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04-15-2020 09:31 AM
@emmygrace wrote:
@Shelbelle wrote:I use Revlon Colorsilk for the last 23 years, works for me , no ammonia and permanent. Under $3 at Walmart!!
ITA! Been using it at least that long..they've added Biotin now...I'll never be w/o it.. the price is amazing! Think of all the money we saved!!!!
They have now added Keratin too!!
04-15-2020 09:45 AM
@jackthebear wrote:
@PilatesLover wrote:I had a chat with my hairdresser about postponing my appointment again due to lockdowns where I live. I asked her what brand of hair color I should use to tide me over until I see her again, which might not be until July or even later at this point.
She told me none of them are good and I should just use the wash out root touch up spray.
So bottom line, are the boxed home use brands really all that much worse than salon color? I can understand her wanting to protect her business but I also am very unhappy with my hair right now.
No
she's giving you a line
I've used salon colors for 20 years, and found some lines are better than others. The same with over the counter - some are very good, while others are a little harsh. I think your stylist is being conservative because she's going to have a lot of haircuts and color corrections to do once the quarantine opens. But yes, some of the box colors are nice.
04-15-2020 10:24 AM
My arthritic hands just don't allow me to color my own hair (I'm 46 with RA, boo!). So, my husband has to put box color on if I choose to go that route. He doesn't mind doing it, but he definitely prefers when I go to have it done professionally. This is going to sound crazy, but I usually choose the local beauty college. It's dirt-cheap, there are professionals watching the students closely, and the ones who work on me are always the more experienced ones.
I haven't had any problems. In fact, I got one of the best colors of my life there. It feels good that I'm helping them learn, too. Like all other non-essential places, it's closed for now, so I think I'm just going to embrace these roots until then. They are salt-and-pepper and somehow just seem to be making my curly hair more interesting at this time.
04-15-2020 10:30 AM
@Skyegirl21 wrote:Great thread! So helpful for us newbie at home colorists!
A couple questions please... I need to do all over color, (they grays are everywhere) and I'm naturally very dark brown, (with about 30% grays now) but want to be a little lighter, if possible. But my hair is very dry, coarse, curly, frizz-prone and gets damaged very easily. Also I was reading that going lighter may get me to orange! Orange is scary! Any advice from the experts? TIA!! Stay safe everyone- 💝
@Skyegirl21, that is the problem with going lighter. Even for profesionals getting past that orange phase.
If you really want to delve into hair coloring and what goes into choosing a correct color for YOUR hair their is a blog that is a wealth of information. I remember seeing awhile back that the owner of the blog who had some sort of health conditon has died, but the blog is still out there. It discusses color levels, cool vs warm colors, and getting past the orange. I have been coloring my hair for many years. Never used box color; I started with color from Sally's. But, I would never try to bleach my own hair just like I would never try to perm my own hair.. It's difficult enough just coloring my roots and I have a full length mirror that I can use to see the back of my head while doing it.
Here's the link (luckily I had it in my bookmarks): https://killerstrands.blogspot.com/2007/07/today.html
04-15-2020 10:58 AM
@PilatesLover Consider one of the 'temproary' colors like Clairol Natural Instincts or something similar. They're good for about six or eight weeks but aren't permanent hair color. Not ideal, perhaps, but I've used them and they do a nice job in between professional colorings.
04-15-2020 11:52 AM
@Skyegirl21 wrote:Great thread! So helpful for us newbie at home colorists!
A couple questions please... I need to do all over color, (they grays are everywhere) and I'm naturally very dark brown, (with about 30% grays now) but want to be a little lighter, if possible. But my hair is very dry, coarse, curly, frizz-prone and gets damaged very easily. Also I was reading that going lighter may get me to orange! Orange is scary! Any advice from the experts? TIA!! Stay safe everyone- 💝
As a newbie, I think it's best to stick with just dyeing your hair. Go with something close to your natural color to avoid ending up with a bad cotton-top bleach job.
04-15-2020 12:13 PM - edited 04-15-2020 12:15 PM
I think it depends on what you are going for and what you are starting with.
It is very, very difficult to get a nice blonde from a store bought box color. And you can also only get so much lift from a box color so if you are attempting to go from brown to a light blonde, it's not going to happen with box color. In the reverse, if you have dyed/highlighted light blonde hair and you want to go brown, you run the risk of getting a green tint to your hair.
The natural color of my hair is light brown. I get my hair professionally done and she puts a base color on and then does chunky highlights. My hair gives the professionals fits because it pulls very, very gold. It always requires a toner and the toner has to stay on for longer than it should.
Right now my hair has lightened significantly because my base color has faded, but I have my dark roots coming through which are also slightly peppered with gray. I did buy a dark beige blonde color but I'm terrified to use it because I'm afraid my roots and the rest of my hair are going to be way off. The last thing I want are hot roots.
For now I am using the Clairol Root Cover-up Spray to cover grays.
I know a few people who have taken the quiz on Madison Reed and bought that color and had good luck with it. I believe it's in the $20.00 range.
04-15-2020 01:27 PM
@Skyegirl21 wrote:Great thread! So helpful for us newbie at home colorists!
A couple questions please... I need to do all over color, (they grays are everywhere) and I'm naturally very dark brown, (with about 30% grays now) but want to be a little lighter, if possible. But my hair is very dry, coarse, curly, frizz-prone and gets damaged very easily. Also I was reading that going lighter may get me to orange! Orange is scary! Any advice from the experts? TIA!! Stay safe everyone- 💝
@Skyegirl21 : I'm not a professional, but l've been coloring my own hair from day one. I think this isn't the right time to go lighter. Wait for the salons to reopen for that. I would choose a shampoo-in permanent color that's one shade lighter than your natural very dark brown. That's because if your hair is porous, it might come out darker than you want. Make sure it's an ash (cool) brown as opposed to a golden (warm) brown, so you won't have to worry about an orange-y tone.
04-15-2020 01:44 PM - edited 04-15-2020 01:54 PM
@PilatesLover wrote:I had a chat with my hairdresser about postponing my appointment again due to lockdowns where I live. I asked her what brand of hair color I should use to tide me over until I see her again, which might not be until July or even later at this point.
She told me none of them are good and I should just use the wash out root touch up spray.
So bottom line, are the boxed home use brands really all that much worse than salon color? I can understand her wanting to protect her business but I also am very unhappy with my hair right now.
I don't believe that at all....IMO it sounds like she is afraid you will learn to do it for yourself and then she will not make as much money in the future. Many ladies color their own hair and it looks just fine.
I just recently did mine for the 1st time ever....I used Garnier Nutrisse box and it came out fine. I didn't pull it thur my hair ends just the roots. In fact I had no scalp burning or sensitivity at all. For some reason I do sometimes at the salon.
Does this mean I will do my own color from now on? No probably not but at least I can now do it myself just in case.
Just do a small area at the root with a test amount....see what you think....and if good then no problems! July....no way would I wait until July!
04-15-2020 02:29 PM
@Grouchomarx wrote:I color my own hair for many years, probably 20. I have had it done at times in the salon and the salon does not produce better results than the box. In fact every hairdresser I've had in the past 5 years has given me unsolicited compliments on my color. I just don't see what the big deal is to color at home unless you have a complicated color such as red, or are dealing with multi colors like highlights or baliage. For reference my hair is now mostly gray and I dye it blonde. My natural color was a light brown/dark blonde.
I actually use red, and do blonde highlights on top of that. I visit the salon when I feel too lazy to do it myself. My hairdresser even compliments me when she sees me out and about on how good my hair looks. Personally, I don't see any difference except my hairdresser does my hair in one step and I have to do it in two. I also cut my own hair. I smile when someone asks me who does my hair.....
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