I am in desperate need of going back to my natural color, which is a medium brown shade. Or at least that is what my roots tell me...
I have been having my hair highlighted for at least 8 years now. A blonde and goldish-reddish color. The last time I went for a foil, I asked her to color the in-between with my natural color and now I'm ready to color my hair just one shade and I would like to do it myself if possible but I'm a little nervous.
Can any of you "at-home colorists" recommend a brand or have any advice? Maybe I should have it done once professionally since I'll be trying to cover some blonde?
I feel almost desperate today for some reason. Like I want to stop at the store on my way home and buy a box...
I colored my own hair for years. Never had any problems with anything I ever used except for one time...I used Fructis Garnier's (spelling?) hair color (green box) and it I must be allergic to something in the ingredients cause my scalp drove me nuts for a week after that! I had developed bumps that itched like crazy!
Outside of that, it's really not that difficult to do. Just be aware of your clothing (either wear clothes you don't care about or drape a towel over you) and your surroundings (clean up any spilled dye quickly).
You don't sound like you are going for any drastic shade so you will probably be fine. I wouldn't stress too much over it. Just go pick out a color that seems closest to your natural hair color and go for it!
It's actually kinda fun to see what it end ups really looking like!
PS If you are going from lighter to darker you will have no problem with coverage. It's when you go from darker to lighter that you would probably need a professional's assistance.
Congratulations for taking your hair into your own hands! I don't know if you would need to have it professionally done one color first since you have your highlights. What I do know is that I can recommend a brand that has been great for me! I used to have my hair colored and highlighted professionally. Even though I was getting a good price on it, I just couldn't afford it anymore. I was still having problems with getting good grey coverage at the salon, and they certainly tried different brands on me. I got better grey coverage when I did it myself with Revlon Colorsilk. I have to say that it rocks, plus, it's like the most inexpensive brand out there. You can get a box on sale for about $2.50 and Target sells it for less than $3.00 regular price. I generally find coupons in the paper for $1.00/2 so I really get a great deal. It's amazing that I get better coverage for a couple of bucks than I did paying a whole lot more than that! I'm definitely thrilled!!!
I hope you find the right shade but it's fun to experiment as well. I think I've used 2 or 3 different shades and they've all been great!
I've been coloring my own hair for over 20 years. I'd suggest doing a semi-permanent color first to see how you like it. I really like Clairol Natural Instincts 28 day color that gradually washes out.
Make sure you pay attention to your skin tone and if you need a cooler--more ashy tone, or warmer--golden tones. I'm guessing since you said you had blonde/reddish tones you will want to pick something that has "warmer or golden" in the color description. That is what I use as well.
I've use the Toasted Almond and Navajo Bronze colors and love them!!
After you've experimented with that you can keep doing that (easier on your hair) or pick a the same shade in the permanent color.
I made the purchase. I went with Revlon Superior Preference in Medium Golden Brown. It was pretty funny actually, I lifted up my ponytail and told DD to pick out whatever color was closest to the underneath...
I went with "golden" because when I went the last time and had her add some of my natural color, she added some gold to it. She said that if she didn't and there was any violet in the color, it would turn my highlights & lowlights a violet-ish color. I'll do it tomorrow night and see how it comes out.
