Tell me about hair dyes, please ...

[Shitehawk]

I don't think I've ever ventured into this topic before, so be gentle

I've got myself a new short haircut which looks quite snazzy but the colour is boring. Odd as it may sound, I have somehow managed to reach the grand old age of 45 without ever having coloured my hair, and don't really know where to start.

I'd like to do it at home rather than suffer the tortures of go to the hairdressers but don't really know where to start.

What's the best to try - semi-permanent? How long do they last for, do they look awful when they are growing out? Which are the best brands to use? And what kind of colour would look nice on a middle-aged woman with mousy-brown hair, fair skin but dark eyebrows?

Any help appreciated

i have just bought a fab shade of dark brown, i tink it is called iced chololate, but like you i am a beginner and an too scared to try it!
i have all of the same questions as you, so no help or advice from me im afraid

You wouldn't believe that a woman of my advanced years would be such a wuss

We need some hip young things to come and educate us into the ways of hair colouring ... there must be some out there!

I've just dome mine in iced chocolate LizandLulu! Its from the L'Oreal Casting range I think.

Mine has just started going grey and I do it with a semi-permanent which lasts about 28 washes then gradually fades out. The trouble with a permeanent one is you'll get the re-growth and have to keep doing the roots.

If you start off with a semi-permanent it will last up to about 20 washes I think they claim and it will gradually fade so you won't get the dreaded roots growing through.

Just go into Boots or somehwere and have a look at the colours available. On the sides of most boxes it will give you before and after photos for different colours of hair so you'll get an idea what it will turn out like

i am sure mine is only semi permanent ( i hope!)
i am fairly dark already but have quite a bit of ligher hair around the front from the sun.
i am very scared of what i will look like without it which is the main reason i havent done it.

Semi- permanent is good because it fades out after a while, so you re-do it all over rather than worrying about your roots looking awful.
I use Nice and Easy, because it is.

Buy the Garnier brush in lightners, you can use them on undyed hair and choose the one that complements your hair colour.

definitely use semi-permanent, permanent can be really harsh. Have used Casting, also Boots Botanics. It's very easy to colour your hair, particularly if it's short. For your colouring I would just go for a few shades darker - choose a nice warm brown and for god's sake avoid plum or copper!

I use permanent as I've got too much grey, so not much help - if you've not got grey to cover go for semi-perm or you get roots. I use the new L'oreal Excell, got MIL to do it for me, colour is fab (golden brown). Don't go too light if you've got dark eyebrows, but do bear in mind that the result is often darker than you expect (in my experience anyway). So if you're wavering between 2 similar colours, go for the lighter one. Home dyes are much better than they used to be - if you follow the instructions you'll be fine!

Liz, I found the iced chocolate has gone on quite a dark brown, its nice, has made my hair really shiny.

I use semi permant - loreal is good, but I also like Botanics from Boots, the colour is strong and it lasts a while and it sticks to the scalp less initially. They both cover grey really well. I also use Iced Chocolate, or normal chocolate, as it is almost my natural hair colour.

I find that it lasts about a month, maybe a bit more even, and it fades gradually.

I want to do it permanently as I have a significant amount of grey for such a young woman, but I would not do this at home, will get a professional to do it, and re-do roots when they need it.

I quite fancied plum, harpo

Interesting to read that they come up darker than you expect; will bear that in mind.

I'm lucky that I don't have any grey, apart from one or two odd hairs, so don't have to worry about that.

I just fancy not being a boring, mousy-brown for a bit ...

Thanks all

turkey, thats what i wanted, to make my hair shinier, and didnt want anything with any plum or red tomes in it as someone on here said they are the last shades to leave your hair so even when the brown has faded, you could still see the red.