Hair colour - Semi Vs Permanent, is it less damaging?

[ilovekittycats]

I have been colouring my hair with permanent dye for about 15 years to cover the grey but now find it is very "fluffy" for want of a better word. If I let it dry naturally it is awful and then put in velcro rollers. If I blow dry it is ok but still fluffy and I feel I have damaged it over the years as every 4 weeks I do the roots and then comb through the rest of the length (just below chin length bob). I am wary of using flat irons as it may cause too much damage but do occasionally.

I am wondering if I used semi permanent if it would be less damaging. I also seem to have problems with the root area looking lighter than the rest of the length.

You probably won't get very good grey coverage with a semi permanent.

I found that the semi did not cover my grey bits so I do roots with a permanent Clairol nice and easy root touch up kit but I do not comb it through the rest of my hair - I suspect this is why your hair is getting dry and fluffy because you are coluring the same hair over and over every 4 weeks - is this really necessary? What about a hair mask - I really like the pantene masks in the tubs and they are a third off I think in Superdrug at the moment.

I'm not sure how effective semi colours are on grey hair. Even a lot of the semi permanent colours you buy in boots etc are not true semis. I think they are a Demi colour? (Could have made that up ha)

True semis only have one bottle. Ie, no developer bottle.

I know there's a range called Adore that do gorgeous natural colours that is a true semi and will not ruin your hair. I used mahogany and my hair went a lovely shiny brown that lasted quite a while.

Oh and even if you are colouring hair with a dark colour, it still contains peroxide so is nearly as damaging to hair as lightening. (Sorry if you already knew this :D)

My Mum has this problem, she swears by argon oil treatments for her hair and conditioning overnight once a week and her hair does look better to be fair.

I'm not sure how effective semi colours are on grey hair. Even a lot of the semi permanent colours you buy in boots etc are not true semis. I think they are a Demi colour? (Could have made that up ha)

True semis only have one bottle. Ie, no developer bottle.

I know there's a range called Adore that do gorgeous natural colours that is a true semi and will not ruin your hair. I used mahogany and my hair went a lovely shiny brown that lasted quite a while.

Oh and even if you are colouring hair with a dark colour, it still contains peroxide so is nearly as damaging to hair as lightening. (Sorry if you already knew this :D)

Fucks sake, how have I posted twice? Apologies!

Thank you, it sounds like the semi may not cover the grey then. The last one I did (or should I say my daughter did for me) was an age defy one and she really went to town all over including the bits I don't do properly at the back, took ages but didn't cover the grey at all. I was so annoyed after she took so much time to do it so well LOL.

I did do the root touch up once and and was really impressed with the shade but my hair was darker then. I also think it didn't last as long as it should and washed out. Maybe I should try another one in a matching shade to what I have now which is light brown.

I do have a Dove hair mask that I think I read about here that you put on for 5 minutes on clean hair and then rinse out but that didn't make much difference. I also have John Frieda keratin smooth (or something) shampoo and conditioner which I have used for the second time and this morning maybe it did seem slightly better, I need to keep using it and see if it helps over time.

I appreciate all the replies, thanks!