I have never had my hair dyed in a salon. I have always colored my own hair. Just do my roots. My hair is naturally dark brown and ny hair is turning WHITE. Not gray, snow white. Just like my mom's.

I use Ion Color Brilliance from Sally Beauty with 10 vol. developer. Mix it 50/50 leave on 45 minutes, rinse it out in the shower.

I've been dying my hair since Covid. I don't want to go in the salon until I'm vaccinated. I've done it many time over the years before moving here for various reasons. It's so easy, I use Preference medium ash blond. I leave it on longer than they recommend because my hair is mostly white/grey which takes longer to absorb color.

I find the regular dyes work fine. They just don't last as long as the salon dyes so I touch up the roots about once a month or 5 weeks.

I just wash it out in my shower. It has never damaged the shower. I use newspaper or paper towels on the counter top in front of the mirror. Ive never had a problem for my many years of dying my own hair. Easy. Go for it!

Jane

I cover the gray in my brown hair and do it myself. Over the years, my stylist has given me a few pointers mainly because I have missed some areas. Ooops! ! Buy some long clips and section off your dry hair. Add a bead of Vaseline all along your hairline in the event some dye drips down for easy removal. I also purchased a mixing bowl and brush from Sally Beauty to paint the dye into my roots vs the squeeze bottle method. I leave the colorant on my hair for longer than the instructions also.

3 kinds of dye: I use permanent, but you might want to start with temporary for confidence.

-Temporary - washes out in 6 washes

-Semi Permanent

-Permanent

I have died mine since the natural strawberry blond turned mousy, 40 something. I have tried a few different brands from the hair dye aisle at the drug store. Most recently I ventured into Sally beauty supplies more expensive brand. I agree it started out darker than the package but some of that is knowing how long to keep it in your hair. There is a range of suggested time. The color lightens with in the first week on me and red doesn't hold it's color as well as some so that has been a challenge. Currently I am trying a shampoo for red dyed hair and it did seem to help the color stay longer. I jump into the shower to rinse it out. I haven't washed my hair in a sink since my mom laid me out on the kitchen counter as a child. I stick and old towel around the neck of my robe it is stained so I know it was a good idea. The dye can spatter and I have found it on hard surfaces but it washes off. I doubt a marble shower would be an issue when rinsing.

FYI I just had a renter dye her hair red. She got the dye on the toilet seat and the pretty fabric shower curtain. I had to throw out the toilet seat and shower curtain! The dye will also stain my white fiberglass Kohler bath tub if I don't rinse it out immediately. I usually wet my hair in the sink. Then apply the dye in front of a large mirror to be sure I get it ALL covered. Then put my hair on top of my head with a big plastic clip. I wrap an old brown towel around my shoulders and sit on the vanity seat while it "cooks". I leave the dye on for 25 minutes.....then put my head under the tub spout.

Yes! Hair dye will stain granite counters or marble if they are unsealed or porous.

I use Natural Instincts. I find it much gentler on my hair and it slowly fades out over 28 washes, give or take a couple. Now new hair growth line.... I stopped getting a salon to do my hair when the lady who used to do my hair quit hair and went into transcribing instead. Mind you, she only charged me for the supplies not the cut or colour. $25 average to have at least 3 colours and a cut done to my hair. Now I pay that for two boxes of hair colour.

I haven't done my hair for a few months. I do have a box of colour sitting here waiting for me to use it, but I'm waiting for a potential new employer to interview me before I put it in my hair.

And I agree with those who say be careful! I repainted my bathroom in August and am scared to colour my hair in there again because it seems no matter how careful I am with the colour, I still manage to get some on the walls. And it stains FAST.

Anyone dying their hair because of their age should be sure to remember to also work on the rest of the package in order for the total presentation to be convincing.

Only a henna rinse, twice, back in the 90s. Looked fine but since it was a rinse the color washed off the surfaces without staining, say, grout.

For those who use the same color all of the time a word of ??? As you age watch how in various lighting situations it contrasts with your skin color. While there are some people whose hair color does not change you do not really want to be that person with obviously dyed hair.

I have colored my own hair since I was 14, started with Sun In at beach and then started dyeing it totally blonde. I am 55 now

I stopped coloring my hair a couple of years ago, and now happily wear my natural whitish-gray streaked very-dark-blonde shade. Before then, however, I colored my hair for decades - starting as has been mentioned above with Sun-In when I was a teen. I've actually had it done professionally off and on, but in later years found I could get better results from a DIY box in my own bathroom than I could paying upwards of $300 for something I ended up not liking. Wanting to be light blonde was an exercise in futility for me, as everything had a tendency to eventually turn brassy (and sometimes downright "yella", which was not an attractive look), and as I aged this was particularly bad with my 50-something skin tone. I can't say I'm averse to hair color; after all, who am I to say what others do to their own hair, particularly in light of what mine looked like for decades? - but I do think one should carefully consider hair's natural color and what actually works well, instead of wanting something that's not easily achievable. For some, high maintenance is worth it, but definitely not for me these days. Sounds like the OP wants a subtle change though, and that is probably easily done at home.

“ I do cheat I still have the shower chair that was for my husband and large bath towels. I sit on it with a towel wrapped around my body until it is time to rinse.“

You sit in the shower for 30-40 minutes waiting to rinse? !? I’m in my cotton, dark print “hair dying robe” . The Preference or Excellence is thick enough to not drip much. If it did. I’d wear a shower cap. I wander about the house, doing whatever...Usually sitting on kitchen stool reading, texting, etc.

Most of the stuff I have used worked in less time than that but since I had a book with me I was occupied with ME TIME.

Sitting in the shower sounds kinda brrr in winter. I’m so stubbornly gray I need a minimum of 30 mins.

If I had white GRAY I would love it. Mine is Mousey gray. Nothing pretty about it.

Maybe the sitting in the shower for half an hour is to be sure the coloring runs down to result in the carpet matching the drapes.

As for Ellish she puts that hair in an aquarium at night, feeds it crabs.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. I think will give it a try. As I mentioned originally, I'm not trying to cover gray or drastically change the colour, just want to brighten it up a little. I know that red is the hardest colour to maintin and as such I already use a specific shampoo for hair that has been coloured red.

If I absolutely hate it, I can always revert to the pixie cut I had when I was six!

Only if you are still 4' tall.

I color mine to the shade of what it was originally and also throw in some highlights occasionally. It needs smoothing here but I had just gotten up from a nap and it was also a windy day. Generally I'm fairly boho looking with my hair unless I put a lot of effort into it.

My hair is fully gray otherwise.

I use WELLA Professional KOLESTON PERFECT Permanent Hair Color in several very light shades of natural with ash in the name.

Bumblebeez, your hair is gorgeous! Such beautiful waves!

Thank you GS! I tortured my hair for many years and made my mother very sad.

Youth is wasted on the young.

I started dying it on my own because of Covid. Prior to that, I went to the salon every 6 weeks. I've been buying my color from ESalon.com. It's a few dollars more than drugstore dye, but the kit is much more complete, they have a huge and precise color selection and they have excellent customer service. The kit comes with skin protector and a pad to clean up messes. I know the pad is for if you get any on your skin, but I also used it when I got dye on the wall.

Wow Bumblebeez! What a gorgeous mane and your colour is very close to what mine used to be and how I have it died. I haven't gotten up my nerve yet, but this has given me a boost. Thanks for the source jupidupi - I'll check it out.

Bumblebeez for the win! Your hair is beautiful! Is the Wella product available to non professionals? Inquiring minds want to know!

I've been using esalon since last March. Customer service is awesome They will talk you through everything. But I’m not too thrilled with the way it affects my hair texture at my sideburn area. This is me today - fully gray and due for a root touch up.

Yes I either buy it on eBay or Amazon and have been using it for years!

And use it with Wella Welloxton Perfect cream developer 20% volume.

I used Natural Instincts for a long time & liked it. The last time I bought it, the color didn't stay locked in my hair. Woke up to find my pillowcase, pillow protector & even the ticking on my expensive goose down pillow stained with the hair color. Tried several different brands--Revlon, L'Oreal Preference, a Wella product. Wasn't in love with any of them. Currently using Paul Mitchell The Color. I like it better than any of the afore mentioned. Got it on eBay.

I just started dying my hair last spring to cover up my emerging grey hairs. I am pretty allergic to things so I researched using a two step henna and indigo process to dye your hair brown and I am pleased to say it works and completely covers grey hair naturally!

What I love about using henna and indigo is that my hair comes out in better condition than before. I have always had very shiny and strong hair and I hated the idea of it getting dry after dying it. My hair is super shiny and strong and bouncy after using henna.

The major downside is that it is time consuming and you have to wait two days after the initial henna treatment before doing the second henna/ indigo treatment. For those two days I go about with flaming red hair. After the henna/ indigo second treatment my hair is a natural brown that is pretty similar to my natural shade.

Best of luck in your hair dying adventures!

Thanks to Jupidupi, I just received my custom colour from elsalon.ca. They were great to order from and very helpful. I appreciate the hand-holding that they offer. Family Easter dinner tomorrow and my first visit with my Dad in long term care (I haven't seen him since October) on Sunday morning, so will do it Sunday afternoon. Thanks again for the suggestion Jupidupi.

You all checked the "Smile of the Day" for the day after April Fools, can I assume?

ole joyful

I did my own dye for years until I just stopped doing it altogether. I got that gray streak down my head about every two weeks. It needed attention so often! And, the dye just seemed to give me a sick headache. I am not one to claim sensitivity to many things, so when I detected this slight headache feeling, I took note of it.

Also, it got to where I felt it was too young looking for my aging self.

For a while I had it done by a hairdresse. That got really expensive and lasted no longer than the box of dye.

So, I just stopped doing any of that at all and I am so glad.

I see many women who really need to realize that they are not fooling anyone with a head of hair that has no gray and anyone can tell that they are not young anymore. It looks harsh on some. I felt that it looked harsh on me.

The trick is that you have to know when to stop and age gracefully.

If I was a rich woman, I might have my hair taken care of on a professional level. Or, if it mattered because I had a high public profile, I might do it. But I am not rich, there are no photographers following me around, and no business deals depend on me playing a part. So, I just lead a private life just being honestly me.

If you are aged and still sport dyed hair, red lipstick and blue eye shadow, it may be time for a reckoning. Some are more exaggerated than others, who look absolutely frightening or comical with all of that painted on face and colored hair. It seems that they would look better just to be soft and natural. Some can never give up "putting on their face". It might be time to make some changes and gravitate away from that hard and harsh look with a lighter routine.

It is easy to look at the ornamentation that people from other cultures adorn themselves with and see it as being very contrived and silly. Yet, our culture does much the same thing and we think it to be normal. No-one has red lips or blue eyelids. And the eye makeup and brow sculpting has gotten ridiculous looking on some.

These make up trends tend to make so many of us look the same. Was watching a movie with young grandson the other day and the characters were all blonde women. He, Hubs, and I could not tell the difference between them because they all looked just alike with the make up and blonde hair. It was almost comical trying to decide which character was on the screen.

It is wise to know when it is time to make a change and to quit chasing your youth with such contrivances. You are not fooling the world, only yourself. That age will come with different numbers for different people, but it will come to all who live long enough.

Hmmm, I'm not sure anyone was asking for advice on when to stop coloring their hair. Also, I can honestly say I don't know anyone wearing blue eyeshadow/red lipstick. I do agree that using the same color our hair was 20 years ago can be too harsh. When I colored, I used a much lighter shade and my gray hairs looked like highlights. There are ways to color your hair and it not look "too harsh" or "too young". Much of that would best be done by a beautician.

Well, "you do you" is a pretty wise saying, despite its rather trite simplicity. I agree that there are aspects of artifice that make me cringe (heavy lash extensions is one; they just look ridiculous to me), but I have also dabbled in many different beauty products, treatments, and a few procedures, so realize I have no room to judge. If a woman feels something added to her natural body makes her prettier, so be it. It's not hurting anyone, after all. It's only our outer shell, and we have since the dawn of time found myriad ways of decorating it to make it more appealing. That doesn't have to stop as we age.

I think continuing to "decorate" your body as you age and care for it, is a youthful attitude and I'm all in.

I've only let a salon colour my hair a few times. First I used to go to Sears and back then it was under $100, but considering how many years ago that was, it was like paying $200 now. Then I used to work in a store and one of the ladies in cosmetics was a hair stylist. She would do my hair in the salon she rented a chair in. I would only pay $20 for a colour, + 2 shades of highlights and a cut! She did my hair for about 3 years and decided she didn't want to do hair anymore. I went to the drugstore and bought a box of colour and haven't looked back. While getting it done in a salon with less harsh chemicals is better for the hair, a $15 box of colour is all I can afford with my budget now. I even trim my own hair.

I have been seen any number of older women lately who cause me to do a double take. I swear that some of these folks could frighten small children.

As an older lady myself, I find it so freeing to not to have to care about trying to appear younger than I am. I want to be clean and neat and to keep my hair cut and shaped often.

I am all for good grooming and keeping it real.

I recently got rid of any tight pants that might have still been lingering. Who needs to see grandma in tight leggings? And, why would grandma want to wear something as uncomfortable as that? Just, no.

I am pleased to see looser garments coming back into favor.

My answer on how to color your hair is to question if it is really something that you want to spend your life energies on worrying about. In this decade of my life, I wouldn't waste one minute worrying about it.

Plus, it is a full chemical immersion experience that I seriously question the wisdom of.

It is mostly women who do this. Some men, yes. but mostly women. Why do we hold ourselves to a standard them most men don't have to bother with? I see this a lot in ads for products and services that are to appeal to older couples. You see both of them in the commercial, but her hair is blonde or brown, or some such, and he is gray. You rarely see HER gray. She is expected to hold herself to standards that he does not pay heed to at all.

Since I stopped dying my hair, it is so natural and healthy and I keep it short, so it is also easy care. During the last year of this virus I tried to love it grown out a bit, but found that it needed so much care to tame it. I am all wash and wear!!!! I often do no more than towel dry and run my fingers through it. Done, and ready to go!

Now, where are those "mom jeans" that I used to have? They are coming back!!! If only they still fit!! Oh well, it has been a winter of cheap Walmart sweatpants all winter. Gonna be hard to beat that for comfort. No one saw and no one cared. Hubs doesn't count. He was wearing the same. Just the two of us and our comfy pants.

Huh. I'm soon to be 59, so Grandma age (although I'm not one), and I'll be damned if I'm giving up my leggings, jeggings, and yoga pants. If that's an issue for anyone, I suggest they avert their gaze. 🙂

Imo, leggings look good on thin trim bodies no matter what the age. Plenty of young things shouldn't be wearing them.

I agree, Ida. I went rock climbing for the first time in my life when I was 48, and it was life-changing. It made me look at my health and aging from a new perspective. Since then, taking care of myself has become less about vanity, and more about living.

Btw, you look great and healthy!

Wednesdaymorning - please feel free to start your own thread about what is appropriate for older women to wear, say or do.

My aunt, who will be 90 in July, still dyes her hair a warm auburn colour, gets regular manicures and pedicures and wears makeup every day. (No blue eyeshadow or red lipstick) She does so because it makes her feel good about herself and she looks mahhhvelous!

nekotish, did you give it a try yesterday and if so, how did it turn out?

I was having a driveway visit from a SIL Saturday and she asked if I was starting to embrace my gray. I'm not. I have an appointment tomorrow for cut and color (blonde to warm my graying tones as usual) and hadn't thought I was that grown out from my last appointment! If she'd asked a year ago, I would have understood why. With the virus cautions, I went 6 months without hair care and wouldn't like to do that again.

ok, to answer the OP's original question-- I've been coloring my own hair since middle school, and have learned a ton about the types of dyes, chemistry involved, undertones, etc. I think that your chosen color - auburn - is relatively easy to DIY for the following reasons:

perrmanent dye (as in, ammonia based + a 10 or 20% developer) slightly lifts (aka lightens) the hair as part of the process (or otherwise it won't be permanent). natural hair color tends to go a touch warm when it starts to lighten. if you were trying to go for a "cool" color, such as truly neutral brown or blonde, it's super hard to achieve because those dyes are trying to counteract the warm tones.

but you're in luck. auburn has a warm undertone, so the dyes you choose for that are working with it, not against it! if you're somewhat flexible with the exact shade that it turns out, I don't think you will have a difficult time. if you're really picky and aim for a very specific color, keep going to a professional colorist. it's so hard to get exactly the color you want.

go to Sally beauty supply and ask a clerk to help you pick out a brand of dye + developer. my fav is Clairol Soy Plex. Liquicolor Permanente. they have an incredibly wide range of undertones: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/35/83/47/358347e3ba673a139fa8d9a44db4417c.png

a note on other types of dyes:

if you ever used Henna, it's a bad idea to switch to any kind of ammonia based dye, and vice-versa. It will very likely fry your hair. (there are some caveats to this rule. details: https://hairpros.edu/why-does-henna-affect-hair-dye/)

there are about a bajillion other types of dyes out there. the ammonia based types found at Sally is tried and true for covering grey. I've tried some of the other types of dyes but I found that they are really hard to get (you need a license to get them, or can get them on amazon but you're really rolling the dice there). for the non-ammonia dyes that are easy to get (like at Sally's), they tend to not be nearly as long lasting as the ammonia based dyes.

I am 60, natural hair is totally gray and do not think that I am fooling anyone by dying my hair. Do not really care if the world knows I color my hair or not. That said I did explore going gray, I did not color my hair for a number of months from start of the pandemic. While I was hoping to have one of those beautiful gray colors you see in photos whenever you read an article about the benefits of going gray, that was not my reality. My natural gray is the ugliest color of yellow gray, I would have had to dye it to another color of gray. It was awful, depressing to look at - so mousey. So out went the gray, I decided to change my color up from dark blonde to a medium ash brown with a silvery blonde streak In the front, this looks much better with my “winter” coloring. My natural color in my younger years was dark ash brown, think the dark brown would be a little harsh now though.

I ordered a custom kit from L'Oreal's Color and Co. After filling out an online questionnaire I had the option to have a free consultation with a colorist. He recommended a two part process, and my kit has color that I'm to mix with a developer with ammonia to apply to my roots only, and after that has been on a while I have the same color to mix with a non-ammonia developer. I know that I could probably buy all the components for less money from Sally or someplace like that, but I felt more comfortable talking to an expert.

I had been quite happy with my L'Oreal Excellence medium chestnut color, so the colorist matched me with the same shade. I like the idea of not applying such a strong mixture to most of my hair. I'm going to use it sometime this week, and I'll let you know how it goes.