Cheapest way to cover grey

ripplyuk

I’m starting to get grey hairs so I need to start dyeing it. Having spoken to a few other ladies about this, I was astonished at the price they are paying at the hairdressers; anywhere from £50 - £140! And they have to keep going back every month or so. Besides the fact that I hate going to hairdressers, I don’t know how anyone can afford that. I’ve seen those box hair dyes in supermarkets but I was told they are no good because you have to dye all the hair and then colour builds up on the lengths, which ruins it. Is this true? My hair is waist length so I don’t want that to happen. 

What do other people here do? I’ll probably just let it go grey when I’m 50 or so, but I feel a bit young for that yet. 

lisyloo

You do not have to dye all the hair.
you can just do the roots with box dyes which are pretty good theses days.
What you’ve been told is not right as you’ll see when you open the box and see the instructions.
“Tint on tint” can be a problem and cause the lengths to darken.
if you choose permanent it really will be permanent so choose wisely if your hair is waist length or you could go for semi permanent and let it blend out.

I have quite a lot of grey and use a box every 8 weeks (@ £2).
there are sprays (such as L’Oréal colour touch that you can use in the meantime if you wish and these take literally seconds to spray on).

maybe try a semi permanent colour to see what sort of shade you like because permanent is a long term commitment.

lisyloo

If you live near Big city and have time on your hands you might find a college where the students do it cheaply.
I used to do this in London and go to top west end salons.

Box sets have the advantage that you can use them at your own convenience.

ripplyuk

Thanks @lisyloo £2 every 8 weeks sounds brilliant! Can I ask what brand you use? I have no idea which ones are best. 

I heard that only permanent dye will cover grey but maybe it’s a good idea to try a semi-permanent first. Sorry if this is a stupid question but are these box dyes definitely waterproof? I mean, I’m outdoors a lot and regularly get drenched in the rain. I don’t want dye to start running out of my hair. I live in the middle of nowhere so there’s no colleges nearby. 

lisyloo

I like this one which suits me
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PXZ0124/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

They will be fine in the rain, but you might want to allocate a turbi towel as it may get stained on the initial wash.
many brands are £4-£6.

semi permanents say they “blend away” grey (whereas permanents say 100% coverage), but will eventually fade after 24 weeks so a bit less of a commitment if you want to try a few slightly different brands until you find your favourite.

MovingForwards

I've been home dyeing for years as I started getting a few grey hairs while in school. Back then I used tint sachets as it stuck to the few greys and lasted a while, slowly washing out and I'd do it again about a month later.

Schwarzkopf Live is my fave and I buy a couple of boxes when on special offer; I used to buy their Palette range as I got it for about £2 a box. My hair is down to my waist too and I only use half a box, it grows quickly and dye mine every 2 weeks.

I don't even use conditioner during the in-between washes and apply all the provided conditioner for the first half of the dye I use.

All I do is mix, use a special hairdressing dye brush (about £1) and apply it to the roots (paint it on).

With the leftovers I twist the length of my hair and again paint the dye on. This gives a highlight effect.

Then I pin it up with a 'spider' clip and go about whatever I've got planned while it takes, before washing it off.

It's all down to individual hair types and there's such a vast range now, compared to years ago. You'll probably get a perfect colour match for yours, then it's finding a brand you like. 

I've even started plucking and dyeing my brows and lashes, again using a lot less than salons do and for a fraction of the cost; £7 box will last me a year, compared to £25 each salon visit.

ripplyuk

MovingForwards said:

I've even started plucking and dyeing my brows and lashes, again using a lot less than salons do and for a fraction of the cost; £7 box will last me a year, compared to £25 each salon visit.

@MovingForwards Thank you. Do you use the same hair dye for doing your brows and lashes? 

MovingForwards

@ripplyuk same brand, but the one for brows, just very very careful when using it on my lashes! 

Not to big myself up, but I do a better job than the salon did as it's carefully applied to ensure coverage. 

I do both brows together, leave it on while doing one lash side, wipe the lashes after 4 mins and then do the other side, wash the brows, then wash the other lashes. Takes less than 10 minutes. Following day I pluck the unwanted brows out. 

SadieO

ripplyuk said:

MovingForwards said:

I've even started plucking and dyeing my brows and lashes, again using a lot less than salons do and for a fraction of the cost; £7 box will last me a year, compared to £25 each salon visit.

@MovingForwards Thank you. Do you use the same hair dye for doing your brows and lashes? 

Just a warning that you should only ever use specific brow dye (or I've heard some people use beard dye) on your brows. Ordinary hair dye (ie for the hair on your head) is too harsh for your face and could burn your skin.