Tips for using semi permanent hair dye for the first time

[chanie44]

First time using one and I would like some words of wisdom. I've done the allergy test, which should be clear tonight.

I have some grey hair I need covering, but it's only a tiny amount around my temples.

I have really dark hair and the colour I've chosen is a reddish tint, so i expect it will leave a really subtle tint, rather than a stop and stare change.

Any words of wisdom will be appreciated.

Be careful not to splash the dye all over the bathroom and end up permanently staining your white cupboards! (you may be less clumsy than me).

I have very dark hair with more grey than that and I find I have to leave it on for the maximum amount of time if I want it to cover most of the grey. I'm not sure if that's because of the amount of grey I have, the darkness of my hair or the fact that all grey needs that amount of time for the dye to take, sorry. You'll probably just have to experiment. I find it does change the colour of all my hair though (unlike non-permanent dyes, which are completely invisible on my non-grey hair), so you may come out redder than you expect.

Have fun!

When I dye my hair I do it in the bath - less chance of splashing dye everywhere, and nice relaxing wee soak while waiting for it to take.
The only thing I would say is that you may find that your grey becomes a brighter red than the rest of your hair, which if its very dark, might just have a reddish shine under a bright light.

That wouldn't necessarily look bad at all.....but it might not be what you're hoping for?

If you have long hair that's quite thick - get 2 packs and use liberally.
Also remember, red is the hardest colour to get out again.
My poor DD will be trying to grow out red from her hair for the next few years!

I have brown hair with no red tones and found that when I dyed it using a shade with a 'warm' reddish tint it did seem too strong and for me too unnatural. On advice from the manufacturer I dyed over it with a Medium Ash Brown to cover up the red tones. This did work but left my hair in poor condition for a while. I avoid DIY dye jobs now and go to the hairdresser.

Be careful with the grey. The red will be much brighter there and may take agrees to wash out. I have mousy hair with a fair amount if natural blonde highlights. Whenever I have gone for a reddish color the blond had come out so much brighter (almost pink) on occasions.

Use vaseline around the temple to avoid dying the skin.

Thanks for the tips. I'll be doing to tonight.

My experience of semi-permanent colour to cover grey is that:
a) you have to do the roots endlessly - well, every four to five weeks, and the grey hairs didn't hold the colour particularly well anyway
b) it gave me a flat shiny colour that didn't flatter my skintone - probably because I'm naturally mousy and no colour I tried ever matched my natural colour
c) it faded quickly but never totally washed out but it did turn brassy quite quickly
d) in the end I decided it was enslavement and I cut my hair really short and just decided to live with the grey. Where's the shame in grey hair anyway? (I'm 40 btw)

I was probably naive to think that it would not be permanent - I kind of assumed semi-permanent would wash out or fade to my natural colour. It never did - I ended up with very brassy ends which were nothing like my natural colour. It was high maintenance, just as much as a permanent colour I think.

What brand semi permanent have you got?

I've used Adore semis before, and really rate them. But I don't have greys so not sure how well it performs on them.

I used it after I dyed my hair brown after being bright blonde. Just to top the brown up without using peroxides etc. It was a lovely natural shade and really glossy. You can also add it to your conditioner as a little top up too.

I also find it doesn't really fade much. It lasts for months. And I don't think roots are a problem unless you have a lot of grey. There is no point advising you on colour, if you already have it. But I find the slightest hint of red can come out quite strong. And dark brown looks really really dark. But let us know how you get on.

So chanie, how did you get on?