Speak to me of DIY hair coloring.

[sistawendy]

I love what razorbits does to my hair, but my roots are showing and money, well, could be less tight. I think it's time for me to make the leap to doing it myself. I'm not looking to color it differently from the shade it's been since Full Time yet. Favorite brands? Tips?

Comments

[princessgeek.livejournal.com]

I go to sally's and buy semi-permanent wella haircolor there. (blue box) It's cheap. You need the tube of color and some developer. Comes out 2 shades darker than you think it will so go lighter. That's it. I'm thinking I might go blonde for the fun of it. If I do, I'll do myself because I'm cheap and my hair is short. It will grow out fast if I ruin it and its hat season.

[girlgoth.livejournal.com]

When my hair isn't SFX colors, I use Wella haircolor from Sally's too. http://www.sallybeauty.com/Demi-Haircolor/WELLA10,default,pd.html

The demi-permanent is what I usually use because it's a lot nicer to my hair and uses an activator (that smells nice) instead of peroxide. It can't lighten your hair, but if you're wanting a change in tone or to go darker, it's nice. It doesn't fade as much as a semi-permanent color, but more than a permanent one (but still not much unless you're doing red, those all fade). I've found that because of the fading, the demarcation line when the roots start showing is a lot less noticeable and I'm able to go longer between colors.

They also have a permanent line that is good as well. :)

[lilmartini.livejournal.com]

I suggest not using Feria. The colors may be fabulous, but it's ruined my hair.

I may try the Wella Demi since it comes so highly recommended.

[girlgoth.livejournal.com]

The Wella Demi is the only brand I've found that doesn't contain PPD in the dark colors. Professional Feria contains quite a bit and pushed me over the edge so I'm allergic to it now (and I did hair for years!). I use it when I want black hair, and it stays nicely. It also has the added bonus of not being as stubbornly permanent as permanent black dye when you decide you don't want it anymore. ;)

[lilmartini.livejournal.com]

That's 50% of the reason I cut 2 feet off of my hair. It was Feria blue black at the bottom and it would NOT go away. Now if it would stop snowing, I could go to Sally's.

[mahariel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I loooove how my hair looks with the Feria (been using the Burgundy Blowout since before Miss G was born), but it's rough on the tresses, and I've been told by several folks in the hair care profession now that putting any other color on top of my hair since I've used it would be a very bad thing.

[alton-lust.livejournal.com]

lightening, darkening or covering?
As a previous box buyer my advice is - Do as it says on the tin.

[alton-lust.livejournal.com]

tips?
*wear gloves. cheap plastic/latex/whatever gloves
*drape a ratty towel to catch any stray drips. Optional to wear as little else as possible.
*color in front of a mirror. Obvious? Avoids drips onto forehead.
*use a flat brush or a eye dropper type applicator. They help a LOT.
*start working it in at the part, if you have one. Then the hairline. Then work into the roots. If you're not changing the overall color much you can leave the rest of the hair for the last 5+ minutes.
*have a clear or white plastic shopping bag ready to cover your hair during the waiting time. Print side away from the hair. Some dyes set better with a little heat. Ask. Tuck the bag down to trap heat in.
*also ask if you should condition before as well as after. Some products take better and cover more evenly on conditioned hair. This may involve a deep oil treatment. Ask.
*use a sulfate-free shampoo to lessen fading. Some of my friends 'wash' with conditioner alone and swear by it. YMMV. Sulfate-free is very much nicer to my fragile non-colored hair.
*chat up the nice people at Sallys.

[maellenkleth]

I utterly adore Wella and it's one of the things that I shop for every time I come down to Sea Atoll. Indeed, go lighter by at least one shade, and follow the instructions ^^exactly^^ as given.

Without Wella, my hair would be white (one of the unanticipated consequences of my English holiday at age 18). With Wella, it's a nice palest blonde. There is a difference. ^_^

G'luck!

[cuddlyeconomist.livejournal.com]

My advice is to have a friend come over and help. Any hair longer than about two knuckles is really hard to color by yourself.

My other suggestion is to go to the Aveda Institute - they have trainees that will color hair on the super cheap.

If none of those workout, buy two boxes of color. There is never enough in there for long hair, and curlier hair takes more. I've used every brand there is, with no damage, but it depends on the hair you are starting with.