the mumsnet HOME HAIR DYE review thread...,

[lucykate]

there seem to be so many people asking about home hair dye thought this might be a useful thing to start. post here with your normal hair colour, brand and shade you are using and also with the result good or bad. i will have multiple posts coming as have used so many different ones in the search for my ideal shade, but will start with...,

L'OREAL EXCELL 10, shade 7.13 dark frosted blonde

normal hair colour - dark blond with a smattering of grey

outcome - bit on the light side and also a bit too red for me, was disappointed, won't use again.

[SuSylvester]

me NICE AND EASY NO 118
am med to dark brawn
it looks, well brawn

[honeydragon]

well i hope it works i used semis for the same resaon you are growing out the dreaded highlights!

[expatinscotland]

i really, truly cannot afford any colour jobs at a hairdresser.

[lucykate]

expat, i can't either, usually when i do go for a cut, it's just a dry trim, last time i went was a real treat getting it washed and blow dried too, just couldn't afford to get a colour done.

[expatinscotland]

i have to cut mine myself .

[isthatporridgeinyourzone]

Me - dark blonde with some grey.

Would second lucykate's approval for GARNIER BELLE COLOUR, shade 7.1 lightest ash brown - very good - especially for covering up gingery mistakes.

LOREAL EXCELLENCE natural blonde - good again - very natural looking - but a bit more of a faff to put on.

[SoupDragon]

I'm a fan of Garniet Nutrisse. Naturally v dark brown , currently I'm Pecan Nut which is a warm brown. I tried the loreal 10 stuff and whilst the colour was great (spiced chocolate I think) it didn't last well at all.

[MaineGirl]

i just used the perfect 10 10 minute one (think its l'oreal) in shade 5 dark medium brown and its been great. i did it on friday and is very shiney and soft and looks fab. my natural hair colour is light mouse with one or two greys.
i used to have blonde highlights regualrly at the hairdresser but can no longer afford it. have tried all sorts of blondes but none blonde enough so decided to go for dark glossy brown and really pleased.

[CMOTdibbler]

I used to use Belle Colour, but am now on Nice and Easy light red brown (can't remember exact shade), and it is fab. Am totally white underneath, and it's a nice colour, lasts well, and is often on offer.

[mippy]

Natural colour: fuck knows, haven't seen it for 12 years. Probably dishwater blonde.

Used:
Feria - great, vibrant reds. The one called 'dark plum' comes out as a nice deep red on me which picks out my features well.
Herbal Essences - great to begin with, fade very quickly
Schwartzkopf Live - stingy with their formula. Dyed a dark red when my hair was longer and all the rubbing in in the world didn't stop it dying in patches.
Garnier Nutrisse - did nothing on my hair a few years ago, but I think they've reformulated since as last time I tried it (free sample) it was OK. However their pre-lightener is very good at stripping colour out and was the only one I used when dying my hair pillarbox red.
Superdrug own - usually very cheap, pretty good for the price
Nice and Easy - haven't used this since I was 16 and not really allowed to dye my hair at school, but it came in pretty natural. I'd probably use this if I wanted to go from obvious red to natural ginger.

the best vegetable dyes for me are Directions, but you need to set aside a weekend to do it properly, and it will stain everything it touches. Stargazer has good colour results but will only stay for a few washes, so fine if you want a temporary look. Fudge is crap.

I had my hair professionally dyed 1x (I was a hair model and couldn't afford to have it done otherwise) and despite being permanent it disappeared virtually overnight. Think it was L'Oreal. I never get it done in a salon as I tend to do my hair when I'm bored or suddenly notice it needs doing, but probably would if I were going blonde.

[MoonMagic]

I had a disaster with Nice & Easy here

I used shade 117D Medium Ash Brown - I came out looking like a goth. My natural colour is the exact shade on the pack, so I thought it'd be a safe bet and didn't need a strand test

I used Scott Cornwall hair dye remover from Boots and it is excellent!

Thanks lucykate for recommending

[MoonMagic]

How long do semi permanent hair colours actually last?

How much do they fry, frazzle and frizzle your hair compared to permanent dyes?

And how "true" is the colour - are they darker or lighter than the pack would have you believe?

Recovering from Goth experience still.....!

[piratecat]

moonmagic, i posted on your other thread about my disater.

I use nice and east too, it was meant to be a permanent brown with a bit of red, medium,

my grey roots came out oraneg, and the rest was darkest brown.

Afew yrs ago I used permanent bright red/plum brwon from Schwartzkopf, and it would cover it all equally. I stopped using it after a yr when i realised my hair was in pretty dry condition/ I have no idea why the nice and easy didn't cover it all like the shwartz one. I thought that was the difference betweem a permanent and a semi.

For anyone with grey, i would recommend the normal casting semi, it's very good at blending it in. Not working so well with me these days as i have re growth after 2 weeks and am prob now 70% grey on the top part of my head. boo hooo!!!

[MoonMagic]

Does Casting come out darker than you'd expect? Are the colours on the pack realistic of what actually happens?

[MoonMagic]

What are the pros and cons of Semi Permanent versus Permanent dyes?

[WitchShoesToWear]

[Lulumaam]

i am going to try the Shwarzkopf copper red if i can find it .....

[Cicatrice]

Natural - not sure been dying for 23 years. Probably mid brown with about 30% grey.

The 10 minute Excel I found drippy and didn't cover my grey properly.

Nothing gives complete 100% grey coverage on my hair.

Nice and easy - various colours good but tends to fade out a bit reddish/gingery.

L'Oreal - good but more time consuming.

[YouKnowNothingofMyVote]

The 10 minute ones have been best for my hair. I use the golden blonde shade and find it a really warm, natural tone (naturally light brown/dark blonde).

I don't have any grey yet and my hair is very fine, so I think it doesn't really need longer treatments and they frazzle it somewhat.

Interesting to hear they haven't worked for others.

[Downdog]

tethersend have you ever tried henna?
You might want to consider it - great red colour & shine, quite conditioning, long lasting etc. Be sure to patch test it first though as colour may vary considerably.

[honeydragon]

WitchShoesToWear

did it

[trumpton]

Garnier Nutrisse Almond ( dark blonde) I would say I am mid brown but don't like the colour mid brown dyes come up on my hair . I really rate this one and as long as I am generous around my temples it covers really well and I dont get regrowth.
I also only use 1/2 a box ( measuring it into a ramekin and using brush to apply) as I have very short hair. Leaves my hair in good condition.

[Lulumaam]

I've tried henna from Lush and it is good for shine, but never seemed to go terribly red on my hair..

i have bought today the rougenoir and copperred today by shwarzkopf , not sure which to try first,they were v v cheap.. less than £5 for teh two boxes.. if they come out like on the packet, they should be good...

[ilovemydogandMrBrown]

Lulu oooh! Do report back on the results! I'm (naturally) dark with auburn red which can so spectacularly wrong! Where did you get them?

[fustyarse]

can someone recommend me a nice pale/ashy blonde one that will actually lighten my dark blonde hair properly? At the moment it is kind of golden, bog standard blonde but when I look back at old photos at one point I had a lovely, shiny very light blonde and I can't remember how I got it!

Any dyes I try either look kind of 'mouldy' (bleugh) or just even ou the roots bu don' actually lighten my hair enough - do I need to leave the dye on longer than the instructions say?

I mean like this

That's a very old photo of me btw, I look much better now