Thread: Gray Hair - Not Impressed!

Okay, so up until now I've gotten away with yanking out the few gray strands of hair that appear in my mane of dark chestnut hair.

Yesterday, though... I got poking through it and was really upset to find a whole whack of them at varying lengths. Who knows what's going on in the back!

So, I've never dyed my hair, save some highlights I had done once many years ago and I need some help.

What at-home dyes are best for long, thick hair? I think I'd read somewhere that the gray doesn't dye as well and some products are better than others? I was in the dye isle and was completely overwhelmed by the choices and am paranoid about wrecking my currently healthy hair.

Help?

I actually highlight my hair rather than dye it to hide the greys. It helps them to blend in and also is easier to maintain. Isn't getting older grand?

Hi Adishikti,
OK girl, everything will be fine...I've been using Preference by L'oreal for a few years now. It seems to do a good job, reasonably priced and will last several weeks. A couple of times a year I get it professionally done at a salon for a nice professional look. Try to get a girlfriend to help you with the application for full coverage and follow the instructions in the box.
Welcome to the world of grey roots!..cr.:

Welcome to my world. I'm 44 and have been dying my gray hair for more than 10 years. I second Zahrah's suggestion of Loreal. I've used several different versions of hair color by them and have never had a problem. Right now I am using the Natual Match line they make. I have similar natural hair color to yours. One thing I would say is that I find all at home hair colors tend to end up on the Warm side of the color spectrum. My own hair is also naturally that color, but I tend to choose the ashy colors because they still end up on the warm side for me. I think it's because I spend alot of time outside and even my colored hair bleaches some in the sun. Also, don't try to change the color of your natural hair too much. No more than one or two shades. If you're going to do that, see a professional colorist.

I have my hair professionally highlighted every eight weeks. It's pricey, but worth it, and it stays on my hair much longer than the drugstore stuff (which I used for years!)

Oh yeah, one more bit of advice. You might want to buy two boxes of the same color. If your hair is long and thick you may need the extra volume. My hair is long (bra band length), but not thick and I can get away with one.

Has anyone tried henna? You can mix the different henna's to get a chestnut brown. Here is the website if you are interested in looking and there are lots of different hair "recipes" from others who have dyed with henna. Just an alternative to the chemical treatments out there.

Henna for Hair: Dye hair with henna, indigo, cassia .... safely, beautifully!

Originally Posted by shahla

Oh yeah, one more bit of advice. You might want to buy two boxes of the same color. If your hair is long and thick you may need the extra volume. My hair is long (bra band length), but not thick and I can get away with one.

I second this. I need two boxes of color to cover everything, or it looks patchy and weird.

I use Garnier 100% Color in Soft Black, and before that it was the same brand in Intense Auburn,

Originally Posted by Adishakti

Help?

one word: hairdresser.
even if you want to go the do it yourself route later, i'd go to a salon at least one, and get advice/tips/how to... and than later you can do it yourself?

i get mine professionally done every 3-4 months, and do patch u jobs myself inbetween with colour shampoo. i could do it all at home but i know it would never be as good (i'm not covering grey, i'm dying the whole thing, which is hard to do with long hair on your own)

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

one word: hairdresser.
even if you want to go the do it yourself route later, i'd go to a salon at least one, and get advice/tips/how to... and than later you can do it yourself?

yes, I agree--it's more expensive, but worth it for me. The color (semi-permanent) lasts much longer for me this way. Also, the gray catches the color differently, so you do end up with a kind of highlights look as well. With the semipermanent color, I don't really have a severe line of grey roots at all, just a little fading.

Also, the warmer colors closest to your natural color will be the most flattering for erm, uh... more experienced skin

I mix my own colors from Sally Beauty supply. I just touch up the roots with a brush every couple of weeks, only dying the full long hair once or twice a year so it stays healthy. I like doing it myself...cost is cheap (less than $10 per treatment) so I can afford my own maintenance and I never have to wait for an appointment. And I can get the exact color I want all the time. However I had to experiment a couple of times before I found out what works...I would go with everyone else's recommendation of getting your first color done by a professional.

Thanks guy. I knew the hairdresser comments would pop up, and realize it's ideal, but it's just not in the cards. I know plenty of people do it at home with great results and would like to give that route a try first.

Brands, please? Which colors to chose? So far, L'Oreal is at the top of the list in warm shades?

When you touch up, you just do the roots? Or does the rest tend to fade after a while?

Originally Posted by Adishakti

When you touch up, you just do the roots? Or does the rest tend to fade after a while?

I usually do just the roots and then do the whole head a couple of times a year. There are instructions in the box on how to do touch ups.

Originally Posted by Adishakti

When you touch up, you just do the roots? Or does the rest tend to fade after a while?

It's definitely better for your hair to touch up the roots on a regular basis, and so the whole head very infrequently. That said, the color fades on me even on the long part of my hair, and if I only did the roots, the roots wouldn't match the rest of my my hair. So I do the whole head every 8-10 weeks.

I too, have a large clump of grey on the front right side. Imagine the mother from Poltergist at the end of the movie.

I use Loreal as well but I use soft black. It looks very nice. It doesn't give you that blue/black look. I suspect it will look nice with dark chestnut brown hair too.

Originally Posted by jasani

Has anyone tried henna? You can mix the different henna's to get a chestnut brown. Here is the website if you are interested in looking and there are lots of different hair "recipes" from others who have dyed with henna. Just an alternative to the chemical treatments out there.

Henna for Hair: Dye hair with henna, indigo, cassia .... safely, beautifully!

I henna my hair. I don't add anything else for different color effects because on myself I like the basic henna red.

My natural color is dark brown, and I have a couple of major gray/white streaks in the front. The effect I get is a sort of red-colored brown in the dark areas, with streaks of brilliant red where I have gray. I love it, but it's probably not what everyone is looking for.

Before I became a hennahead, I did have it colored with regular dyes, although I had it done in a salon so I can't say much about home hair colors. I did get a very even tone that covered the gray and my dark shade equally, so I looked all the same color.

I've been using a demicolor for years. It's not permanent and it has no ammonia. I have almost black hair and I don't like how some of the permanent dyes can turn red after awhile. I have had wonderful luck in covering those gray strands and gray stripes. And as for washing out after 28 times, well, that never happened to me either. Or you can use Nice-n-Easy that covers the roots; it pretty much blends with most hair colors too.

I third the recommendation to see a hairdresser for this. If your hair is long and greying, you need perfect roots, particularly at the crown, which is a spot that is very easy to miss, and perfect midlengths and ends, which are also prone to patchiness and spottiness if you're home colouring yourself.

I have been significantly grey since my late 20s and started turning white at 14. By my mid 30s I *had* to colour and *had* to go to the hairdresser every four weeks, religiously. If you are dark and want to stay that way, it is a major commitment. You can get away with less rigorous colouring when your hair is shorter and layered. If you can afford it, go for a multi-process, ie something that involves foils.

Henna can be really good provided you don't mind being red eventually.

However, *if* you only have a few greys I would say your best bet at this stage is a semi-permanent close to your natural shade, which you can easily do yourself, and which will add gloss to your own hair and just tone the white hairs. The white will probably go redder but that's generally OK with a chestnut coloured base.

Myself, I have never been so happy with my hair as when I stopped colouring it and cut it off, but I'm betting you're not as white as I am.

I color the whole head about once or twice a year. But it matches my own color. If you have another color underneath, it could bleed through. I had this problem when I used to highlight it then went back to my own color. When the other stuff grew out, the demipermanent was fine for twice a year all over.

well you could always do what I did. THe store bought color is real hard on the hair. It ruined mine. So.. I ended up going natural , which for me is all gray. I hated it!! Then I had my local hair dresser put in dark brown and deep red lights in and under the gray so the grow out would not show. Added some platinum high lights and boy did it turn my dull gray hair into wow!! THe best part is I do not need to have it retouched up every 8 weeks. And we all know that can be pretty costly I am constantly getting compliments that I did not get before ..g.: nadima

I used store bought hair color on my hair for years. The permanent color only stayed on for two weeks, the semi-permanent washed out in a few days. so I went the professional route, and I wouldn't have it any other way. If I have to cancel my appointment for some reason, it will take me that two months to get another appointment. He's very much in demand.

Also, like Nadimaazar says, the store bought stuff is really hard on your hair, and can ruin it. If you don't want to go to a regular hairdresser, try going to a beauty school, where everyone is supervised.

Originally Posted by gypsydanse

I used store bought hair color on my hair for years. The permanent color only stayed on for two weeks, the semi-permanent washed out in a few days. so I went the professional route, and I wouldn't have it any other way. If I have to cancel my appointment for some reason, it will take me that two months to get another appointment. He's very much in demand.

Also, like Nadiamazaar says, the store bought stuff is really hard on your hair, and can ruin it. If you don't want to go to a regular hairdresser, try going to a beauty school, where everyone is supervised.

I third (or is it fourth) on going to professional hairdresser - my hair is a dark auburn brown, layered and permed and the semi-permanent color was still too hard on it - not to mention the mess at home coloring can be - I had to repaint the bathroom walls! .w.: My hairdresser was using a "demi-permanent color" for years, using different batches depending on condition of permed vs. "virgin" roots and it always looked great. When I started letting it grow in back, she suggested some auburn foil highlights and then she colors the roots and I am getting a lot of compliments - it's a subtle change but very pretty esp. when I wear my hair up in a twist.

I would NEVER go back to coloring my own hair - my baby fine hair can get damaged very easily. Plus, I had to buy 3 boxes of color @ $12.00 a box so it wasn't even very cost effective.

And like Nisima says, it's a big mess! It gets all over everything.

Hi, I have black and fine hair, which I'm Chinese and usually we have thick coarse hair. I've learned how to color the white that is here and there on the top and sides of hair. I normally just do the roots every 6 weeks and then color my whole hair twice a year. My hair is down to the waist, and I color it with reddish, dark brown and whatever else, but my hair still remains very very dark . It doesn't take that much and probably cost like a 1.00 or 2.00.

I have a lot of silvery white hairs in my brown black hair and I gotta say that no way could a salon create those highlights in my hair!

I used to try and have blonde tips put through when I was younger to soften my look but they'd always end up yellowish orange because I have red pigment in my hair (which is why it isn't black, but very close to it). So I'd end up dying it red black.

I is growing old rather disgracefully I'm afraid....

Going silvery white, sliding down the chocolate waterslide of life on my ass in full bedlah, zilling and zaghareeting all the way baby.

they'd always end up yellowish orange because I have red pigment in my hair (which is why it isn't black, but very close to it).

There would be very few heads of hair with no red pigment at all. Black hair often has a ton of it. When I was hairdressing and we used bleach for just about every effect, I noticed that Asian hair in particular will often throw the most beautiful burgundy red before it starts going orange and then yellow.

When I first started going gray, I just did highlights in my hair. About every six weeks as I didn't like the root regrowth so I made sure to keep it coloured. I've always had a professional dye my hair - they are the ones with the training to do it properly.

Hairdresser for highlights then when that doesn't cover any longer she'll just transition into dying your whole head. It's actually quite painless and it's fun to change things up once in a while.

Hi!

The store bought permanent formulations are identical to those in the salon. I'd say save your money and do it yourself, unless you want to go significantly lighter or darker, or do highlights, or go red. Just try to match your own color. Stick with one of the name brands.

I've had a couple of unexpected color experiences in the salon, mostly due to miscommunication!

Consider Henna if you prefer to use a natural chemical and you like red. But beware--some manufacturers add additional ingredients, usually the same ones you are trying to avoid!

Fionna

Adishkati, be sure to do a test patch for allergy first. Some people are sensitive to the color ingredients.

Best,
Fionna