Dying Hair

I am in my late 40'sand have been coloring my own hair for aobut 3 yrs. My hairdresser in another state b4 we moved to CA told me to start with Clairol's Natural Insticts 1st because it is a semi-permanent color and is not as harsh on your hair like permanent color is. It also has minimal odor which I like. My hair is fine but I have lots of it and I was graying at the temples and in front. She told me to select a color as close to my natural color as I could or go just 1 shade darker for best results. I color my hair at home about every 5 wks and the dying process takes only 10 minutes and then another 5 minutes to condition which comes with the pkg. One box is about $6-$9 depending on if I can get it on sale. I don't do highlights but would consider trying it by recruiting a friend to help. It is quite simple and there is not reason you can't do it own your own. My hairdresser here is in a charges $65 to color , w/ highlights adds about $20-$25. Friends who go to fancy salons here pay about $120-$145 here for both -Yikes. My hair stylist told me recently that their hair coloring services have dropped dramatically the last yr with many woman cutting bk and doing their own.Personally I would rather spend more on a good cut and do the coloring myself. Don't be afraid, you can do it Mom.

DONT DO IT!!! im a hair dresser and was a color specialist at the paul mitchell school in houston before i had my baby. DONT PUT BOX COLOR IN YOUR HAIR! it's expired color and (knock on wood) should the result be a bad one it's difficult for professional color to fix box color. if you're tigh on money i would honestly suggest finding a paul mitchell school near you and go there. they have a phase 2 program that's honor students if your nervous about a student doing your hair. there are teachers always right there and they could give you exactly what you wanted. please don't put that in your hair...PLEASE! if you don't have a pm school close by then maybe check for an aveda school- they're usually real respectable too...theres an unpredictable amount of ammonia in box color (even if it says ammonia free there is a comparable chemical thats even harsher inside) that can't guarantee your end result. and if youre looking to save money you could think of adding a lowlite close to your natural color so when you have grow-out its more blended and you can go longer between touch ups.

I can't help you with hair dye questions but I thought I would mention I just saw something on TV that helps with roots between coloring. I think it's by Clairol but if not it's one of the other mainstream companies. It's a touch-up tool that looks almost like a disposable razor and you sort of comb it along the root area on both sides of your part and also by the temples, and it hides the growing-in roots. You could add that to your coloring regimen to stretch out the time between colorings a little longer.

I've been home coloring my hair for years with great results. I pretty much try whatever is on sale, but I really like Herbal Essences. Smells good for a hair coloring product, and excellent results! Have fun!

Hi L.,

A friend of mine has dyed her hair for years. She told me that she discovered that those dyes are toxic and can increase risk of cancer. She now uses henna. Wrong color for you. I'd suggest squeezing a lemon, applying the juice to your hair, and letting the sun do the job. $100 is a lot of money. I don't know what the problem is with dirty blonde hair. That's pretty too.

Good luck,
MD

I love Dream Blonde by Loreal. It is AWESOME. I had white blond hair as a child and the Dream Blonde coloring never leaves me brassy or violet... It is my solid standby and hairdressers have even mistaken my lightened hair as totally natural.