Bored of my mousy brown hair

[viviennewestood]

I have shoulder length mousy brown hair with a slight ginger tone to it. I've never coloured it but I'm getting so bored of it and want to either go more blonde or more ginger. I'm leaning towards the idea of ginger though, I love naturally red hair.

Is there anything I can use that doesn't involve paying salon prices and that doesn't require much upkeep?

Here's a pic..

Semi-permanent box colour costs about a tenner, depending on what you get and what's on offer. It'll fade out in about 6 weeks, although reds fade faster than other colours. If you go for something close to your natural shade, you won't notice the fading as much.

Any decent semi permanent hair colour would work. Always choose one a shade lighter than you'd like as they quite often end up darker than you were expecting.

something like this although superdrug also have a wash-in/wash-out in a coppery-gold here that you might want to try first, it only lasts a couple of washes.

Lush henna

Tennessee I love the L'Oreal one.

I looked at lush henna but was confused as to how it works and how you know what kind of colour you're going to get.

I have mousy dark blonde/ light brown hair naturally and last year decided to go a bit lighter. My hair goes lighter in the summer months anyway but i decided to give loreal sunkiss gel a try. Its a mild bleach, which seamed a bit scary at first but the change is very subtle and you repeat every few days to get to a shade you like then you can just do a single repeat every month or so to maintain the colour or it fades out.

You use it on wet hair and just rub a big blob into your hair with disposable gloves on your hands. The effect can then either be sun activated by sitting in the garden to let your hair dry or you can heat activate using a hair dryer. No need to wash out and I quite like the smell.

I'm fortunate to have quite a few natural tones in my hair and i like that this makes it all lighter so it still has tone rather than being coloured one colour then having high lights and low lights.

There was a guide to colour results knocking about somewhere. I'll have a look.

In fact there's a whole thread about henna if you fancy the natural route

Lush henna chestnut (in German kastanienrot?) the second red one so natural ginger.
Big block. Your hair is as long as DD's so you'll need a whole one.
Someone to help you would be good. I did hers.
Cut up the block into bits. Dissolve in hot water to make a runny consistency, bit like melting chocolate.
Vaseline hairline and ears. Massage it evenly through hair. Put on a bathing/shower cap and wait three hours.
You cannot use dyes or bleach on hennaed hair after. It will fade out/wash out eventually.
Hair is glossy when first done.

That said, your natural hair colour is not that far off what my Dds is now after hennaing but hers is slightly redder. Maybe that shade but an extra hour. You could really go for it and have the red one but it will be a lot redder.
I used to use a temporary red shampoo. That would be cheaper and does not last as long as henna.

There are four colours. The red ones are Rouge and Marron. I think you mean Marron, kimmy, (it sounds lovely in German ).

Don't use the Lush Henna, order it online from Henna Boy - much less faffy!

I'm going to have to do some henna research! I'm jealous that my brother got the ginger genes. I've been resisting the urge to colour it for a while but it needs sprucing up.

This is the exact colour I want but it's permanent. Should I avoid permanent?

You look beautiful and your hair so healthy that I can't make any suggestions!

Thank you dudsville I don't feel it at the moment!

Avoid permanent, roots whether lighter, darker or blander are always a pain.
That way madness lies. if you must then a semi-permanent.
Yes just You are right - marron (french for chestnut, isn't it?)
Ooh quim less faffy sounds good (it was faffy OP)

I went for it

Not too drastic but I like it! L'oreal casting creme gloss in Amber.

Lovely!

That looks gorgeous.