Talk to me about hair dye (PIP)

[tacosforlife]

I have no idea what I need because I've always loved my hair color. But the physical therapist took pictures of me today, and while I've been telling myself I was fine with graying naturally, I think maybe I'm not. But I don't understand hair color terms. Highlights? Lowlights? All over color? What can I do that requires the least amount of maintenance and looks the most natural? I am so lazy.

The grays, man. They're just making me sad.

[eclaires]

I found one gray hair the other day and cried. Lol.

Anyway, I am vain about my hair so I will probably do both all over and some highlights or lowlights because I like that look better and think it looks more natural.

[tacosforlife]

I know the stylist I want to see. Options are, in order of price: single process, double process, balyage, balyage + base. WTF are any of these?

[2curlydogs]

Highlights and lowlights are the same thing, just referring to whether you're going lighter or darker than your natural hair color.

So, my stylist just did this thing when she did my lowlights that did NOT involve a permanent all-over color because that shit scares me. It's, like, a demi-permanent thing that just just painted on about an inch around my face and it looks fucking fabulous.

[Deleted]

Oct 7, 2015 14:03:07 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

The grays, man. They're just making me sad.

I'm 36 and have a full head of gray (actually closer to white hair).  I've been using home dye for years.  I would love to get it done professionally I just can't afford to do that every 6 weeks.  I've had good luck with home dye though, I think I dye my hair a bit darker than what it's natural color used to be.  I do an all over color.  If you want to do highlights or lowlights you should definitely go to a colorist. 

[tacosforlife]

Oct 7, 2015 14:15:13 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

Highlights and lowlights are the same thing, just referring to whether you're going lighter or darker than your natural hair color.

So, my stylist just did this thing when she did my lowlights that did NOT involve a permanent all-over color because that shit scares me. It's, like, a demi-permanent thing that just just painted on about an inch around my face and it looks fucking fabulous.

So are lowlights darker than your natural hair color and highlights lighter than it? What do I want for that gray mess up top?

Talk to me like I'm 5.

[jln]

Honestly, I'd just make an appointment and consultation and have her tell you what would be best. She csn assess your hair and tell you what you'll need to cover grey and that's low maintenance.

[2curlydogs]

Oct 7, 2015 14:16:56 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

Oct 7, 2015 14:15:13 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

Highlights and lowlights are the same thing, just referring to whether you're going lighter or darker than your natural hair color.

So, my stylist just did this thing when she did my lowlights that did NOT involve a permanent all-over color because that shit scares me. It's, like, a demi-permanent thing that just just painted on about an inch around my face and it looks fucking fabulous.

So are lowlights darker than your natural hair color and highlights lighter than it? What do I want for that gray mess up top?

Talk to me like I'm 5.

Yes, exactly. Low = darker, high = lighter. Balayage is fancy highlighting for those people who think the French are better at everything.

I get high/lowlights, like, 2-3 times a year. My stylist does such an amazing job weaving it in that it grows out really well. And I try and choose colors that aren't notorious for fading OR I do 2-3 different colors (at no extra charge. I love my stylist) and one of those is, like, a red.

If I were you, I'd start with highlights. They cover a multitude of sins, especially if your grey is threaded throughout. If it doesn't seem like enough, you can always go whole hog.

And if you want the name of my fabulous stylist, email me.

[laurenpetro]

i just got highlights for the first time in years and they dried the shit out of my hair. it sucks. thankfully i balayage so they grew out really quickly. i have an appointment on saturday to cut most of them out.

i'd make an appointment and see what they suggest but IMPO you shouldn't need more than a basic color. your natural highlights will show through and if your gray takes well to color you're good to go.

[Skyesthelimit1212]

Tacos, I don't where you live, but if it's MA, and you want to travel to Somerville, my hair dress is freaking awesome. All the girls there do a great job, and she's cheap. I'm going there this weekend for a cut, wash, and hair color, 85.00 + tip.

[Deleted]

i just do an all-over color at home for about $10. i've been greying since I was about 22 and there's no way I'm upkeeping a pro job. The only pro color I've gotten was to add blue and green streaks last spring (I have dark brown hair, and to dye it it needed to be blonde).

For the usual, I just buy a color close to my natural and go to town. I like Garnier Olia right now.

[tacosforlife]

Oct 7, 2015 15:02:53 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

i just do an all-over color at home for about $10. i've been greying since I was about 22 and there's no way I'm upkeeping a pro job. The only pro color I've gotten was to add blue and green streaks last spring (I have dark brown hair, and to dye it it needed to be blonde).

For the usual, I just buy a color close to my natural and go to town. I like Garnier Olia right now.

Do you have any natural highlights in your hair?

I'm tempted to do all-over at-home color because I'm cheap and lazy. But I don't want to lose my reddish highlights. But I don't really want to go red, either. I just want my exact natural hair color without the gray! #highmaintenance

[Deleted]

Oct 7, 2015 15:09:14 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

Oct 7, 2015 15:02:53 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

i just do an all-over color at home for about $10. i've been greying since I was about 22 and there's no way I'm upkeeping a pro job. The only pro color I've gotten was to add blue and green streaks last spring (I have dark brown hair, and to dye it it needed to be blonde).

For the usual, I just buy a color close to my natural and go to town. I like Garnier Olia right now.

Do you have any natural highlights in your hair?

I'm tempted to do all-over at-home color because I'm cheap and lazy. But I don't want to lose my reddish highlights. But I don't really want to go red, either. I just want my exact natural hair color without the gray! #highmaintenance

"Natural highlights" are the grays. I have no idea what my natural color is, really. I've been dying it for 10 years. Sometimes I go black, and sometimes I go reddish. Usually, it's just a mix of dark brown shades. 

[ringstrue]

I have to dye like every 3-4 weeks for grays .

When you dye that often, you can't really do highlights because you are just going to dye over it. Some ladies here at my job have intermittent grays like you so they still get the highlighting and just let it grow until they have some gray streaks again. But when you have a gray root line once a month its too dicey, ime.

So anyway, I do the box dye once a month-ish. I get Garnier Fructis (not the foam kind!) and stick to Ash/cool tones of medium brown so it doesn't look too brassy or redish.

[KateAggie]

Oct 7, 2015 15:09:14 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

Oct 7, 2015 15:02:53 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

i just do an all-over color at home for about $10. i've been greying since I was about 22 and there's no way I'm upkeeping a pro job. The only pro color I've gotten was to add blue and green streaks last spring (I have dark brown hair, and to dye it it needed to be blonde).

For the usual, I just buy a color close to my natural and go to town. I like Garnier Olia right now.

Do you have any natural highlights in your hair?

I'm tempted to do all-over at-home color because I'm cheap and lazy. But I don't want to lose my reddish highlights. But I don't really want to go red, either. I just want my exact natural hair color without the gray! #highmaintenance

If you have red in your hair, and aren't OK with it going redder, go to a stylist. My red tones come out no matter what color I use when I dye at home.

[tacosforlife]

Oct 7, 2015 15:41:05 GMT -5 KateAggie said:

Oct 7, 2015 15:09:14 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

Do you have any natural highlights in your hair?

I'm tempted to do all-over at-home color because I'm cheap and lazy. But I don't want to lose my reddish highlights. But I don't really want to go red, either. I just want my exact natural hair color without the gray! #highmaintenance

If you have red in your hair, and aren't OK with it going redder, go to a stylist. My red tones come out no matter what color I use when I dye at home.

OK, I emailed my stylist. If she can't get me in by Wednesday morning, I may do a box dye once. I'm supposed to wear my sexy black cocktail dress at an event in 10 days, and I want non-gray hair to go with it!

[shopgirl07]

I do a single process to cover grays. I get balayage highlights when I want to go lighter or add some dimension. So I'd do a single process and then go from there.

[KateAggie]

Oct 7, 2015 15:45:47 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

Oct 7, 2015 15:41:05 GMT -5 KateAggie said:

If you have red in your hair, and aren't OK with it going redder, go to a stylist. My red tones come out no matter what color I use when I dye at home.

OK, I emailed my stylist. If she can't get me in by Wednesday morning, I may do a box dye once. I'm supposed to wear my sexy black cocktail dress at an event in 10 days, and I want non-gray hair to go with it!

I don't mind the extra red in my hair. Just when you pick a color, expect it to be warmer than the example, if you end up doing it yourself.

[tacosforlife]

Oct 7, 2015 15:47:56 GMT -5 KateAggie said:

Oct 7, 2015 15:45:47 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

OK, I emailed my stylist. If she can't get me in by Wednesday morning, I may do a box dye once. I'm supposed to wear my sexy black cocktail dress at an event in 10 days, and I want non-gray hair to go with it!

I don't mind the extra red in my hair. Just when you pick a color, expect it to be warmer than the example, if you end up doing it yourself.

Thanks! I just got greenish-blue glasses, so I probably could pull off redder than my natural color. I just don't want it to be "OMG, TACOS DYED HER HAIR!" I'm looking more for, "Hmm, tacos is looking slightly more youthful today. She must be getting some good sleep."

[KateAggie]

tacosforlife, I haven't dyed my hair in almost a year, and I love my natural color now, but you're making me want to go buy all the hair dyes and put them on my head.

[elleblue]

You have virgin hair (not dyed) hair, right? For home color I'd try natural instincts.

[Deleted]

You don't need to understand any of it. You need a good stylist and tell him/ her the following:

How much your are willing to spend
How often you are willing to come in
That you like your hair color and want grey covered as primary objective.

[tacosforlife]

Oct 7, 2015 15:55:44 GMT -5 elleblue said:

You have virgin hair (not dyed) hair, right? For home color I'd try natural instincts.

Yes. I am currently on a once-a-year haircut schedule. See? LAZY.

[auntie]

Go to a good colorist and have a consult.

For greys against darker hair, you probably want a base. High/low lights could replicate your natural highlights. Usually highlights are done around your face and or where you part you hair. Bayalage is highlighting that's more targeted and can be highlights woven into long hair to play up waves or movement. It's also how ombre is typically done. Some stylists will do balayage for gray streaks if you don't have that much to cover. Usually, balayage is "narrower" near the root and fans a bit wider toward the ends where regular highlights are the same width the length of the hair.

For someone who isn't wild about dropping a couple hundred bucks every 6 weeks, balayage tends to grow out more gracefully.

[picksthemusic]

You and I have similar hair. I just did an all-over color with caramel bayalage. I'll PIP in a second.

[picksthemusic]

Before and after. I love it! tacosforlife

Attachments:

[eclaires]

If it were me, I'd do base plus balayage. That's my plan, because I don't like too many highlights/lowlights. The ones I've been to when I was coloring my hair, basically painted it on strategically.

Also, because of this post, I spent 30 minutes in the mirror picking through my hair. I have 4 grays.

::faints::

I warned my husband that my low maintenance hair is soon to be a thing of the past. When we were dating and first married and even when Jackson was little, I was really high maintenance about my hair color and went very frequently. Then when we moved, I was less into it and liked my natural color so I stopped getting it colored at all... the clock is ticking on how long that lasts.

[Skyesthelimit1212]

Oct 7, 2015 16:18:30 GMT -5 mryrcn said:

Go to a damn hairdresser & show her a pic of what you'd like for your hair to look like.

I took in like 3 different ones & she helped me pick the right color. I gravitate towards golden but I need to be an ashy blonde. My hair Saturday night.

Aww, pretty lady.  

[tacosforlife]

Oct 7, 2015 16:18:30 GMT -5 mryrcn said:

Go to a damn hairdresser & show her a pic of what you'd like for your hair to look like. 

This assumes I know what I want it to look like. Except I don't, other than: exactly how it is now but without gray! LOL.

Anyway, she can fit me in before I leave town next week. Holy fuck, y'all. This is like a real grownup thing I'm doing.

[elleblue]

Oct 7, 2015 15:59:44 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

Oct 7, 2015 15:55:44 GMT -5 elleblue said:

You have virgin hair (not dyed) hair, right? For home color I'd try natural instincts.

Yes. I am currently on a once-a-year haircut schedule. See? LAZY.

Getting color done from a stylist is more of a commitment, but will probably yield the better results, especially if you're doing any sort of blonde. Plenty of people are happy with at home hair color, which is why I recommended the above because (allegedly) it's harder to screw up than other box colors.