Haircolor questions......women only!

[Miss Mary]

I've been coloring with Nice & Easy, #117 Natural Medium Golden Brown for 3 years now. The past year it's looked too dark so I'm going one shade lighter, gradually, to #116A Natural Light Medium Golden Brown. Got all that - LOL! Clairol recommends going from 117 to 116A, for a similar shade but lighter.

Clairol recommends this ratio, over 4 months, since I color every 4 weeks:

#1 Month 3/4 old shade + 1/4 new
#2 Month 1/2 old + 1/2 new
#3 Month 3/4 new + 1/4 old
#4 Month All New

My dilemma: I use one and a half boxes each month (another tip Clairol suggested since one box isn't enough). I simply mark one box my half box, marking a half line on both solutions and mixing in these amounts to the other main color bottle. Since I use more than what one box contains, I'm thinking for each month, I'm going to have to buy 2 boxes, one new, one old and waste some. Then using a large disposable plastic bottle you'd buy at a health and beauty store? This 3/4 + 1/4 ratio is going to be tricky. I can easily eyeball 1/2 amounts.

Do you think I'm on track with all of this or know an easier way? And no I don't want to just start over with the new shade, I'd rather do it gradual, so it's not noticeable (I am covering gray here, ya know, I don't want to draw attention!). Forget going to a hairdresser, the last one I paid to wash, cut, color and blow-dry charged me $82!

Thanks so much.......thanks in advance for reading too!

Mary

[CajunMama]

I'd love to be able to help you on that but i go every 6 weeks to my hairdresser for a color touchup and a trim. I've tried the home kits but my hair turns a brassy color no matter what color i used.

[O Town]

I'd love to be able to help you on that but i go every 6 weeks to my hairdresser for a color touchup and a trim. I've tried the home kits but my hair turns a brassy color no matter what color i used.

Me too mama. Well I don't go to the hair desser every month, but those kits turn my hair brassy, I am growing out some wierd color now. But I too am gettin my grays back and need to do something. I guess I am about to have to start the hair dressers here soon. But gosh it is so darn expensive.

All that math this early in the morning is making my head loopy Mary. That is going to be tricky with the one and half bottles that you use. Are you sure that maybe for the first ratio you couldn't get by with just one bottle? Make it stretch? I think that is what I would try to do, if you do not want to waste none. Other wise you may end up wasting a bit, but may be worth it for the change. I guess what you mean is you will pre mix what you usually do and then it will be easy to take the 3/4 you need out, right? That is what I am thinking would be easiest to make sure you get the right ratios. Use the 3/4 and throw out the 1/4 thats left, and so on for the next 2 treatments. If it were me I would just go for it and change all together, but I know you don't want to do that. Or I would try the one bottle method and see if you can make that work, otherwise you will just have to waste some, I don't see any other option. Hopefully someone else will. At any rate, good luck Mary.

Oh and by the way I was just thinking, you could call that # they give you on the side of the box and ask them for their advice. I did that once to ask why some of the colors were not coloring my hair that should have been, and they were really nice on the phone and ended up sending me 4 coupons for 4 free boxes of color! So you may want to give that a try too.

[coriolis]

I'm glad that I can just go bald gracefully.

[Miss Mary]

Now Ed - women only.....he he

OTown - yeah I was thinking of mixing both amounts and wasting some. But the tricky part is to end up with a box and a half amount, in total but with different ratio's (old/new colors).

I used to use a shower cap while waiting for the main root processing time, but my ends would get too dark that way b/c they would touch color. I had several family members tell me it was getting too dark (against my scalp I guess, I don't know, am I going slightly bald too? LOL). Now I touch the roots leaving the ends stick up, ignoring the doorbell! You look a mess this way but at least you are only processing new growth, pulling all color thru the entire hair shaft for 5 more minutes at the end.

I've got the hang of coloring, quite well I'm told. My hairdressers over the past few years have told me I never skip a section and it's all blended well. Much to their dismay (they want the job, naturally along with that huge bill). We have mirrored folding closet doors off our bathroom, I just color the back that way.

So at home coloring has turned out extremely well for me. It's just that I've been putting off going to a lighter shade and doing so gradually.

I called Clairol last night to make sure the shade I was going up to is in the same grouping/color family as my previous color.

The golden part actually gives me auburn highlights, which is odd but a nice bonus.

Mary

[angelwing]

I kept trying the haircolor route at home, had some really cool brass looking shades with pink tones, red tones, etc, so tried the hairdresser, got too expensive and those boxes of haircolor! $6.00 is too much for my pocket right now, so I'm greying gracefully (or trying too, lol)

Miss Mary, the formula you worked out sounds good math wise, I wish you luck with it (and I think the disposable bottle would be fine)

[Yankeegirl]

I also go get my hair done every few months or so... I tried that home box stuff, and the base color was like a purple-ish color, well the base color stayed and so I had a nice purple hue to my hair... Never again will I use the home stuff... But thats just because my hair is stupid... I would do what you think is right, but before doing all of your hair, make sure you do a test spot and make sure it comes out the right color... Sometimes mixing those colors together dont always work... and I think your not doing a dramatic change in color, why not just totally change to the new color people do it all the time... One day I went to to work with belached blonde hair, the next day I had a nice warm brown color.... Its accepted now to just up and change colors... Just a thought... Godd luck in what ever route you choose!


~lisa

[Pburgh]

Oh, hair coloring ---- now being the "natural" blonde that I am maybe I can help. ROTFLMBO

I think I'd buy 3 boxes of the old color and 3 boxes of the new color. I'd buy a very large plastic bottle and mix all the developer (the white stuff) from all the boxes together and seal tightly till you're ready to use. I'd then mix all the color for 117 together in a separate large bottle and all the color for 116A in another large bottle. Each time you color your hair you could have a chemistry class and mix the exact amounts.

[Miss Mary]

Oh, hair coloring ---- now being the "natural" blonde that I am maybe I can help. ROTFLMBO

I think I'd buy 3 boxes of the old color and 3 boxes of the new color. I'd buy a very large plastic bottle and mix all the developer (the white stuff) from all the boxes together and seal tightly till you're ready to use. I'd then mix all the color for 117 together in a separate large bottle and all the color for 116A in another large bottle. Each time you color your hair you could have a chemistry class and mix the exact amounts.

Now that's a very good idea Karan! I think you have solved my problem! Thanks. It's basically what I do with the box marked "half box", those bottles are never actually used to color my hair, I just draw a line dividing each one in half. Then pouring out each half into the other hair coloring bottle I'm using that month. So in a sense this is what you're saying is the way to go, just combine 4 boxes of each, but not the white stuff with the actual dye......I do get it.

But we've probably thoroughly confused everyone else Karan...!!!!

I've never had a problem with coloring, but then again I chose a color very close to my own but over time it has looked darker than I want.

All I really want is to A. still be a brunette and B. cover gray, completely.

Yankeegirl - you cracked me up. If I dyed my hair a completely different color, say blonde, I would shock everyone. And I mean everyone. I dress conservatively, apply makeup sparingly, and color close to my natural shade. I think people would assume I was having a nervous breakdown or something! But more power to ya......I do admire when others have the guts to try something new.

Mary

[azsnowman]

I'm glad that I can just go bald gracefully.

Bald and GRAY

Dennis

[Miss Mary]

Funny, funny Dennis.

But how can you be both - bald and gray? LOL Is that gray as in eyebrows/mustache/beard?

Mary

[Stephanie]

I use a semi-permanent color for my hair every 6 weeks or so, but most of the time it's longer than that. I use mousse in my hair, so I think it's helping to "darken" my hair already and covering that gray. I do need to do it again soon.

Sounds like Karan's plan is the way to go!

[southerngale]

I'm with Yankee. Blonde one day, brown the next. I see it all the time as well. I'm not covering gray though...I just get bored with my hair and want to do something different, so sometimes I go too long, and the top half of my head is lighter or darker than the bottom half.
My hair grows fast so it's hard to keep up!

Glad Karan helped ya solve your problem, Miss Mary.

[Miss Mary]

Yep, I think I'll do that. Just to make this easier, I may recolor with my old color this month. It is January and I'm in hibernating mode.....LOL That's too much math as someone pointed out. But on the other hand there is nothing going on right now (social outing wise) so if it flopped, it'd be okay.

I tried Levels 1 and 2 before Permanent color (#3). Level 1 didn't do squat, a complete waste of time and of course money. Unless of course you don't want to wash your hair! Level 2 didn't even cover my gray by 50%. More like a third, if that. So I knew I had to go to Level 3. Since Nice & Easy has been around for decades I didn't think I could go wrong. So far it's been working out really well for me. Except for if I ever run out of conditioner, a comb will not go thru my hair w/o it! It feels like straw after shampooing, until I can get conditioner on it. That is the one difference I've noticed - if you color, you have to use conditioner.

Mary

[O Town]

Yup I think Karen nailed it, that is definitley the way to go. Makes so much sense to do it that way.

[arkess7]

Yea I cant do it myself anymore.........I used to but I go get highlights at the salon........but I only do it every 6 months or so.........

The last time I colored my hair myself was 3 years ago and I got some of the stuff on my skin on my back and it left this huge red welt on my back!!!! I guess some dripped down under my shirt.........but i had a towel around my neck and everything!!!!! It kinda freaked me out so I dont mess with the at home stuff anymore...........plus I wasnt very good at it!!!!!!!!1

And yea the salon is expensive......the longer you hair the more money........when i get my done its 85 bucks!!!!!!!

[furluvcats]

Do what I do Mary...no matter what town you live in, become BEST FRIENDS with a hairdresser! I don't even try and it happens, and it has again...then your girlfriend will want to spend girl nights at her house with you and color and cut and play with your hair, and you won't ever have to worry about ruining your hair yourself again! Its the only answer Mary!! Go out now!!! Find that new best friend!!! And tell her we all say hello!!!!!

[Miss Mary]

And let's not even mention perms! My oldest daughter had a spiral once, her hair was very long then as it is now and the bill? $100 w/o tip! That did include a trim....big of them huh?

Decades ago I used to put Henna on my hair. I loved it but it doesn't cover gray very well.

So when it came time to save $ and color myself, I knew I could do it. I just didn't want to end up with orange hair!

So far it's worked out really well, knock on wood. Except when I was using the shower cap but that was such a short time, I stopped when I realized my ends were getting way too dark. Now I just sit here and putz away, waiting for that timer to go off.

Nice & Easy is gentle or has been for me. I wipe off drips right after I'm done with the root area, so I don't even mess with putting on vaseline or cold cream on. I just wipe them all up and so far I haven't irritated my skin.

I did forget to check my ears a few times, leaving globs of color in them - that was funny. Kept getting odd looks and went home to check, sure enough I didn't wash my ears well. he he

I would highly recommend coloring yourself if anyone's on the fence about it. You save a ton of money! But highlighting is different. You'd need someone to help with that.

Mary

[GrimReaper]

Miss Mary: If you are going to color your hair at home.. do it one better... go to a beauty supply store and buy the colorant and developer separately.....and mix the colors you need. That's what I do.......when I need to cover those pesky grays!!!

[furluvcats]

Grimmy...Ive been looking for you!!!! I'm coming to FL on Friday!