S/o…hair coloring (questions from a complete newb)

[alisoncooks]

I’ve never-ever dyed my hair. I am not a hair person - I wash and dry and get a one-length trim at Great Clips a few times a year.

For a long while, I’ve actually enjoyed my silvery temples -- they give off Doctor Strange vibes, lol.  If nothing else, I’m just too low-maintenance and cheap (and lazy) to bother coloring it.

Anyway, a couple of Very Big and Very Bad things are happening in my life and I just. feel. drained.  Haggard, even. And I’ve decided that, while I feel it, I don’t want to look it.

So maybe I’ll dye my grays? As a hair coloring virgin, I’ll tell y’all what I want and y’all can tell me if it’s a thing. 1) I want to keep my natural color — to dye the grays a close-ish color but not affect the rest.  2) No roots - a gentle fade out over a few weeks?  3) Not super expensive and easy for me to maintain. There’s no such thing as a wash-in color, is there?

Suggestions?

[KidsHappen]

Sounds like you need a semi-permanent which is very close to a wash in. Get it in your natural color or maybe one shade lighter and it will cover your greys and almost make them look like highlights without affecting your natural color. They wash out in about 6 weeks and then you just do it over again. You can get these at the store for less than ten dollars a box.

[KidsHappen]

45 minutes ago, KidsHappen said:

I have no idea what happened there.

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by KidsHappen

[Drama Llama]

2 minutes ago, KidsHappen said:

Challenging the Verdict: A Cross-Examination of Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ"

The Case Against The Case for Christ

Nailed: Ten Christian Myths That Show Jesus Never Existed at All

The Making of the Messiah

The Jesus Puzzle

The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man

Anything by Hitchens, Dawkins, Harris, Dennett or Robert Price and Bart Ehrman while Christian argues against a historical Jesus I believe. That's a start and then on youtube just look up anti-apologetics.

I don’t think these are the solutions to OP’s hair. 

[Arcadia]

@KidsHappen wrong thread for your 2nd reply

[Arcadia]

There is wash in color that you use like a shampoo. I’m not familiar with which brands are better. If you don’t mind cosmopolitan magazine, this link has some suggestions and tips https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/g39208184/best-color-depositing-shampoo/

[MercyA]

I'm so sorry you're having a hard time, alisoncooks.

I would use a semi-permanent box dye in a slightly lighter color than your natural color. I have medium brown hair and use light brown, for example. My favorite brand of low-cost hair color is L'Oreal. I get it for a few dollars a box with my CVS coupons. 

Semi-perm color does not leave an obvious line of demarkation as does permanent color. It will slowly fade out. It is not quite as good as permanent color at covering grays, but if you have just a few grays, it should be fine.

The easiest type of color to apply is probably a foam or mousse color, but I found the coverage wasn't quite as good as a creme or liquid color.

Edited April 11, 2022 by MercyA

[gardenmom5]

I didn't like doing it myself.  The dye doesn't go through your hair easily, so when they say section it off and brush it on-  they're not kidding.  Then you have roots  . . . 

i originally did the "cap" thing where you pull a small section through and make it look like highlights.   Eventually I started paying someone.  Finally, I did tri-color foils.  it blended, the roots really didn't show that much.   I have stopped doing anything but having it cut.

 

[Kassia]

I've never colored my hair but I wanted to say I'm sorry you're going through  a rough time.  ❤️

[MEmama]

Root Touch Up is very simple to use and looks natural. 10 minutes, $7 and it’s done.

Other than ease, what I like most about it is that it allows highlights to show through. So many dyes leave hair looking monochromatic, which at our age is an instant tip off that it’s dyed. I’m not fussed by a few greys showing through, I actually prefer it for a more natural look. Application couldn’t be easier, it’s super simple to match hair colour (tip—go one shade lighter for the most natural look, dark tends to look fake), and it only needs to be redone when your hair grows out (for me, every 6 weeks or so).

 

[Dianthus]

I'm sorry you're having a hard time.

I did my first ever hair color with clairol natural instincts  about 2 months ago. I used 2 shades lighter. It's all washed out now. I thought I only had grays in the front, but found I had more scattered about. I tried to spot treat, but did a more solid section up front. It wasn't supposed to color my color my darker hair, but it looked like it did affect the overall tone a bit, maybe only noticeable to myself, and I have a bit of natural color variation, so wasn't a big deal.  I was thinking maybe it's better to use the permanent color so I don't have to worry about finding all the grays every time it washes out. But I don't want to look mono color.

If you can afford it, maybe you should go to the salon for your first time. It sounds like you could use some pampering.

 

 

 

[Dianthus]

8 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

I didn't like doing it myself.  The dye doesn't go through your hair easily, so when they say section it off and brush it on-  they're not kidding.  Then you have roots  . . . 

i originally did the "cap" thing where you pull a small section through and make it look like highlights.   Eventually I started paying someone.  Finally, I did tri-color foils.  it blended, the roots really didn't show that much.   I have stopped doing anything but having it cut.

 

I've not heard of the cap. What do you use for the cap?

[gardenmom5]

6 minutes ago, Spirea said:

I've not heard of the cap. What do you use for the cap?

part of a kit.  Amazon.com: Clairol Nice'n Easy Frost & Tip Original Hair Dye, Light Blonde to Medium Brown Hair Color, 1 Count : Everything Else

you can always get other hair color to do highlights/lowlights for darker hair.

[Guest]

I have used Natural Instincts for years and it will do pretty much what you’re asking for, @alisoncooks  I never do it the way they say; I.e, put it back in the bottle and use the tip to section your hair. No. I use a Pyrex bowl and an application brush, which is like a stiff cooking/basting brush I use only for hair. I also prefer real latex gloves and not the Ill-fitting plastic gloves in the box. I would use the instructions for root touch-up application and then put it all over for the last five-ten minutes so the blending is good. 
 

On the other hand, if you aren’t feeling confident, go to a salon and tell them you just want a semi-permanent  toner to tone out the greys but look much more natural. For years and years, my hairdresser applied foil sections with highlights and then a toner. It was a good way until I stopped going to salons when the pandemic came. I did prefer the tonal variations of that approach to what I have now but I have too much grey to do that now; it is cost-prohibitive. 

[Dianthus]

29 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

part of a kit.  Amazon.com: Clairol Nice'n Easy Frost & Tip Original Hair Dye, Light Blonde to Medium Brown Hair Color, 1 Count : Everything Else

you can always get other hair color to do highlights/lowlights for darker hair.

Way too complicated for me. I'm not that crafty.

[fairfarmhand]

3 hours ago, Spirea said:

I'm sorry you're having a hard time.

I did my first ever hair color with clairol natural instincts  about 2 months ago. I used 2 shades lighter. It's all washed out now. I thought I only had grays in the front, but found I had more scattered about. I tried to spot treat, but did a more solid section up front. It wasn't supposed to color my color my darker hair, but it looked like it did affect the overall tone a bit, maybe only noticeable to myself, and I have a bit of natural color variation, so wasn't a big deal.  I was thinking maybe it's better to use the permanent color so I don't have to worry about finding all the grays every time it washes out. But I don't want to look mono color.

If you can afford it, maybe you should go to the salon for your first time. It sounds like you could use some pampering.

 

 

 

This is what I use and it is SUPER easy. And when it starts fading, there's not a root line. I'm not a person who enjoys hair/makeup type stuff, and this is as easy as it can be.

[Dianthus]

1 hour ago, fairfarmhand said:

This is what I use and it is SUPER easy. And when it starts fading, there's not a root line. I'm not a person who enjoys hair/makeup type stuff, and this is as easy as it can be.

Well, my issue is that it faded sooner than I expected. I wash my hair every 2-3 days. I was worried about reapplying and overprocessing my hair. Is that an issue? I also probably applied it all wrong and should have done my whole head, but I'm a chicken. I mixed small amounts and just spot treated by pulling through my hair.