Am I brave enough to dye?

[doglover]

Until my mid-thirties, I had very thick light blonde hair. Now, ten years later, my hair is a dark blonde / mousy colour. I stopped having highlights a couple of years ago, switching to a semi-permanent dark blonde because I was very aware of cost. (My hair grows really quickly and the re-growth became an issue for me). My hair has always been my only point of vanity but it looks so drab at the moment. I'm debating whether to try a DIY semi-permanent hair colour but feel so scared!! I've no idea if they're any good or which products to purchase. Any advice / reassurance / horror stories would be welcomed. My appearance - never an issue for me - has recently been getting me down and I'd love to be able to boost my confidence. Many thanks.

please help!

Oh, go for it, it's only hair . I always do mine with a permanent dye - Nice'n'easy Perfect 10, as it only takes 10 mins, but then I'm dying with near enough my natural colour to cover up grey. Sometimes I fancy a more reddy colour, so I go for it, and if I don't like it, I do it again dark brown again.

It's not a tattoo or elaborate piercing, go for it!

Gulp! Thanks so much for replying! You sound really positive; you're quite right, it IS only hair! I'm probably trying too hard to rationalise it. x

Try this -

www.marieclaire.co.uk/makeover

It helped me decide that black was not the way forward for me

thanks, Nikki. I'll have a look.

If you go on the instyle website, you can give yourself a virtual makeover.

I do not suit a blunt fringe. Jennifer Aniston's up-dos are good for me. Thank you, instyle.

I always use nice & easy, too. Never had any trouble. Am going to go a bit blonder myself, I think.

I also used to have light blonde hair, till my twenties, and like you it went darker.

I know how you feel doing a diy job for the first time!

After several experiments, I've found a blonde that looks really natural (no brassiness) and suits my colouring - Garnier Herbashine Ash Blonde.

Did mine again yesterday and am very pleased, tho it needs a wash or two to soften slightly, but still looks good today.

IMO it doesn't look dyed. It's a semi-permanent, so will fade over a couple of months anyway, if you don't like it. And it's cheap as chips!

Like others above I say its only hair! It will grow back so don't worry! (especially if it grows quickly!)

Of course it can be nerve-wracking trying it for the first time but remember that if the colour isn't quite right you can always: 1) go to a salon to get it fixed 2) use a semi-permanent darker colour to cover it up temporarily? so you're covered

I dyed my hair for the first time yesterday and am very pleased with the result. I had highlights done 6 months ago but TBH I didn't have the time or money to go to the hairdressers.

I used Garnier Nutrisse Vanilla blonde and it has matched up my regrowth, highlights and coloured my grey hair. All for £5.

Go for it.

I really appreciate your comments. Will 'go for it' tomorrow!

Yay!

I've noted the products that have been 'tried and tested'. Any other recommendations for semi-permanent natural blonde hair dyes?

bump

Loreal Creme Gloss semi permanent has teh most amazing shine and great colour choices although admittedly not that many blonde ones but Sweet Honey looks lovely. I have dyed mine brown, red, blonde and i'm currently black and the beauty of the semi permamnent means the colour fades out and you can change your look which is what i think is so great about them. If i'm ever feeling a bit drab i pop to boots and pick up a bit of fake tan, a new hair clour and a new lippy and it all come sto less than paying a hairdresser to do it and i feel so much better, finish off by chucking some nail varnish on your nails and you'll feel so much better, just do it! (oh and semi permanent colours are kiner to your hair than permmanents - if you have grey though you will need a permanent as semis don't have enough coverage) x

Have you done it yet then?

Well ........ no! Let me explain! Spent ages in Boots examining the various products and, with the help of a great assistant, realised that none of the semi-permanent dyes will actually LIGHTEN hair. I then bought a hightlights kit - Garnier Nutrisse creme Multi-lights kit 1 - which I'm sat staring at now!! Not quite sure whether I'm brave enough to use a permanent product; would I be better asking a friend to help apply it? Should I just do a couple of streaks as a trial run? Hope someone can advise me because I really do want to brighten myself up!

I bought one too today, because you put the idea in my head. Am doing it tomorrow! Tis permanent, by the way, but they do fade quite quickly.

Probably a daft question but when I do the patch test, do I mix up the stuff, apply it and then leave it mixed for 48 hrs until I do the 'real thing'? Thanks.

No you don't leave it mixed, it only lasts a short time when mixed - I think it's just the colour part that needs to be tested. Look at the instructions carefully as they can be complicated.

IME those highlight kits can be great but it is better if a friend can help.

But do it, it's fun having different hair colours and doesn't really matter if you go a bit wrong. (I have also seen how odd I look when I go too dark - yikes! - but found that anything with red tones in suits me) Start with options quite close to your natural colour and take it from there. I like Herbal Essences.

Thanks, Marine. I'll certainly scrutinise those instructions VERY carefully! I know that I need to be brave - but have always been so conservative - so this is a big deal for me!!!

The multi-lights kits are great I have dark hair and use no. 4 in it. There isn't that much in it, you only comb it through, so it'll only lighten bits of it. Is it highlights you want or an all over?

I highlighted my hair on thursday, through the cap, and then put a dark brown on top. I now have lovely lowlights

just a basic 'lift' of colour, really. Not brave enough for an all-over change, so feel that some hightlights might just do the job! I so hate the 'dark roots' look and assume that I'll be able to touch-up any random regrowth because it won't be so obvious with highlights.

The ones you got are very easy to do

I had a bit of a hair dye disaster recently. It went a bit orange, particularly the roots but I followed advice on here, and used Head and Shoulders to fade it and it was fine.
The roots were still slightly lighter than the ends but I've just dyed it again today, and love the result.

It's now the dark blonde I wanted, though I had to use a medium blonde twice to get that result.

Even permanent (which is what I used) is not really, as you can always stick another one the same as your natural colour on.

I quite fancy a highlighting kit. Do you need help with them?
I want a fairly natural colour, I'm very light brown naturally, and have just gone for a shade lighter, which is dark blonde, and I don't want really light highlights, just slightly lighter.

Phew, thanks!! xx