting from my hairdresser that makes it worth ca £30? I assume it won't last any longer?

IMHO - the hairdressers will not look any better if you have found a good home colour one.
I've had a few at my hairdressers and really ended up thinking it was a waste and I could have done better.

I have had one home one that went horribly wrong though colourwise and had to have it professionally re-done.

Ooh, that's my absolute worst nightmare - doing it myself and it being a total disaster!

I used the Garnier Herbashine Mahogany and it really is a lovely shade .. it will be interesting to see how it looks in a couple of weeks, but at the moment I'm struggling to justify spending all that money at the hairdressers ... how to break the news to him though, having had my colours done with the same guy for the last 15 years!

I took note of what the hairdresser was using shade and product name then got myself to Sallys shop and stocked up..same result!!! That was a permanent all over colour...
Haven't risked the highlights yet but it's not rocket science...

CookieMonster, as long as you are pleased with the result, it will be just the same as if you had it done at the hairdressers. Obviously when you sit in the hairdressers to have it done you are paying wages and overheads etc, but that is all; the product should give the same result

Thanks for your responses everyone ... am becoming more and more convinced that I should do it myself. Yes, it's nice to sit in a salon and have it done for you, but the cost really is unjustifiable.

i do occasionally do colour myself but it looks so much better when the hairdresser does it and it lasts longer.

alemci - this is what I'm trying to get to the bottom of ... obviously they use different products in the salon - do they really last longer? (Am still waiting to see how long this Garnier one lasts)

Sally's has an online store aswell as RL ones. My old hairdresser got his stuff from there and swore by L'Oreal products (including the usual ones stocked in Boots).
These are used in Salons.
Sally's

IME my hairdressers semi lasts a lot longer thank the ones you buy in the shops. Wella products are what they use in my salon, they are superb.

yes and the colour is much better as they blend different shades more at the hairdresser. my home colour is a bit flat.

i do like semi permanents better than permanent as they are less high maitenance.