Do-it-yourself Hair Coloring
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Aug 2009
I am a 12-year old girl and I would like to get purple streaks in my hair. My
mother has
health concerns and I would like to know if any other mothers have done
research on the
safety of getting highlights/streaks and what they found out. Also, is there
a more natural or
safer kind of dye that would still be vibrant and if so, which beauty salons
use it? Thanks for
your help.
Anon
My advice would be to go to the Beauty Supply shop and ask them about
healthier products. You have to bleach your hair if it's dark and then
dye it, so you need to find out about two different products. One
thing I do know is that you want to stay away from products that have
ammonia in them. It's bad to breathe in. I dyed my daughter's hair
many times, many colors. She has graduated high school successfully
with all of her brain cells (as far as I know). If you do it in your
bathroom, line the floors and sink with newspaper so you don't dye the
room too and wear plastic gloves.
have fun peacock!
Try Manic Panic! Natural products from a great company based in NYC's
East Village. This is a well established company that made its name in
the glam rock days! (Ask your parents.) We bought their product at a
beauty supply store in San Leandro (in Washington Plaza), but I
believe Manic Panic products are very widely available. Check out
their website at manicpanic.com for more info.
Patricia
Hair extensions are an alternative to bleaching out and then dying
sections of hair. As a birthday present, we treated our daughter to
two extensions at $10/each, and they lasted about 7 weeks. Hers were
synthetic, and the salon mixed electric blue and purple in each one.
Have fun!
Maybe I'll get neon extensions too :-)
March 2009
I am really tired of my hair turning a brassy, copper color about
4 weeks after it is colored. I can only afford to get it colored
about every 8 weeks. My natural color is a darkish dishwater
brown and I get it dyed dark brown. My colorist says she never
puts any red in it, but it always turns into a reddish color over
a short period of time. She also says she puts an ashy color in
my hair to combat the problem. It looks wonderful for the first
week, but then it's down hill. Does anyone else have this
problem? and, most importantly, have you found a solution? I
would love to hear. Thanks.
Frustrated
Your stylist is probably using permanent haircolor on your hair which
lightens first and then deposit hair color resulting in fading. Some
hair color lines are more aggressive than others and will fade more.
I use Goldwell and all my clients notice that it lasts longer and
fades less. Another alternative is too use a demi permanent color
which only deposits pigment and therefore as it fades, it fades true
to tone, not brassy. Good luck!
bppenguin
Most brown hair color will do that if you wait 8 weeks between
coloring. The best advice is to stay out of the sun or wear a hat
every single time you go out. Sunshine is the quickest way to fade
your hair color, unfortunately.
formerly a Coppertop
Oh Frustrated, I totally feel your frustration!! I have been through
the nasty brassy brunette thing, too. I have done a few things that
have worked pretty well, but none 100 percent successful. But, like I
said, these options do help a bit, which is better than nothing. Here
are some suggestions.
1. If you're not covering gray or a lot of gray, you might consider
switching from a permanent to a semipermanent hair color. When I do
semipermanent colors, my hair doesn't go as brassy.
2. Don't wash it every day, if you can help it. Frequent washing
fades color fast.
3. I sometimes use a demipermanent (less permanent than a semi)
haircolor between colorings. Most beauty supply stores carry Clairol
Beautiful Browns hair color. These are have no ammonia or peroxide
and last for a few weeks. They have a medium and a dark ash brown.
You could use these or mix them in an empty dye bottle. The ash will
tone down the brassy red.
4. You can use a color-depositing shampoo and conditioner. Do NOT use
the John Frieda stuff. It dried my hair out horribly. I highly
recommend the L'Oreal Professional Colorist Collection, which is also
sold in beauty supply stores. They make a dark ash brown that works
pretty well. I use it a couple times a week and leave it in for 5 to
10 minutes.
5. I have used, when coloring my own hair, these packets of ''no
red'' stuff you add to your hair dye. They work okay. At the very
least they hold the brass off a little longer. you can get these at
the beauty supply, too, and bring them to your hairdresser, or just
ask her about them.
Lastly, I have used the L'Oreal and Clairol versions of tone refiners
and glazes (available in drugstores). I didn't find them to be
beneficial at all.
Good Luck!
Go to the Hennaforhair website and read all about it. I know it
sounds crazy, but it's amazing. Read the stories from folks who
switched from commercial hair dyes to henna or other plant dyes, and
henna mixed with other plant dyes, like Cassia, Indigo, Amla, etc,
depending on the effect you want. You can get any color you want,
with no red, no copper, brassy color at all if that's how you want
it. Dark brown is easy! I was so nervous the first time I tried it,
even after reading all about it, but now I would never go back!!!
Happy Hair
Haircoloring 101: Successful haircoloring is complex-which is why it
should never be done at home. For haircoloring to be successful,
three major components have to be considered: deposit, lift, and
underlying pigment. Deposit is how much of the artificial color is
deposited on and in the hair shaft. Lift is how much the developer
will lift the natural color while it is processing. Underlying
pigment is the color of the hair both before and after the color is
processed. 20 volume peroxide is used by most hair colorists for
depositng color, and is what is in the box at the drugstore. It will
lift the underlying pigment in the hair app. 1 level. Hair color is a
combination of the three primary colors, and when lifted, the first
color to leave the hair is blue. The darker the hair, the more blue
it contains, and the less apparent lightening there is. However, when
blue is lifted, red and yellow remain (orange.) Therefore, the
problem you mentioned is very common in brown hair- The peroxide in
the coloring mixture lifts one level of blue from the underlying
pigment, leaving a brassy orange hue.The haircoloring deposits color
and hides the underlying pigment. When the artificial color begins to
fade or wash out, the underlying pigment is exposed. Adding an ashy
shade to balance the colors only lasts until the color fades.
The answer to this is: ask your colorist to use a slightly lower
volume of developer. This will take some time and growth to correct,
as your existing hair is already lifted, but it should help.
Diana Simon
Simon Says...salon
Alameda
Feb 2007
In an effort to get a grip on our budget, I need to find a
sylist that charges less than my current one. I have short
hair that I cut/color every 5-6 weeks. I live in the Crocker
Highlands area and would prefer someone close by. I currently
pay $65(cut)...$75(color)...$35(color touch-up every other
time). Also, does anyone use home color products or are they
just too horrifying (mess/hassle/quality) to think of? Any
recommendations are greatly appreciated. Oh the joys of Bay
area cost of living....
looking to save
I'm responding to the part of the question regarding use of home
color products. I use Clairol Natural Instincts; it has no
ammonia and is not very smelly (in my opinion). After 5 years
I've got the routine down and it doesn't seem like a hassle. It
costs $7 - $9 per box and I only have to use half each time,
which for me is every 4 weeks. I only do it that often because
of my roots; the rest of the color is just fine at 4 weeks.
(Box says lasts thru 28 shampoos; I wash my hair every other
day, or 14 times in 4 weeks.)
After the first few times doing this, I learned to clear the
sink area while applying and to clean up any drips or spatters
right away. I also learned that there's much less of a mess
while rinsing out in the shower if I take my handheld shower and
rinse while crouching down, to reduce the amount of spattering
on the shower walls. I also learned to really rinse the walls
well; before learning that lesson the dye did discolor the walls
and I had to bleach them. Again, I've been doing this so long
now it doesn't seem like a hassle, and you sure can't beat the
price!
Guess I should add that I have very dark hair and don't do
highlights or anything complicated like that. My hair looks
pretty natural. Oh, and I eventually learned to mix two of the
Clairol colors to get the shade I like.
Hiding lots of gray
Oct 2006
I have been getting my hair professionally (expensively) cut
and highlighted for years and after my latest unsatisfactory
cut, I'm thinking about doing the whole thing at home.
I checked the archives but didn't see anything recent that
addressed my issue. I have fine dark blond/mousy brown hair.
I'm starting to grey, but it isn't a crisis yet and the
highlighting has covered it so far. I usually manage to go 3-4
months between appts., but I get rooty at about 2-3 months and
agonize over the expense before finally giving in because I
look so bad.
Can anyone recommend products that work well to get the more
subtle blond highlights (no flat all-over color)? Do the
supermarket brands work, or should I try something at a Beauty
Supply store?
If I wanted to go in a new direction and try a dark brunette
color, what products work well covering blond/light brown? Is
there any way to get a subtle, not all-one-color look with a
deep color like this?
Poor and Frustrated with My Hair
Whole Foods sells a wonderful product that I have just started using and I
LOVE it! I was in exactly the same boat as you and spent more than $100 every
other month on a cut and highlights. I am dark-blond and after I had my
children started to become pretty gray. I like the highlights, because they
make my haircolor look more natural and I don't like these coloring products
on my scalp. A friend of mine recommended the product at Whole Foods called
NaturColor - you can go to naturcolor.com to get more info. This is an herbal
product - check their website for details about it. The FAQ section has some
good information. It covers gray perfectly! I use it just on the roots and
don't let it change the color of the rest of my hair (much). It looks very
natural. In fact, it looks better than getting my highlights done at the hair
dresser's. It costs $15 per box and I can use it twice. This saves me so much
money!
JOJ
Aug 2006
I have been fighting my gray for almost 3 years now. Drug store
brands made my hair lifeless and fried so I had a few
consultations with salons and found goldwell is a good color
that salons like peter thomas use. I did a few in salon
appointments but my hair grown fast needing retouching every 2
weeks. I cant find appointment when I need it and its expensive
too . So I found a way to get the same color from a beauty
suppy store that orders it for me. I use the golwell topchic
color(D.Brown) and mix it 50% with developer. I have been happy
with my setup for last 4-5 months.but now for last 2 times i
have been getting scalp irritation and itching. In fact
yesterday I even felt little bumps on my skin. Help what should
I do?
hair dilemma
There are many reasons as to why your having problems with a ''licensed
professionals only'' product. No wonder. I am sad to hear that you are
having trouble with it, and since you are not a pro, you need to go see
one right away and get their help. It could easily be an allergic
reaction, or an application problem...either way that beauty supply
company should be smacked for having hooked you up with it in the first
place. a concerned licensed hairstylist
Be careful - my college-aged son did a goth-black hair dye job himself and
broke out in ugly itchy red whelts all along his hairline, which he ignored
until they became infected, at which point he had to visit the doctor
for
a course of antibiotics. That's some nasty stuff, that hair dye!
Feb. 2002
In an effort to cut down on expenses, I would like to try to highlight my
own hair. Has anyone had any success with this and if so, what products
do you use and any tips? Thanks in advance.
I've been coloring my own hair quite successfully for years now. Even my
hairdresser thinks it looks professionally done/like my natural hair color.
I have dark blond hair and use Clairol's Natural Instincts (Sunflower-Medium
Golden Blond). This is their Level 2 product which is supposed to wash out
after 24 shampoos. My hair is so porous that the color takes really well and
it lasts forever. I don't have any gray hair so I can't say how well the
product works in that regard, though the package claims it ''blends away
gray naturally.'' All in all, it costs me $7 and 15 minutes each month-quite
a bargain in terms of money and time.
Janet
I concur with Janet. I DO have some gray hair and find that using
Clairol Natural Instict (I use Pecan--Light Golden Brown) every four to six
weeks covers the gray, looks quite natural and I've had the same comments
from hair dressers that ''it looks professionally done/like my natural hair
color''. I do not look forward to moving on to a level 3 product where I
have to deal with roots, something one does not have to contend with when
using a level 2 product.
Gabriele
I have dyed my own hair for over 10 years - -through aubergine, red, copper
and blonde -- I think I did pretty well. One friend saw childhood pics of
me and asked, ''When did your hair turn red?'' But I have never given
myself highlights. It is much more complicated than mixing and applying one
all-over color. I have seen some pretty BAD self-highlight jobs. I
actually have an appointment in a couple of weeks to get my hair
professionally highlighted as a way to stop coloring it. If you want to
save money, get a friend to do it for you. Go to the Beauty Center (or
Beauty Store in SF) and get the supplies and ask lots of questions. You
could also call around to salons and ask if they need hair models for color
-- often new stylists need to work for a few months before they are fully
trained, but they are still competent. I wish you luck and beauty!
signed anon so that no one knows I'm mousy brown
I've been using Le Petite frost by L'Oreal for quite a few years now and
it's worked well for me. I have shoulder length, medium brown hair and it
lightens it up just enough to look ''sun-kissed'' without a dramatic root
line. Tie the cap down snug, use the metal hook to pull a few strands out
of all the holes on the top and a few rows down the sides, not past the
temples. Just follow the directions from there. Good luck!
Feb. 2001
I feel rather silly asking this question, but I don't know where else to
turn! I have been getting my hair highlighted for about a year. It is SO
expensive! However, I really like the way it looks and would like to
continue doing it. Has anyone tried a home job? I go to a rather upscale
salon, which I hate to admit, costs about $110 dollars (plus the tip). I
am seriously considering getting some Clairol ($5) and just doing it at
home myself. I can't ask my hair stylist---they will only give me the
party line (to continue to pay and buy their products too). Any amateurs
out there who can give me a recommendation? Thanks!
Laura
Hi, I have been using tried and true Lady Clairol for years and I think it
works just fine. You may have to experiment a bit with the various shades
but the $6.50 cost for that leaves you a lot of extra money to cover the
utility bill now!
Helen
The cost of highlighting is expensive and I completely understand your
reservations for spending so much money. I used to be a hair stylist
and understand both sides of the issue. For the hair stylist, it is a
time consuming job that requires detail. Even though the product cost
for them is almost nothing, the labor and skill are what they are
charging for. As for home products - you will never achieve the same
look with the home products. First of all, you are reaching up,
whereas a hair stylist is above you. This creates different abilities
to reach parts of your hair and to control the amounts of hair you are
picking up. Secondly, the home products are designed with this in
mind and they will not be as refined in their look. A hairstylist
picks up very small amounts of hair and applies product to them. This
achieves a more natural look. When you use the home products the
amount of hair that the product is applied to is much greater. Since
there is less control, the outcome cannot be as natural looking.
To control your costs, there are a variety of things to consider such
as where you go, how much you are having done (more highlights/more
cost) and how often you are doing it. Consider, a cosmetology school
for lower costs but slightly more risk since their abilities are not
as refined. Ask other friends where they go and how much they pay.
If you'd like to talk in more detail, please call me at 234-3464.
Nd
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