Advice needed on dying dark brown hair red

[rainbowinthesky]

Hi
I haven't dyed my hair for 20 years when I used bodyshop henna.

I am starting to go grey - a few hairs, and would like to dye my hair red although not too shocking! (despite my mother saying this is an inappropriate thing to do as I am a teacher and what would the headteacher say

Any advice or recommendations? I cant really afford to get it done on a regular basis at hairdresssers so really looking for good home products.

I am interested in this too. Except I have not coloured my hair since shaders and toners!

Very dark, verging on black hair here so I am not sure how to deal with colour. Would prefer not to do highlights due to time and costs involved.

I have v dark brown hair (I think!! - not seen my natural colour for some years!) and I always use the Schwarzkopf Live XXL permanent dye. I use 'Red Passion' for a nice red colour which is brighter in the light, but not too in your face. I've also used the Live Luminance which is especially for darker hair as it contains a a lightener as well as the dye. That gave good results as well but wasn't as subtle as the first one and I found looked quite orangey as it faded.

You can pick it up really cheaply in Wilkinsons, Savers, Home Bargains etc. I never pay more than £4 for a box.

Thanks, MrsMeow. Have you got any tips on applying it properly?

No problem :) how long is your hair? It's pretty easy to apply the one I use as you put it on dry hair. The one thing I always do is put Vaseline around my hairline and on my ears which stops the dye from staining. Put the dye on until you have no dry hair left and make sure that you massage it through to the ends. Usually I get DH or the DC to check behind my ears to make sure I've not missed any! Then I just put a shower cap over it and wait for half an hour before washing it out :)

Thanks. My hair is above shoulders but I am growing it.

I dye my dark brown hair with Garnier Deep Reddish brown I think it's called. Nice colour looks red in the light but not too in your face. I have grey hair which is why I dye my hair and on the grey bits (which are around my hairline mostly) the colour is more red. But nothing too bad or noticeable and anyway it looks miles better than grey .
I also put vaseline around my hairline but try and be careful putting the vaseline on because if you get it on the hair it may not colour as well.
I do the roots first with the dye as that's where the grey is, wait 10 minutes then put the rest of the dye onto the rest of my hair including the ends. But if it's your first dye job then I think you should put it on all your hair at once and then do the roots first thing on your next go.

I am a serial hair dyer (about to quit and go grey, another thread entirely).
Assuming you really mean what you said about not wanting to go too "shocking", I suggest you use a semi-permanent colour. It'll be bright enough to show up (unlike a temp colour), but will fade after a while so is less of a commitment (unlike a permanent one). Live XXL will give very bright colour that is hard to remove. I would use L'Oreal Casting in your position. If you decide later that you want to go brighter, you will probably need to pre-lighten with bleach. See my pictures for the results of that!
Apply to clean hair that is not full of products or conditioner. The wash it day or few before you dye, using just a clarifying shampoo (head and shoulders will do) and just a tiny bit of conditioner.
If you have not dyed it before, it's pretty easy to get even coverage. Apply to dry hair (once it's all wet with dye you'll know it's reasonably even), then comb through with a wide toothed comb. Wrap your head with cling film, the extra warmth helps the colour take, and it'll stop most of the risk of drips.
I suggest that you use 2 packets of dye. I can get away with one, but my hair is quite fine and only chin length. Not enough dye = patchy result.
Once you have dyed it use a shampoo for coloured hair which is silicone free. Not head and shoulders, it will fade your colour.

I would get it done at the hairdressers the first time (use their expertise in picking the right shade) and then maintain it at home yourself. And bear in mind that bright red fades really quickly so you have to redo it more often.

Oh and I would steer clear of live xxl, I used it last time I dyed my hair and it came off on my towels and pillowcase for WEEKS afterwards, and made my hair really dry. Boots botanics are good, they do semi or permanent.