DIY colour at home or salon colour?

[YouDoSomethingToMe]

My hair is dark brown and long (past shoulders). I have some grey, about 10-15% of my total hair. It is sporadic around my long hair and it is not a white line on my parting.

I have been going to the hairdresser to have it dyed for the past 6 months. I HATE doing this because I hate sitting in the chair for 2 hours (I want to get up and walk around) and it has been costing between £80-150. I did have some highlights but in but won't ever do that again.

Is there a massive difference between doing a DIY at home dye with the best quality product I can find and going to the salon? I have tried a few different hairdressers and TBH I have never been 100% happy with the colour.

Yes. The salon technicians get much better coverage. Home coloured can be patchy. Why don't you talk through the colours with the technician? They should mix you something and keep a record of what they do so can tweak it next time. Highlights are not going to work.

I don't agree with the poster above. I do my own colour and I get a result I'm much happier with than in the salon. I also have a few greys. I usually use Goldwell at home which is a professional colour. I have a beauty therapy license (but no longer work in this field) but recently I was traveling and so I had to use something else. I tried the Garnier nutrisse and I was very happy with the results. It's worth giving it a go. 😊 Whenever I have paid a hairdresser to do it it never looks as good as when I do it myself. And I also hate having to sit there in a chair for too long!

I used to spend a fortune on my hair colour, but have been dying it myself for the last 4 years (when I had a child, became a SAHM and could no longer afford trips to the hairdresser!). I have light brown hair, that I've been highlighting for decades, with an increasing amount of grey, and I use L'oreal Creme Excellence. Costs £6ish a box and I do it approx. every 5 weeks. Excellent coverage of the grey and I'm really happy with the colour. I was very worried the first time I did it, mind... Agree with raindropstea, it's absolutely worth giving it a go.

I have been dyeing my own hair for several years until recently. Mostly due to financial restraints and lack of time. But recently I tried a new hairdresser, her prices are so much more affordable (admittedly the salon is not that fancy). I have to say professionally coloured hair looks so much better. Well, in my experience.

I would try a cheaper hairedresser (or use groupon/voucher) than do my hair at home. Even when I had a bob, using all over colour, it didn't look as good if I used a box colour.

I do my roots myself every month and now I go x2 per year for salon colour and highlights
Much cheaper and as long as I get the correct colour it is all good
Hairdressers are better at applying it as they can see the back of your head but it isn't worth the money
Highlights on the other hand need a hairdresser

I may give the home colour a go. I did mention this above briefly but it is the 2-hour sit that I can't take. I have some hormone problems at the moment (menopausal!!) and I suddenly get panicky when I have to sit somewhere for a long time. I had my hair blow dried a few weeks ago for a ball and it was horrific! I wanted to run out.

I have always been told I have beautiful hair and this is the thing that I have spent the most effort on in the past (colour, highlights, Brazilian blow drys, deep conditioning treatments). I feel so sad that this is happening

Is there any way I can cut down the time I spend at the hairdressers getting a colour?

Why not get a mobile hairdresser come to your house ask them to apply the dye and then wash out yourself?

I do my own colour and genuinely don't see a difference to what I do and what the hairdressers did. I abhor sitting in the chair for hours and all the faffing about and the roots need doing every four weeks. I simply don't have the time or inclination and don't see the benefit.

However I dye my hair back to its natural colour, which is just basically brown, I use L'Oréal creme excellence also, in the light natural brown, and use the root touch up alternating months or if I'm in a hurry.

If I was getting highlights or something complicated I wouldn't attempt it myself, and I suspect if I was blonde I wouldn't either, as that can go brassy or easily wrong, and I see a lot of bad home jobs, but for brown hair is easy.

I would say though home dye kits are always darker for brunettes that the pack says. I use the light natural brown and I'd say I have mid to dark brown hair. So if you're a brunette always go for a pack that's lighter than your hair colour.

Mine looks marginally better when I get it done at the hairdressers, but not £60 worth of better, so I colour it at home with a box product 90% of the time.

I think if you are just dyeing hair brown a home job is fine really.

I get panicky at the hair dressers too, but I changed to a cheaper hairdresser last year and I feel much happier with her, they have a tiny garden space out the back so I sit out there with a cup of tea and a cigarette while I'm waiting for the bleach to work.

Just to say Dita von teese always dyes her own hair, she resents the money for a colourist and likes putting the dye on. She just uses an ordinary box dye in a blue black.

You could always ask your hairdressers if they have a private spot where staff smoke and hang about there for a bit. Or explain that you get panic attacks and that you want your hair done quickly, no faffing around and supposedly relaxing massages.

A few years back I was starting to freak out in the hairdressers and told the young girl I get panicky. Turned out she gets like that too so did everything to make me more comfortable.

I dye my hair red at home and honestly think it looks better for longer (colour stays more vibrant and always the same result) than when I used to get it done at the salon. Yes it's a faff putting it on, but if you have a friend /partner /mobile hairdresser that can apply it for you until you're more confident then I'd say it's definitely worth it.

Oh - and I have greys and use nutrisse. Covers them brilliantly

Mine looks better when done at home than in a salon

(Ps to you. I had that panic hormone thing in pregnancy, it was fucking awful. Hope it gets better soon for you)

I think if it is one all over colour then you'd be as well to do it at home. I've been using one that gets sent from the US every 6 weeks. Can't remember what the company is called, but I think it stays shiny for longer than with a boxed one.

If you can afford it, go to the salon. I get an all-over colour and you can definitely tell it has more depth/tonalities than what I'd get at Boots. Also - no missed spots - I hate ending up with a few strands of a different colour - it has happened it the past....

I can't imagine why it takes 2 hours in the hairdressers, its much quicker doing it yourself at home, its 10 mins putting bit on, and 30 mins leaving it to work.
You can get good results doing it yourself, any of the big sellers like Nice n Easy or the LOreal Excellence one are fine. Just follow the instructions. If you can get someone to help to do the back so much the better, but its pretty easy.
Just remember the dye looks MUCH darker on your hair than it does in the box - I would say I'm naturally a mid brown, but I get lightest brown dye, ( the next shade down from dark blonde)otherwise it looks too heavy.
Give it a go!

I use Garnier Nutrisse at home, have been for about 3-4 years I guess? Same colour every time (it's a light beige blond or something like that), and mainly to cover greys (I have loads and loads). Now I only put it on the roots, about every 8 weeks or so? Takes 45 minutes all in (and I can get on with things while it's developing) and costs about a fiver. I just can't imaging finding the time or the money to do the same in the hairdresser.

It did find a while to find the right colour but now I'll be in trouble if they discontinue it?! For instance, I used one once and my hairdresser made a comment when she cut it that it was a bit something I can't remember (warm/cool/brassy???), and gave me some guidance on what kind of colour to go for which definitely helped.

You are all lovely and very helpful

I last had it done 12 weeks ago and I think I can go about another month without it. Even then I feel I only need to touch up about an inch on the roots. I don't want my hair dyed all over every time. I have only dyed it twice and already the texture feels really dry and like shredded wheat. If I can just do the roots without doing the whole head every 3 months I will be very happy.

I paid £80 for the semi-perm dye and then £150 including highlights which I won't be doing again. I was also disappointed because I have some greys on my parting and even after sitting there for hours, the greys were still there. I was What's the point of doing it then!!!

Just one more thing. They usually dye my hair with a semi-permanent colour. Last time I asked them to put a bit of permanent on the parting which they did and I was happier with that.

Nowadays i always go for a Perm dye because of my tiny but of gray. I used to love casting creme gloss when I was younger, but I find I need perm now.

I use the Lush hennas - their browns are brilliant and your hair is left in amazing condition afterwards. The only thing is that they get right into the hair shaft, so if you want to die a lighter colour, you may have to grow it out first.

*dye not die. The latter would be rather an overreaction to a few grey hairs.

i think if you are confident and competent with makeup etc then you can happily colour your own hair. Highlights would be difficult but just tint regrowth is easy. I have ever ruined my hair by doing it myself but a hairdresser has. I found out she was inexperienced and had only done a 3 months hairdressing course before you started taking clients. She fried my hair, was unapologetic and said her other client had complained as well!