I've been going to the same hairdresser for about 19 years and since I began to go grey (I'm 53), get lowlights done and occasionally highlights too. However, my hair now fades from the medium brown she uses to a mousy-grey after about 2 weeks and I can't afford to go more than about every 6 to 7 weeks.
So I'm wondering if I can start using an over the counter dye for grey hair between appointments. Will this adversely interact with my hairdresser's dye (a Schwarzkopf product I think) and will I have to wait until the over the counter product grows out before I can get my hairdresser to dye it herself?
The whole point is so that I don't have to go around with mousy brown faded hair for about 3 to 4 weeks before I can afford to return to the hairdresser's and I really want to be more autonomous and do it myself. I've even thought of ditching the hairdresser altogether and starting to dye it (and cut it) myself all the time, as I usually have to trim it a bit anyway between appointments.
What's the risk of dyeing your own grey hair? Will I over-dye it and end up with even drier thinning perimenopausal rats'-tails? All I want is to get sleeky golden reddish brown locks but the dye my hairdresser uses never gets that tone right. I think she uses a beige or brown base colour and it fades so quickly to pale mouse brown with grey showing through.
Can anyone recommend a foolproof, great product for dyeing grey hair at home that won't destroy my hair and will allow me 6 to 8 weeks of continuous luscious locks that take about 10 years off my age?