Hair dye that stays on greys

[MrsCravensworth]

I’m 45 and if I didn’t dye my hair, it would be almost completely white. I am not having white hair for anyone, please don’t try to convince me to try it, if I live until 100, I will still be dying it brown!

I’ve tried all the big brands, but I always have a good 2/3 inches of white showing 3-4 weeks in, so it’s not just roots, it’s not staying on the white.

I could never dream of going to a hairdresser- I could probably save up for one professional dye, but I wouldn’t ever have a hope of going regularly. I have my hair cut at the hairdresser down the road for £10, once or twice a year.

I wash my hair about 3 times a week, and I use the shampoo and conditioner that’s £1 in Aldi. I can’t justify spending any of our limited shopping budget on shampoo.

I always look shit and it’s getting me down. My hair will look okay for a few weeks (I mean, it’s never okay, it’s a bad home dye job), and then I look like I going bald, with the white temples which seem to appear over night and I can only afford to buy dye every other month, 6 weeks at a push.

Am I just doomed to have shit hair due to lack of money, or can anyone recommend a dye?

Oleo intense for Indian hair 🥰

That’s a really good idea.

What about trying a baby shampoo? It ought to be quite gentle so less likely to strip the colour, and supermarket own brands will be cheap.

Get yourself to your local branch of salon services and buy your own professional colour.

Salon services XP100 colour and developer will cost about £4.50 every 3 weeks, if you're only doing your roots.

Excellent coverage and the sales consultants will advice you what developer strength you need for your resistant white hairs.

If you need an interim top-up just for your parting and white halo around your face, you can mix up a small quantity.

This works out a lot cheaper than many box colours, with added colour choice and developer strength choice. You may need to colour it less frequently, as it won't fade as fast.

I would also echo PP advice on gradually going lighter and looking for a better quality shampoo that isn't too pricey. You may find that you need a larger volume of cheap shampoo, making it a false economy. I've seen Tigi bedhead in B&M and often buy Garnier honey treasures from Poundland.

I use henna powder - it’s called Henne Color, it’s £15 for 3 boxes on Amazon, and I usually get 2 or 3 treatments out of one box, so about £2.50 or less, per go. I do it every 6 weeks or so but only when the regrowth starts to come through - it definitely stays on the white.. the worst that happens is that it fades slightly but then it looks like lowlights!

Definitely recommend it. It’s a bit of a pain to put on because you have to leave it on for a couple of hours but it gives your hair and amazing conditioning treatment as well as the colour!

I like this idea.

I'm very dark (nearly black hair and eyes) and yellow-olive skin, so going lighter really doesn't work at all for me, either.

I have the same problem and it's a nightmare. White hair (thin due to peri) and looking bald on top.

I use esalon (which is expensive) every two months and the Clairol root touch up in between (I buy them when they're on offer in Superdrug). The nice&easy full dyes worked for me too (I just got used to the esalon).

I can never just do my roots either.

The colour goes patchy all over. So I dye dark brown, and a few weeks later, some of it has gone coppery/lighter and because I can’t afford regular cuts (last cut was 12 months ago) the ends are dry and horrible.

i don’t know how far down the white goes. All the regrowth is mainly white.

i just look a fucking mess to be honest. And when ever I’ve asked anyone in real life, I get the whole “invest in yourself!” Or people aghast that I can’t go and get a trim by the woman down the road who charges a tenner for a dry cut (she’s lovely, she mainly does all the older ladies but it’s literally sit in the char, spray with water and ends chopped off). People don’t seem to understand that no, sometimes you can’t even get £10 together, and you can’t justify money on hair products.

Can you cut your own hair? I can’t afford the salon and I cut my own hair using YouTube tutorials and £10 hair scissors from Amazon. I appreciate £10 is a lot but at least it would then avoid needing to go to the salon.

I am not Asian but I do have very thick and dark hair which doesn’t hold colour that well. I find that dye designed for Asian hair works better for me. The problem with high street dyes is they’re just not strong enough. There’s a brand online called Liese Prettia which is quite good. They do milk tea shades too. It’s about £10 a box though so I know that’s expensive.

If only there was more money is the bottom line unfortunately.

Superdrug's own brand permanent is good. Well the staying power is at least as good as any other I've tried, and I've tried many over the years. It's 3 for £12, so considerably cheaper than branded. I'd recommend you try it- and use the conditioner included over the subsequent washes.
Have you tried those shampoos that gradually brown the hair as you wash? I found they did a decent job of colouring roots BUT they always seem to colour brown with a tinge of red, and I'm a definite ash brown colour. They're not cheap but they might help eke out the weeks between box dyes.
I wouldn't recommend paying for salon colour if you're happy with your box dye colour. Salon colouring is expensive and IME doesn't last any longer.

I use Superdrug's own version of root touch-up, it looks like a mascara and it was £6 the last time I bought it, lasts ages & its good for a quick touch-up between dying.
I'll look for a link.
I also buy their boxes of root touch-up, they are normally on offer 2 for £8 or 3 for £11.

I use this
£3.50 in Morrisons but on eBay often for under £1.50
https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/bigen-dark-brown-57/105277209
comes in a couple of shades

Hope this link works
www.superdrug.com/hair/hair-colourants/root-touch-up/superdrug-colour-fix-hair-mascara-dark-brown-13ml/p/800324

mine is the same. Some dyes just literally wash off the white/grey.mine last about 2 weeks, I push it to 3 with root spray.

I have had some success with applying the dye with a brush like a hairdressers does and leaving it on a bit longer than the instructions say. However, in certain light my dark hair is a complete rainbow of gingery, copper, grey and mousey brown

Honestly I used to work in this area and hairdressers on apprenticeships are crying out for models! In my city anyway. Look at all the bigger salon Facebook pages. Or local pages.

I use Clairol root touch up in shade 5 and leave it on for 25 minutes and not the recommended 10, works for me and have good coverage and shiny hair, only 33 though so not fully white but this is what keeps my stubborn greys at bay

This is what mine is like.

I wish I could get the lot stripped out and start again.

I brush the dye through my hair with a comb to try and get it all even, but it never looks right.

I just look like a horrible mess.

I used chemical dyes when I started going grey. Switched to henna and indigo a couple of years ago which works a lot better on my once dark hair. I am of Mediterranean heritage.

I used to use Garnier Olio dye. Now I use Schwarzkopft Oleo Intense dye. Have to have no ammonia due to scalp sensitivity. Still have to redo every 6 weeks or so though. They are usually on at 2 for £12 ish.

Shampoo and conditioner wise I use Herbal Essences colour protect (solid pink bottles) from Poundland.

I feel your pain OP. I will be 50 soon and don't want to risk looking much older if I stop dying my hair!

It seems to be very variable in how well it sticks to grey but I have success with Elumen hair dye - shades nn@6 and nn@8 are formulated for grey. A bottle is £20 but I use a tiny amount at a time and it doesn’t need mixing, I’ve been using the same bottle for more than a year. I shampoo only then put vinegar on my roots (mimics their expensive prep product), then paint a bit on, cover with plastic, apply some heat and leave for hours. For me this gives good coverage that fades slightly over weeks so any regrowth lines aren’t too harsh.

Can you switch to henna when you have dye build up though?

Yeah, I would look older with white hair. I’d look like a witch. I’m never doing it, I’ll go into the ground with dyed hair. I’ve made my children promise they will always dye my hair!

Dh grandmother did that. She died at 99 with died red hair, it was even stated in her health and welfare POA that her hair must be dyed regularly (she had been a natural red head and died that way!).

You’re never going be able to cover your root regrowth, doesn’t matter what fabulous hair dye you find, new hair will grow through and will be white. You need something like the Colour Wow root touch up powder, you paint it on and then it just washes out and you’ll have to do it again. For the rest of your life.

Sorry, this was me 5 years ago, but I’ve gone totally grey now and no longer look like I’m balding due to grey and white coming through dark hair dye after a week. But hey, dyed hair is so much less aging blah blah blah.

Similar situation- I use the Superdrug dyes as last as long as expensive ones. I also buy there mascara wand and sprays to keep strays away longer. I am trying the grey defy shampoos but not seeing much difference.

Can anyone recommend a shampoo that doesn’t strip colour? Thank you.

It’s not so much the regrowth, it’s that it just doesn’t seem to stay.

Forgive my hair in the photo, I am still in bed and just an about to get in the shower, so it’s tied up and not brushed, but this is what it looks like at the moment.

I dyed it 2 weeks ago today. It was fully covered and looked okay (as okay as patchy, badly home dyed hair can look!) for about a week before the white started showing and the dye started fading lighter. In another weeks time, the whole front of my head will be white.