First time hair dyer - box or salon?

[almondfinger]

In the past week the grey is popping up everywhere I look. it may be this low winter light (hopeful).

Anyway, I've reached 41 (2 weeks to go), never had to dye my hair. I don't have major patches of grey, just those long witchy strands here and there. I would even say they are not that noticeable but I may be deluding myself. Will get DH to take a good look in daylight tomorrow.

I have started asking hairdressers if the grey is getting out of hand and they generally say no. Since Jan, the pesky little blighters have been cropping up more often.

I have beautiful auburn hair (even if I do say so myself). I've looked at dyes and most chemists, supermarkets etc seem to just stock blondes, brunettes and plum red. DD2 found a perfect ammonia free match in the health shop today. Herbatint Copper Blonde.

So, first time dyer, v little grey
a. leave it
b. box
c. salon?

Leave it! There's nowt wrong with dying but it'd be well worth reading up on the nightmare that is stopping dying before you take the plunge.

What is this stopping dyeing nightmare? Good lord, I hadn't thought of that .

Well, to cut a long story short, one either has to live with the regrowth of chop it all off to stop.

Hmm. Mine is already very short. But not Sinead O'Connor short.

That makes things easier then! You really should do as you like, it's just a decision that I feel is often taken way too lightly.

Is it difficult to go lighter once you've gone darker?

Don't dye at all! I've been dying my hair since I was 13 and it's shit now! Wish I never touched it. Once upon a time I had long thick glossy dark brown hair. Now it's dry and ruined

Outer you can use a hair colour stripper but imo it's horrible stuff and even then I didn't get back to my natural colour

Thanks Glitz. I've been going darker and darker, and need to stop!

The whole regrowth of roots thing is a pb. Will hold off on the dye for now. Was just watching Julianne Moore on TV. My hair is her colour but not as glossy.

Believe me this decision is not being made lightly. I bought some colour last year that's still waiting to see the light of day. Having never even experimentally dyed my hair I'm very slow to start. While the whole 3 hours in the hairdresser reading mags seems like a fab I idea. I don't think I could commit to that on a 6 weekly basis. I'm v low maintenance. Quite glamorous, but unpolished, like a diamond in the rough

I do dye - could not stand one grey strand! In fact I am champing at the bit to get to the hairdresser for a retouch.

I used to colour it myself but found most of the dyes were drippy and my helpful mum commented my hair was all one colour -blocky looking (that's if I managed to get it all over my hair at all and not patchy. I am very clumsy and klutzy plus I end up making a right mess so now I bite the financial bullet and go to the hairdressers.

AFAIR Herbatint is a semi-permanent? And the one time I tried it I found it a bit feeble - it sort of tinted my grey rather than covering it, but then I have very dark hair and need industrial strength dye to make the grey disappear properly, it might work better on lighter hair. I don't think it would going to give you the same growing out problems as a permanent dye.

Have you thought about henna? Again doesnt cover grey like a perm dye but I think you would find on auburn hair that it would just tint the grey a bit which might be enough.

I hate box dye jobs with a passion. You will look like you've borrowed someone else's hair.

Salon colour can look good but it's going to cost an absolute packet and I wouldn't start unless you're sure you have the funds.

Why not leave it, at least in the short term and see what happens? Some grey hair can look really good. A decent cut is always more important than the colour, in my opinion.

No to henna, I remember putting some through my hair when I was about 17, it was a bit too 'flame' for me.

I agree with the block of colour look. I have multicoloured red at the mo which is lovely. Will get the tweezers out and get plucking!

I'll try to get another 6 mths.

Wheatgrass is v good for maintaining hair colour. Pity it tastes rank and makes me want to vomit!

Thanks for all the advice ladies.