Arrrggh!! Regrowth!

[sarelis]

My roots are driving me nuts!! I am currently using Directions dye in dark tulip, I love my colour & the fact that it's non damaging, I can even cope with the colour bleeding whenever it gets even slightly damp, but my regrowth is just horrible. After 1 week I have noticeable roots, which compared to the dyed hair looks grey, after 2 weeks it looks dreadful. I don't want to be dying every week as to be honest, Directions is a whole load of messy hassle! Think major skin staining if you get it anywhere plus bathroom staining means I rinse out under the garden hose - brrrrr! I have stopped taking hair vitamins in the hope it would slow up, but it hasn't really had any effect, my hair just grows like stink this time of year anyway. Does anyone have any tips on how I can touch up my roots on a regular basis without it being a major PITA?? I'm fed up of looking like I am grey!! Phew, rant over, thanks for listening! :)

[fridgee]

Haha it's unusual on here to hear people complaining about how fast their hair grows and stopping taking vitamins to hopefully slow it down! But seriously I'm sorry its causing you so much annoyance. Maybe you could mix a small amount of something like manic panic (is directions a similar thing?) into your normal shampoo/conditioner to top up the colour between full dying sessions so hopefully the roots will 'blend' a bit better?

[sarelis]

Lol yes, I do feel I am being a bit whiney! But it's pointless having long, fast growing hair if it looks scruffy! Thanks for the suggestion, I will try that, hopefully there is less skin staining if it's diluted :)

[furnival]

Haha I have exactly the same problem... Dull grey-looking regrowth. I use a small paintbrush to touch up my roots as I've found that Directions builds up over time and the colour gets really dark if I re-dye my whole head. It's still messy but not as bad. I don't envy you rinsing under the garden hose! Nevemind, if you haven't got a hosepipe ban in place yet, you will soon ;) ... You could always fill a bucket with warm water and use a jug to rinse off outside.
It looks awful when you're rinsing it off into a white bath or shower but the stuff isn't staining if you clean it sharpish with soap or bathroom cleaner. The only thing it has stained in my experience is the silicone sealant around the shower tray, so I now rinse it in the bath and wash it out afterwards.
Good luck! :)

ETA: I put Vaseline around my hairline to help with the staining- it really helps, and if you scrub any splotches off immediately they don't stain as badly as if you leave them for a minute or two.

[sarelis]

Thanks Furnival, that's a good plan! Yes I do use vaseline, but I'm just a clumsy, messy so & so! And I always end up with bright pink ears!! :D

[Amber_Maiden]

Haha it's unusual on here to hear people complaining about how fast their hair grows and stopping taking vitamins to hopefully slow it down! But seriously I'm sorry its causing you so much annoyance. Maybe you could mix a small amount of something like manic panic (is directions a similar thing?) into your normal shampoo/conditioner to top up the colour between full dying sessions so hopefully the roots will 'blend' a bit better?

haha! Exactly what I was thinking!

It does sounds like it's hard to dye every week though! Why not just let the roots grow out to a inch and then do it? But I guess you wouldn't want to do that? I used to do that when I dyed my hair a different colour, it didn't bother me that much.

[|Xei]

How about just touching up around your parting, hairline, and anywhere else where your regrowth might be seen regularly? It's much less of a hassle than doing a full root touch-up every week. A tinting brush also helps immensely to reduce messiness.

It's a little strange that the dye would stain your bathroom (I'm thinking you mean when you rinse, right?) I use crazy coloured dyes too (Punky Colours, which I think is suppose to be really similar to Directions) and I've never had it stain my bathtub when I was rinsing. You just have to make sure to give your bathtub/shower a quick rinse afterwards incase there's any dye left sitting around.