Thread: Dying my hair red-redish?

I think I wanna for real this time. I tried the henna thingy before, hate the smell that lasts FOREVER, and the color didnt stick. I tried the temporary ones, color didnt stick. So.. I really cant afford a professional, which product would you suggest? Keep in mind my hair is super long, so I realize i'll need to box of whatever.. I am terrified of ruining my hair... should I just talk myself out of it?

I recommend you try a Semi-Permanent color first. Those wash out in about 28 washes. If you like it then you can move up to the permanent color or just keep using the Semi and have to do it more often because it fades faster and washes out. I am a natural redhead and about a year ago I decided that I wanted darker red hair, more coppery/auburn. I used a semi-permanent from Sally Beauty Supply and I found the right shade and once it washed out I was able to find a shade like that in the permanent colors. Keep in mind to try to make it close toy our natural color. Nothing to drastic to start out with. Subtlety goes a long way. For the permanent brands, I've used, Feria (can be very vivid color, smells good, good conditioning), Nutriesse (smells good, some colors are vivid, good conditioning) I am now using Preference. I like this one the best so far because I feel it looks more natural for me. For a good Semi-permanent try Natural Instincts. Good luck.

Color can be so tricky that a professional is really called for IMHO. If you have long hair you have a lot to lose. Maybe you can go to a professional at first, then ask for advice on do-it-yourself touch-ups between appointments.

If you really want to go the do-it-yourself way; test, test, test on samples of your own hair. And don't forget to do the skin-patch tests for allergic reactions every time.

Henna can be really drying on the hair. The lower levels of demi and semi- permanent as well. Clairol is a pretty good brand in general and they have a hotline for your questions.

if you don't want to spend a lot on a professional, you might consider going to a reputable cosmetology school in your area.
the students are fully supervised by the teachers when they work on the public, so you will still have an expert guiding the process.

yes, hair color is tricky. red is more difficult than brown, imo. red comes out faster then other colors b/c the red color molecules are smaller. so, semi-permanent is a great idea b/c you will be touching up more frequently.

also, if your hair is long, you will have many differences in levels of porosity through the length. this will make getting even color more challenging on your own.

once you are red, you will probably like to use a color enhancing shampoo to keep your red between dye jobs. artec makes a great red enhancing shampoo and conditioner.

I love red myself. Currently I'm a brunette with red highlights. Much easier to keep up then all red. Red does fade fast. If you are doing it yourself you do want to find a shade of red, not too far off from your natural coloring. I did use Natural Instincts a lot when I had to do my own, but I personally prefer to leave my hair to a pro. If you really can't afford to do that even once, I think the cosmo school is a good second choice. However, I'd make sure there was someone supervising. My one and only experience with that was a total disaster.

I am using the non-non-permanent colors (the wash out in a week kind), and I found a red that is intended for African-American women works quite well, found at Target. It lasts two weeks very vividly, and gives me a nice, good red.

Problem is of course that this is not permanent color which shows up on white towels and pillows. Still, I like the color enough to put up with that, and I don't find damage to my hair.

And, I used to use Natural Instincts, which was fabulous, but they discontinued the color I loved, and I was just not as happy with the shades they have now.

if you've never coloured your hair before, i'd recommend having it done at a salon a few times. Watch and learn. i've got quite long hair, and i want it to look perfect... so no more DIY hair for me. i do patch it up myself with colour shampoo/conditioner in between salon visits, and i use "expensive" hair dresser shampoo (saves me on hair dresser visits cause the colour does stay much longer than with the shampoos i used to buy before).

Thank you girls for all your advice. I think i'll wait until I can afford a professional, or i'll look into a cosmetic school as someone PM'd me... good advices!

Reds are really hard to get right. I've been dying my long hair red myself for maybe 15 years. It took me about 2 years to get a color formula that I liked. I still do it myself - when I started it, I couldn't afford a hairdresser; now that I have the formula figured out, it's easier and quicker to just do it myself.

I use professional materials (I get them from Sally Beauty). Since I'm naturally blonde (maybe more grey than blonde, now, but who knows if you color!), I use a 20 lift cream peroxide. If your hair is dark, you might want to use 30, as it will lighten it enough to show the color. I use a mixture of 4 different colors of Wella Color Charm Permanent Hair Color. The main color is called Tan Blonde (~1 oz or half a bottle per usage), then I use a small amount (a little less than a teaspoon) of Titian Red, Light Auburn, and Cinnamon Brown.

I'm not telling you this detail because I think that this particular color cocktail would work on you, but more to give you an idea aobut how I did it. There is definitely risk to doing it yourself - I had orange hair a few times before I worked out the subtler formula.

If you do decide to do this on your own, here are a few tips:

1) You need to make extra sure that you get color on all of your roots. My hair is thin and fine, so it's fairly easy; however, thicker or curly hair might be more difficult. Especially make sure that you good coverage in the part of your hair, as that is most visible.
2) Make sure that you have color all the way up to the edge of your hairline around your face. It is really noticeable if you miss a spot.
3) Make sure that you wipe any excess color off of your skin on your face, around your ears, and the nape of your neck as soon as you've finished applying the color. If you leave it on it might make funky purple marks on your skin.
4) Your ends and your roots will likely take color differently. The ends may get overly intensely colored if you put the color on as long as you do the roots. I usually cover the roots with color, then cover the ends.

Good luck, whatever you decide!
-Khalisah

I have been doing my own colour for many years as well. And I also have a cocktail that I use. But I use commercial brands.

One bottle of deep true red by Loriel, one bottle of Medium Golden brown, also be Loriel. Then depending on how red i really want to go, I start playing mad scientist. As my hair is long, I do a mix of about 1:2. golden brown has a red base to it, so it lends itself well to this,

I recently thought about going much brighter as I was when I was younger. My dance partner discouraged me. Mainly because I would have to replace all my hair pieces!

{{{HUGS}}}

i've been using henna exclusively for about 5 or six years now...........i use mendhi grade henna (very fine, no twigs or bits in it) from india or yemen, use red wine as the liquid/acid and add ground clove both for richness of color and for a reeaaaally nice scent........it's still messy but it's worth it.............

i've never found it drying, in fact, i found it very healthy for my hair, a couple of hairstylists commented on my hair's health.......i also find that the roots are less prominent....in the past, i've had it done by pro's and commercial dyes and always had issues with dryness, frizzing, and just not the right color......my hair is long, straight, and very fine (medium ash blond in color, greying, read....dishwater)

the 'cocktail' i use gives it a coppery color, and i do it every 3 months.........i get my henna from castleart.com, and you can find great henna facts on reverend bunny's website, including links for other combos for color.........

I used to use henna from Lush (caca marron) on blonde it was a lovely strong colour. It gave good condition and bulked my hair up a lot. After a while though I found my hair was getting darker than I wanted it, and with henna, there is nothing you can do about that, so i let it grow out. I use semi permanents a lot of the time now, although every 4 months or so I use a permanent as otherwise the colour fades too much. I tend to use swarzkopf because they do a toner that is the same colour as their permanent one.

Incidentally, colourwise:
Henna from about 4 years ago: http://bobbinsandbroomsticks.com/Gracie3.jpg (i was doing LARP, I'm not usually dressed like that)
and now chemicaled up: http://pics.livejournal.com/kashinthegreen/pic/0008df16

I've been coloring my hair "back" to red for years since it turned prematurely grey and is now mostly white. The worst results I've had have been with Level 1 or 2 "temporary" hair colors. They were not truly temporary; my hair would never return to its original color; but the colors were not stable and I sometimes ended up with unearthly pink or purple stripes, etc. Then I went to Level 3 and 4 colors; they worked consistently but repeated applications would fry my hair and the ends would break. I'd say those products are only good for short-haired people who are going to keep cutting the hair back anyway.

I've tried many different products and I can tell you that all henna-based products are NOT created equal. I now use Logona brand vegetable color. It's much easier both to apply and to rinse out than other henna-based colors I've tried. I'm happy with the results and I get compliments about my hair. The results are quite consistent and the amount they give you in a package is very generous. I have long hair. I like to do the hair close to my scalp, leave it on for about 40 mins, then saturate the rest of the hair and wait another 10-15 minutes before rinsing. It's easy to cover all my long hair with the amount they give you. They also include an elasticized plastic cap in the package, which is nice.
They do tell you to put cream around your hairline and stick cotton coiling in it. I don't bother with all that. I use a stick type lip balm to grease the skin along my hairline, my ears and the back of my neck before coloring. That's all I do and I've had no trouble with stained skin. Places that sell natural cosmetic products can special order Logona for you if they don't have it on the shelf. I get mine special ordered half a dozen boxes at a time. I believe Logona has a web site where you can check out the shades that are available.
Rosette

hi, sorry I only skimme the thread, but just wanted to say be really sure to do a strand test, because using other types onf dye on hair that has been previously hennaed can lead to undesirable results at time. (I used to work at a professional beauty supply shop as a teenager, and saw some quite a range of dye jobs walk through its doors)

Also, the other posters are correct that perfect reds are challenging to achieve and maintain & about the porosity isues of long hair. There are product you can buy to offset the porosity of the ends, but how to use it best is unique to every individual.

I've been a boxed redhead for nearly 4 years now....used to use Herbal Essences, but when I was in France, I switched to Garnier Nutrisse....will NEVER go back, the Nutrisse stays so much longer and smells so much better...make sure to comb your hair in sections when you do it

also, John Frieda color glaze and Biolage shampoos have been great for maintenance for me

I use Garnier 100% color in Intense Auburn, and I think it works fabulous on my own brown hair because I have some natural red highlights that it really picks up. I've been asked on two separate occasions by complete strangers in the high end spa where I get massage therapy what colorist I use there. It's really funny to see the look on their faces when I tell them it's $7.99 color out of a box - it's a pretty hoity-toity place, and they just seem appalled.

I am a redhead, who enhances it a bit...and I went to cosmetology school and did that for years before I started dancing.

Reds are hard to get right, and hard to keep, and hard to get rid of. (Red fades quicker than other colors as far as brightness...but red tones are the hardest to get rid of, if you find that you DON'T like it.)

I think that the most important thing, is choosing the RIGHT red for you. A woman of hispanic, Italian, or some descent where there is a naturally deeper skin tone/eye color does well with the cooler, burgandy toned reds and auburns. Those with pale skin, maybe some freckles, and lighter eyes of blue or green do best with a warm red-like copper, the color that a "natural" redhead would have. Natural blondes usually do well with a strawberry blonde.

If you want to look your best, gear towards the red that would best suit your natural looks...

I've been dying my own red hair for a couple of years now and once you get the hang of it, it's not that scary.
My number one suggestion though is that if you have any way to get your hands on professional products, definitely go that route. I'm a beauty school dropout (I made it 600 hours) so I can buy professional products with my student card. If you have a friend who is a pro or student, have her buy the good stuff for you, then you can mix and match to find the right color for you. Also, use the lowest level of peroxide that you can, because that is the damaging stuff.
And don't be too scared about going to a cosmetology school to get your hair done. Just make sure its a reputable one and usually you can request a more experienced student.

Good luck, reds are hard but worth it :)

amanda

Originally Posted by najla86

I've been a boxed redhead for nearly 4 years now....used to use Herbal Essences, but when I was in France, I switched to Garnier Nutrisse....will NEVER go back, the Nutrisse stays so much longer and smells so much better...make sure to comb your hair in sections when you do it

also, John Frieda color glaze and Biolage shampoos have been great for maintenance for me

I second the Nutrisse. I have naturally brown hair so even if the red ended up not as I really wanted, I still got really nice red highlights out of it. It is also down to my butt so I had to buy two boxes just to cover it all. I boxed for years and years (I only stopped cause I want my grey to come in) and have never really had a problem with hair damage. Make sure that you condition well and you don't have to do it every month, only do it when your roots are showing or if the color really is fading (I didn't have this problem with Nutrisse). The one and only time I went to a pro, I walked out 3 hours later, $80 dollars poorer with hair like straw and pink! It was horrible and I only waited one week before fixing it at home.

I've been coloring my hair red since 1990. The first time, and once or twice since then, I went to a salon. The rest of the time I've done it myself. I experimented with possibly every brand out there and Nice 'N Easy #110 works best for me.

If you want a knowledge opinion and a how-to lesson, see a professional. But don't be afraid of doing it yourself, either. : )

Miranda