Hair dye recommendations from a box

[xine15]

I've been trying to dye my hair at home for a while to save money while on mat leave and I just can't seem to get it right. I was getting to the point of thinking of going back to the hairdressers but obviously now I can't.

I have dark brown hair but starting to get greys coming through hence the dying. I'm just looking to stay approx the same colour, and cover greys. But every 'brown' I've tried I've ended up really red. And I wouldn't mind if it was a nice red/auburn but it's a really fake, orangey red. I don't understand, am I doing it wrong? Or is there a good make I could try.

Help please!

I use Casting by L'oreal and it is not a permanent but lasts they say around 28 shampoos.
They have a good selection of brown, but I actually have to go down a shade as they are quite dark I found, or maybe I am quite dark. I use the number 700 which is called dark blonde, but blonde it is not www.lorealparis.com.au/casting-creme-gloss/semi-permanent-hair-colour-700-dark-blonde .
If in doubt about a colour , you should select the lighter.

Please don't box dye! Instead once lockdown is over go for a low maintenance look , I have balayage with a root drag so it only needs a root touch up every 6 weeks(which is far cheaper) and I have the blonde bits redone every 4-6 months it makes it much less expensive, I buy quality products to keep the colour fresh and use masks and oil to keep my hair healthy i also take biotin as breastfeeding made my.hair really brittle and it grows like.mad and is really shiney now , and if your pregnant /breastfeeding it can really effect your.hair so please be careful and leave to the professionals x

What's wrong with box dye? I've used it for years and always get compliments.

Which box dye and shades have your tried? What shade is your natural colour?

Box she's are formulated as a one size fits all but everyone s hair is different one formulation may suit some but could give very different results to others including allergic reactions, also a box dye is one colour you never get the dimension and salon application if you.do it from a bottle , also you can end up with dry patchy hair that needs expensive colour correction and conditioning treatments that cost far more than a standard colour it's just not worth the risk , my best friend is a hair dressers she has to fix so many botched box dye jobs & it will never look like you've just walked out of a salon x

@MarylandMayhem I've tried a number but can never remember exactly which . I'm pretty sure I have tried clairol. I go for 'dark brown' type ones. Just want a pretty big standard brown. Naturally I am dark brown, occasionally a v slight auburn hint in the summer if I've been in the sun a lot. But I've tried to dye my own hair at least 4 times with varying not great results :(.

@Fromthebirdsnest that's interesting, I am breastfeeding but my hair has seemed to be fine. It's always in pretty good condition. I haven't dyed it all that often so that prob helps. Trying to get as close as I can to natural so it isn't so obvious when I don't get it done for a while. Really trying to save money but maybe I will just have to bite the bullet when things reopen. Any hairdresser is already going to shake their head at me when they see my home cut! (In my husbands defence he actually did a great job!)

Thank you @LeGrandBleu that's helpful

This is the current state. Not too far off as a base colour but in the sun it practically looks like it's on fire!

I'd second the recommendation of L'oreal dyes. I find they give the best results if you want natural colours.

You have natural auburn undertones (?) so the peroxide in permanent brown dye is causing the reddish tones.
I would advise a dark ash blonde. Dark blonde is essentially a light brown. You need to pick a cool ash tone to avoid red tones. The colour chart on the back of the box is a much better guide than the photo on the front. Dyes vary greatly in outcome depending on your base colour.

If you think a dark ash blonde will be too light, go for an ash brown. Loreal Excellence ash brown is a good one.

I find that only permanent dye will cover greys.

I also highly recommend using a toning shampoo. Charles Worthington ColourPlex Toning blue shampoo (Boots) is a good one. The blue pigments remove red tones in brown hair. Use it as a shampoo, leave for a few mins before rinsing, conditioner as normal.

Hope that helps. I've been dying my hair at home most of my life so after years of trial and error and many mistakes I've become a bit of an expert!

You need something that neutral or ash brown, or will say that in the box.

Siri, Josh Wood has browns with an added smoky shot, you add the shot to your colour to counteract the orange, but it ends up more expensive that way

Dark ash might be ok, because ashy tones tend to look darker.

Dark ash blond, I mean.

I haven't been to a hairdresser in over 30 years. I dye my hair at home and daughter trims it to just below shoulder length.

I'm a natural brunette (although probably loads of of grey now although I never really let the regrowth come through long enough to find out) and by far the best home dyes I have used are Schwarzkopf, and trust me, I've tried them all.

Fantastic colour but the most important thing is the condition. Hair feels silky, glossy and bouncy plus you get a 3 week colour restorer treatment to use three weeks after you've coloured.

I use the 'deep amethyst' which gives it slightly plummy tones but not as pronounced as you might think from the name and packaging. I haven't been able to get this during lockdown so I used the natural brown a couple of days ago and that's great too, although not quite as vibrant.

Highly recommended.

I ways used L'Oréal castings when I dyed my hair brown. My hair was lovely and shiny.