Does anyone have advice for healthy hair dye? Confused by the options

[stephy190]

Hi all!

Just wanting to see if anyone had advice for healthy hair dye by experience. My hair is all natural and a few greys have come through so I'm starting to think about hair dye options..

Henna and indigo sound a bit scary as it is so different
Box dye when I used to dye my hair 10 years ago, it used to leave an obvious line over time where my natural hair was and dyed hair etc
And maybe hair salon would be the simplest option for upkeep? Unsure!

Thanks, appreciate any and all advice and experiences!!

[Shorty89]

Depending on what colours you want, you could look at fashion colours like Manic Panic or Arctic Fox.

[stephy190]

I was thinking just my own colour but no greys hehe. Basically any shade of medium to dark brown will do

[cadaverinna]

I figure you don't have much experience w colour, so henna + indigo would be very questionable, specially since you want your natural colour, just no greys. From your pfp your hair doesn't look medium and much less dark brown, seems a dark to medium blond in that light, which is a way harder shade to get right w natural dyes.

Manic Panic/Arctic Fox-style dyes don't last much on greys.

I'd go for professional hair colour, not box dye, plus Olaplex or a similar product, to mantain your hair's integrity. If you don't think you could keep up w the cost, at least get it done at the salon for the first time and then do the retouching at home w the colour the stylist matches to your natural shade.

Please choose a hairstylist that treats you well. I was one and I tried to seem the least "shocked" by hairstyles/lengths I didn't see on a daily basis, but not everyone will be that professional.

[cadaverinna]

The best option for hair health is still just accepting the greys, can't leave that out, but if it bugs you, you do you. If you ever want to quit the dye it's gonna be much easier since it'll be your natural colour.

[rosenester]

Overtone makes a few shades of brown that claim to cover gray hair, I only have used their purple shades so no first hand experience other than they are nicely conditioning, and easier to spread on damp hair, but more vibrant in dry hair.

I don’t have enough gray hairs to bother me yet, but when I do I plan to try cassia - sarenrae golden blonde from nightblooming to be exact. I agree your hair looks lighter in your avatar, is that just a trick of the light? A cassia treatment could maybe make the gray’s look more like golden highlights, but I have yet to try it in myself yet.

Hopefully someone who has tried these can chime in!

[lapushka]

If you want a perfect match and just the grays "painted", then go to a salon. There is no need for a couple gray hairs to dye your entire head. Which, at home, you don't need to do either, but it will be extremely hard to match your natural color from a box dye. Just sayin'.

How many grays we talkin' bout?

[maborosi]

Deposit-only dyes are a good option (look for ones with no peroxide).
FYI, I'm not sure if this is still the case (it was when I used deposit-only dyes about 10 years ago), but your end result will likely be a bit darker than what you see on the box. I'd adjust your shade choice up accordingly. I always went one shade lighter than what I wanted the final color to be.

[illicitlizard]

Deposit-only dyes are a good option (look for ones with no peroxide).
FYI, I'm not sure if this is still the case (it was when I used deposit-only dyes about 10 years ago), but your end result will likely be a bit darker than what you see on the box. I'd adjust your shade choice up accordingly. I always went one shade lighter than what I wanted the final color to be.

I know with most box dyes they show the result on pre-lightened hair. So the colour will show up darker on you than the box if your hair is any darker than light bleached blonde. Unsure if this is the case with deposit only dyes but thought I'd put it out there!


With regard to covering greys, just bear in mind the maintenance will be hefty. Have seen many people online and in person complain about the difficulty in maintaining grey coverage. They grow out quite obviously.

[baanoo]

Stephy, I just went and peeked at your albums - your hair is really lovely!

I think I would second Lapushka and take a “getting lowlights” approach so you don’t have to worry about all of them at once and then when you decide you’re tired of the maintenance it won’t be such an ordeal to grow it out.

[Bat]

I'd get scattered foils at a salon and ask that they use a toner with 5 vol developer instead of bleach/permanent colour it will fade out over time and won't leave visible lines as it grows out ( it can last 3 months if you dont use a too strong shampoos , avoid clarifying/dandruff shampoo, invest in color protect hair products) touch ups shouldn't be too damaging. Of course anything with chemicals isn't particularly the best for hair but at least it will be minimal