Gransnet forums

Style & beauty

Colouring Your Hair At Home

(56 Posts)
Welshy Sun 05-Jul-26 14:19:46

Which brand do you use?

I've tried all sorts on my medium brown hair, which I have to colour every 4 weeks (could do earlier than that) The majority turn out too dark.

Also between colouring I use a Root Perfect spray in light brown for my parting, which covers the grey well. But it's a bit messy for the side whispy bits. Any advice please?

blue14 Mon 06-Jul-26 11:05:27

I've been dying my hair at home for many years.

During lockdown I didn't bother and I had the same problem as Cossy.
I ended up with a dull, 'dirty' grey colour which was very ageing.
I had hoped I'd be pure white as my mother was.

I now continue to dye my hair at home every 4/5 weeks.

Astitchintime Mon 06-Jul-26 09:44:29

Fortunately, I don’t have many grey hairs and although I used to colour at home I now go to the salon and have it coloured every 6 to 8 weeks.
Home colouring is ok but the mess put me off, rinsing it through was a pain and any colour splashes can stain…….had a small patch on the kardean flooring in the bathroom about the size of my little finder nail and it bugged me for months until the flooring was changed during a bathroom refit. Also, towels get stained too.
Let the salon have the hassle and mess, I know it’s not cheap but it’s lovely to be pampered now and again.

GrannyGravy13 Mon 06-Jul-26 09:39:02

Welshy

GrannyGravy13

There is no way I would colour my own hair, I have a vivid recollection of my Barbie and Sindy dolls hair after I transformed them 😹😹😹

grin Did you colour them or just a cut?

Got the dregs of my mums hair colour, so they had the full cut and colour

Fortunately there was no perm solution around…

Dontcallmelove Mon 06-Jul-26 08:38:46

NfkDumpling

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried Just for Men? Someone who's not a man that is. It seems much simpler to use and I wonder why? Is a man's hair different from a woman's?

I use it on my eyebrows but not my hair. Apparently it doesn’t condition your hair as well leading to drier hair.

NfkDumpling Sun 05-Jul-26 22:02:28

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried Just for Men? Someone who's not a man that is. It seems much simpler to use and I wonder why? Is a man's hair different from a woman's?

Dontcallmelove Sun 05-Jul-26 21:44:39

Free yourself, OP. I had black hair which had to be dyed every 4 weeks. I was so worried about looking older if I went grey. I’m in my early 60s and started going grey in my late 40s. 2 years ago I decided that I just couldn’t be bothered with the monthly hair appointments and told my hairdresser I was going grey. It was the best decision I’ve made. My hair grows quickly, and now the grey actually looks like I have darker grey streaks in it and my naturally curly hair has straightened, to the point I now have a bob. Although my hair has always been in good condition, it’s now even better. The amount of compliments I get is really surprising. However, credit to my hairdresser who cuts my hair beautifully. I’m glad I took the plunge and would encourage other women to do the same, after all it’s not permanent!

M0nica Sun 05-Jul-26 21:41:09

I just use Superdrug own brand in a colour that matches my natural colour.

I tried growing the colour out last year, and did so successfully (my hair is uite short) but it just didn't work. The crown of my head and all the top layer of my hair is still naturally dark brown, while the underlayer is grey/white. I look as if I have put a dark brown toupee on my head and the grey is showing round the edges.

In addition as I am in my 80s, even when my hair was 'au naturel' no one thought it was natural and just commented on me growing the colour out. So a few weeks ago I decided that as I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't, I would colour my hair again - and it looks so much better.

Welshy Sun 05-Jul-26 21:33:42

Gran22boys

I stopped colouring my own hair when we had a new bathroom. I’m with Cossy. There’s no way I could go grey as I’ve always been so dark. Grey suits a lot of people but not me. What a palaver it is though.

It certainly is a palaver!

I wish I was a man ... When they go grey they look distinguished. No make up either!
.

Welshy Sun 05-Jul-26 21:27:10

crazyH

My natural colour is Black.
Grey will not suit me - so I colour it myself - actually, I will be doing it tomorrow.

Which hair dye do you use crazyH?

Welshy Sun 05-Jul-26 21:25:22

Cossy

I also coloured my own hair, but then decided to go au natural! Big mistake, I was naturally very dark brown naturally, with a very light touch of auburn, only really visible in the sun, however my natural grey colour is absolutely vile!! A really awful shade of dull dirty grey which madly didn’t suit my skin tone.

I’m about to colour it again at home, don’t mind the phaff, and have the “kit”. Will do an all concert dark ash and then highlight with a lighter shade! Wish me luck!!

That's what I fear, it turning out like that.

I always get my daughter to put mine on for me. I get in such a mess.

So you use two boxes? How do you highlight it?

Good luck, I hope it turns out the way you want.

Welshy Sun 05-Jul-26 21:20:35

GrannyGravy13

There is no way I would colour my own hair, I have a vivid recollection of my Barbie and Sindy dolls hair after I transformed them 😹😹😹

grin Did you colour them or just a cut?

Welshy Sun 05-Jul-26 21:18:50

Primrose53

I stopped colouring my hair quite a while before covid. I took after my Mum who had beautiful white hair. I love it and often get compliments.

I'm not brave enough! grin

Gran22boys Sun 05-Jul-26 20:36:44

I stopped colouring my own hair when we had a new bathroom. I’m with Cossy. There’s no way I could go grey as I’ve always been so dark. Grey suits a lot of people but not me. What a palaver it is though.

crazyH Sun 05-Jul-26 20:11:28

My natural colour is Black.
Grey will not suit me - so I colour it myself - actually, I will be doing it tomorrow.

Cossy Sun 05-Jul-26 20:05:16

Don’t know where the word “concert” came from!!

Cossy Sun 05-Jul-26 20:04:41

I also coloured my own hair, but then decided to go au natural! Big mistake, I was naturally very dark brown naturally, with a very light touch of auburn, only really visible in the sun, however my natural grey colour is absolutely vile!! A really awful shade of dull dirty grey which madly didn’t suit my skin tone.

I’m about to colour it again at home, don’t mind the phaff, and have the “kit”. Will do an all concert dark ash and then highlight with a lighter shade! Wish me luck!!

GrannyGravy13 Sun 05-Jul-26 18:55:20

There is no way I would colour my own hair, I have a vivid recollection of my Barbie and Sindy dolls hair after I transformed them 😹😹😹

Primrose53 Sun 05-Jul-26 18:42:20

I stopped colouring my hair quite a while before covid. I took after my Mum who had beautiful white hair. I love it and often get compliments.

Jaxjacky Sun 05-Jul-26 17:37:32

No salon visits Welshy, a light ash blond melds with the grey.

Welshy Sun 05-Jul-26 17:10:20

Kandinsky

I’ve given up home dying my hair, it’s such a faff and and I started to really dislike the ‘over - dyed’ look.
I’m leaving it now & letting the grey grow through. Actually very liberating.

Kandinsky. I don't blame you. A lot of women look lovely with grey hair.

My mother went white, she used to colour her hair blonde. But I preferred it white, it looked so much healthier.

Welshy Sun 05-Jul-26 17:06:35

Pigma

I used to colour my hair at home but now have it done at the salon. My hairdresser told me that mine was very dark when I coloured it myself because of a build up of colour. This would also account for a slight green tinge. She said that any make of colour or the shade of colour would have the same build up. I now have mine coloured every five weeks, at one visit I have an all over colour then for the next two visits I have the roots coloured only and this prevents a build up which apparently would happen with a salon colour as well. On the in between two visits while the roots are ‘doing’ I have a glaze treatment on the lengths to add shine and gloss. The build up of colour when I did it myself meant it never looked shiny.
The downside of course is time and cost.
Might be worth trying at home though by just doing a full colour one time and roots twice in between and maybe a nourishing hair mask on the lengths?
Apologies for not answering your original question but hope this is of some help.

Thank you ... Yes this is what I do mostly, roots only. Just now and again all over.

I can imagine it is a build up, as I colour it so often. Apparently how porous your hair is too.

But as you said the downside being the time and cost.

Kandinsky Sun 05-Jul-26 17:04:33

I’ve given up home dying my hair, it’s such a faff and and I started to really dislike the ‘over - dyed’ look.
I’m leaving it now & letting the grey grow through. Actually very liberating.

Welshy Sun 05-Jul-26 16:58:03

62Granny

I don't colour my hair but use John Frieda brunette shampoo, I don't have very many grey hairs. I always had it coloured at the hairdresser pre lockdown then realised when it all grew out actually the colour was making it look worse as you could see the re-growth more. I stopped having it coloured and it looks a lot better, still get the gloss with the shampoo.

62Granny

You are very fortunate not having many grey hairs.

Pigma Sun 05-Jul-26 16:32:23

I used to colour my hair at home but now have it done at the salon. My hairdresser told me that mine was very dark when I coloured it myself because of a build up of colour. This would also account for a slight green tinge. She said that any make of colour or the shade of colour would have the same build up. I now have mine coloured every five weeks, at one visit I have an all over colour then for the next two visits I have the roots coloured only and this prevents a build up which apparently would happen with a salon colour as well. On the in between two visits while the roots are ‘doing’ I have a glaze treatment on the lengths to add shine and gloss. The build up of colour when I did it myself meant it never looked shiny.
The downside of course is time and cost.
Might be worth trying at home though by just doing a full colour one time and roots twice in between and maybe a nourishing hair mask on the lengths?
Apologies for not answering your original question but hope this is of some help.

62Granny Sun 05-Jul-26 16:29:12

I don't colour my hair but use John Frieda brunette shampoo, I don't have very many grey hairs. I always had it coloured at the hairdresser pre lockdown then realised when it all grew out actually the colour was making it look worse as you could see the re-growth more. I stopped having it coloured and it looks a lot better, still get the gloss with the shampoo.