Home Hair Color?!

If you're just covering roots, I would use Loreal (I think) Root Touchup. I've very stubborn grays in the front and this stuff really works for about 4-6 weeks. The brush is great, also.

I'm a professional hairstylist. Some at home colors are quite decentfor simple color jobs such as this. But, I don't know the box brands. I would go to Sally's and choose a color line that is made for gray coverage. A medium dark brown, it sounds like you are about a level 6. So, I would go looking for a level 6 gray coverage color line, you will need 20 volume developer that works with that brand.

As for the neutral vs warm or cool, that will be determined on the box label. and brand. For instance, a 6G (6 is your level, G is gold, so that is warm). A neutral will be represented by an N.

So, get a 6N, with gray coverage and 20 vol developer. A like to add a kick of warmth or ash depending on what the color needs, I usually do about 80% of 6N with about 20% of 6G or 6A/7A (for ash) or 7G (7 is a tad lighter than a 6) or something with a slight hint of warmth, depending on the underlying pigment of course. Ask the Sally's people, they can direct you on what brand is recommended and what color would be good for you. Starting with a semi-permanent color is good because you are not locked into the color if you do not like it. However, they usually don't offer as much coverage and they fade quickly, but they are great for getting a nice blend.

For optimal coverage, apply to the roots and hairline first and let stand for most of the duration of recommended time. Then, about 15 minutes before time is up, very lightly spritz your hair with a water bottle and comb the moisture in. Then apply the rest of the color to your hair and down to the ends. Comb through with a wide tooth comb and let stand for the last 15 minutes or so, (depending on the recommended time). This helps with better color distribution. I even recommend this for the simple root touch up kits, to refresh the ends of the hair.

People may tell you to try henna. Don't do it. It is permanent, cannot be colored over if you do not like it, and it pulls very, very warm, which is what you are trying to avoid.

I love natural instincts color. I've heard the John Frieda foam is good too. I held off on coloring my own hair but I bit the bullet and did it. I had my friend do it the first time and then I did it last month. I went just a half-shade darker than my natural color and I use the semi-permanent but thinking of going permanent because I like this color. It's easier to dye if you are going the same shade as natural color or a bit darker. Going lighter you could go more of an orange hue and that wouldn't be good.

Unfortunately I went gray very early so I have been coloring my own hair for a while now. I treat myself to a salon color once in a while but for the most part its all me. I use Nice & Easy Color Blend Foam. I have tired so many in the past but this is by far the easiest I have ever used. I also use the Nice & Easy root touch up kit, that works well for covering the gray and not having to color all your hair. You can do it, once you try it you will see how much less it costs. I also have dark brown / black hair and I usually use the dark brown shades. People will often comment after I have colored, saying they love the highlights in my hair. :)

Momma L had good advice, I would also add that I use Naturtint. Like you, the gray hair is coming in faster than I can keep up with or want to pay to have colored............ Therefore, I keep my hair short (otherwise, when long, the gray is much too obvious) and two.. it just became way too expensive to get my hair done every 4 weeks (my hair grows extremely fast) so I now color it myself.. granted, I can't get all those wonderful highlights ..but hey... I save a ton of money and my hair still looks good.. Also, I have been wearing my hair a shade lighten than chestnut brown and using 6N.. this seems to add a slight bit of red.. as mentioned below. you will want something with an N... for the gray..

best of luck

I love the Natural Instincts hair color. Its a temporary and so much better for your hair than any other brand. It doesnt damage your hair, in fact it leaves it feeling silky and soft, and the color covers well. I just colored mine an auburn red and I love it. It looks natural.

I would definitely recommend this brand. My whole family of girls use it.

I've been covering my gray since mid-twenties. I have to do it at home as there is no way i could afford to pay a stylist to keep the roots touched up as fast as my hair grows! I've very particular on this! For years I used the Loreal and Nice & Easy products, but grew dissapointed over time as the colors seemed to fade faster and faster. I finally switched over to the Ion brand from Sally. That stuff is great. You can choose the proper level of developer to suit your color. I'll admit that as a novice it was a little hard to figure out (how much to mix) but the gals at Sally were very helpful and the user's guide made a lot more sense after they explained it to me. One of the biggest advantages is that you can mix as little as you want if you are just doing touch ups. As long as you keep the ratio - 1 to 1 in my case, you are good. I am very fastidious about keeping my roots covered. Also, they have really good samples that you can hold up to your natural color and get the right shade for you. Good luck!

Make sure you buy enough, otherwise it is going to blotchy. You can use either semi-perm or perm, but do not get any color darker than med brown because it will turn you black. Never get warm because it will bring out the orange too much. You can start with a product like Natural Instincts and see how you like that.

I have been doing this the past year to save money, and like you I was nervouse too. I only color my hair one color and have only used this brand, as I am too scared to try soemthing else. I use Garnier Medium Ash Brown and it is very dark the first week of coloring but lightens up after that. I found that if I tried a color too true too my own color, it lightened up the week after too much, so now I color darker and after the first week it matches up great. It can be a difficult adjustment until it lightens up for me, but it really saves me alot of money! I havn't attempted highlights, too scared... Good luck!! :)

I tried the semi-permanent but it did not fully cover my grey. So now I use permanent color: Preference by L'Orleal. I tried to find my natural color, which is dark blond. I had to buy the "ash" version since my hair shows a lot of red if I use neutral or warm tones. I was told to go a shade lighter than my own, since darker colors can make you look older. I have thought to go totally opposite and try a version of red, since everything tends to go red on me anyway. Even the dark ash blond comes out with reddish highlights. We have very hard water with manganese dioxide in it which leaves an orange-red ring in the toilet in about 4 days, so that is probably why. I do buy the color-saving shampoo at my hair dresser (Joico brand) which helps the color last. By the way, my hair is really short (2" on top, shorter on sides and back) so I use half a box every 5 weeks. For this brand, the color and developer are used in equal amount, so I just use a measuring cup that came with cough syrup and put equal amounts in a cup and stir and apply it to my head with a nice short-bristled but soft painting brush I bought at the hardware store! I always do the whole head application since I get it cut every 5 weeks and my hair grows about half an inch in that time, so even if I over process some parts, it is gone in 4 haircuts.

My sister and I have used home hair color for several years and we are in our 40s. We love our shades. We use what would be our natural color (minus any gray that grows in). For me that is always Natural Medium Brown, for her it is a Dark Brown. We both really like Preference by Loreal. I don't think it lasts as long as the salon color and we both redo about every 4-5 weeks and follow the directions exactly as they are indicated. We have long hair and depending on the length at the time of coloring, it sometimes takes 2 kits because one just doesn't provide 100% saturation. Our hair is very healthy and we constantly get comments on it looking nice and shiny.

Go to Sally Beauty Supply and they will help you to determine the color you need as well as sell you the products. Unfortunately I have to do my roots every 2-3 weeks and cannot afford to go to the salon every time and have found it is very easy to do it yourself. Good Luck!!