I use henna. Mostly to cover grey. (Actually, mousey brown hair doesn’t turn “grey”–but mousey beige.) EZ to do & non-toxic.
Thinking of upgrading to Mehndi-quality henna instead of my old standby.
Building on what I said before about the time, and others’ comments about scheduling, is another factor. When going to a salon, a big part of the point is to find a good stylist and keep going to the same person so a) you’re not always rolling the dice (someone has to graduate in the bottom half of the class at beauty school…) and b) the stylist has a chance to get to know what works with your hair. Well, good stylists are busy. Trying to coordinate my schedule with that of another busy person is perhaps the thing that pushed me over the edge.
I did not see that one coming. (that’s what *she * said)
I color mine at home when I color it, and my will to do so was bolstered by an article I read where if done correctly, home kits are as natural-looking as salon jobs. And shoot, I go to Supercuts for my haircuts so I don’t see myself hitting a salon anytime soon.
Y’know, I should have thought that joke over before posting it, because, now that I recall some threads here relating to “Brazilians”, it’s clear one can most certainly drop trou at a salon, and get all sorts of things done to both the drapes and the carpet.
I’m a stylist slut. I can’t go to the same one twice. And its the scheduling thing that gets me. That and that the moment you get a good relationship going he runs off to Hawaii with his boyfriend or she switches salons with no forwarding address. Been dumped too many times by my stylist.
But hair coloring in a salon take a long time. And is a scheduling nightmare. Having a box of color at home and doing it while doing the dishes, surfing the dope, or whatever makes hair color so much more doable.
This is what I use, and I love it (it’s a henna dye). It is time-consuming, but the upside is that you can leave it on your head as long as you want and it won’t damage it. I use a reddish-brown one, and the red lasts a lot longer than salon or store-bought chemical dyes, which is nice. I’d quit using red because it faded so fast.
Before I started using henna, I would go to a salon maybe twice a year for color, and dye my hair at home the rest of the time. If I wanted highlights, it was always a salon because whenever I tried to do them at home I always screwed them up.
I’ve tried dying my own hair or having my daughter help me. I just get much better results at a salon. I go to an upscale beauty salon, and they always do a fantastic job on me, for less than a haircut would cost in other places. I get a dye job and highlights, and then I get carded (I’m 49, with no wrinkles, just grey hair) when I try to buy a beer! I don’t like getting my hair dyed, whether I do it myself or have it done in a salon, but the salon does a much better job on me.
I’d advise anyone who is thinking about a change of color to get a salon job first, as that way you can see what it looks like when it’s done professionally.
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The cost, naturally.
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I get better results at home, for the effects I’m going for. A salon would balk at giving me the dark burgundy color I desire because it wouldn’t match my skin tone or eye color or whatever. They’d probably say my brown hair is fine. Well, it’s not fine to me, I like my hair slightly unnatural looking.
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I hate salons. Freakin’ HATE them. Whoever said it was like a medical procedure is exactly right. You’re under those hot lights being waited upon by strange women who try to make conversation with you or each other while they use all those scary-looking instruments on you. Sorry, no, I’d rather dye my hair in the comfort of my own home with the help of people I want to make conversation with. I haven’t even gotten my hair cut in a salon in over a year because I hate it so much. “Pampered” my ass. I don’t even know what I’d do if I had to go to a spa.
I should try this henna stuff sometime. Do they make it in a purplish/burgundy shade?
The only time I’ve had my hair colored in a salon was when a friend worked there and only charged me for supplies. Other than that I’ve always done it myself.
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Price, I get a big bottle of developer and then just get the color as needed. Maybe a total of 10 bucks each time I color it.
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Convenience. I can do it when I want to and not on someone elses schedule. Not to mention it only takes about 30 minutes at home compared to my SO who is at the salon for 3 hours every few months.
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It’s easy! I know what color I want and I do a great job so I have no incentive to pay someone else to do it. I would put the question as, if you pay someone else to color your hair, why?
The only thing I would add is, as mentioned above you might want to have someone with some color experience help you the first time, whether thats at a salon or a friend who has done their own a lot.
Try this site about hair henna. It comes in a few different colors, but it’s is one of those things you can customize at home to get different results. This page has a lot of info, and a lot of different examples of things to add to get different shades. A lot of before/after pictures, too.
I use strong coffee instead of water and add some ground cloves to mine, to get a dark red/chestnut color.
Be careful though - don’t henna too soon after using chemical dyes on your hair (or vice versa). It can turn hair green, so do a strand test if you ever decide to use henna.
My mom has jet black hair (originally) that is thick and sometimes long, sometimes short. She’s been gray since she was 18. She used to go get her hair colored at a salon but now that she’s older (50’s) she prefers doing it at home because she doesn’t have the time to go to the salon and probably doesn’t want to spend the money. She has to color it about once a month.
She has my dad do it. They are very cute together sometimes 
Aside from money, the reason I colour at home is so I can pick and choose my time and relax while doing it. I don’t want to sit in a room filled with chemicals while reading month-old magazines. I’m not big into small talk either, and because I have to take my hearing aids out while my hair is wet, I can’t hear anything anyway.
So I colour at home, relax while it sets and hop in the shower right after.
I’ve done both, but prefer to do my hair myself. My hair is naturally dark blonde with a “halo” of solid white hair growing around my face, including completely thru my bangs (more like fringe, really) and a few white hairs at the crown of my head as well. I actually highlighted my darker blonde hair most of my life, and now I find that I need to darken it to make the white go away, and to restore the darker blonde I had in my 20’s and 30’s.
I use a champagne blonde color (which is actually sort of medium blonde but colors my hair a shade or two darker than the box shows) and then on occasion, maybe once every 90 days, I highlight on top of the color for a glossy, mixed-color look. I’ve flirted with just letting it go white over the past couple years, but can’t quite buy into that yet. Maybe in a year or so when I am a grande dame of 50?
I’ve had professional coloring done now and then as well, and I can’t say that it ISN’T somewhat enjoyable for me to have my short hair played with at a salon (if I had to sit thru a treatment for hair any longer than mine, however, I doubt I’d be happy—so I sympathize with those of you with long hair who prefer to avoid the salon ritual). But when I see the results are close to what I can do myself, in the leisure of my own home, and at a fraction of the cost, well…why not?
And LunaV is right on, a relaxing hot shower after the processing is so nice! Can’t do THAT at a salon.
–Beck
Yeah, I’ve had my hair coloured in a salon, and done it myself at home, and I really didn’t see a difference in the results. I cut my own hair sometimes, too. I have dark, tough, wavy hair - it’s extremely forgiving.
I think it really depends what your doing. If you go a shade or two lighter you can probably do it at home.
I get mine done because I get it foiled with highlights and lowlights and couldn’t do it myself if I wanted to. I’m amazed at all the compliments I get since I’ve been doing that.
Never thought anyone noticed. Before it was pretty much all one color, or ‘kitchen color’ as my hairdresser called it.
I’m really lucky though. My hairdresser happens to be a good friend of mine and he comes to my house and does mine.
How can you be a jackbooted ModGod if you aren’t wrinkly and mean looking like Jack Palance?
My entire image of you is shot, now.
I’m an Admin, not a Mod (I have more powers, bwahaha!). I carry a Staff of Attitude Adjustment…a walking staff as tall as I am, which has six leather thongs braided on it, and a small leather drawstring pouch. Seriously, I do. I wear Birkenstocks, though. Don’t know what that does to your image of me.
Please tell me this is a euphamism for “highly effective bludgeoning tool”. Sometimes abject fear of authority can be quite a thrill…in a strictly platonic sense, of course.
I guess it MUST be effective, I’ve never had to Bludgeon anyone with it yet. No matter what my hair color is.
Ehhhhhxcellent!