How are the old ladies dying their hair these days?

February 4, 2023 5:58 PM

I have gray, I have brown, I have a bathroom sink and am not afraid to use it. What hair dye should I buy for my hair?

I'm open to a variety of reds from fiery red to auburn. Because of the gray, I think I need a permanent - which is fine. I'm in the US - what should I order (online)?

*In the recent past I've gone to a hair dresser, but due to covid I won't be back for many years to come. I've done permanent hair color in my bathroom before, so not a newb, but it's been many years.

posted by Toddles to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

I have a friend who uses a mixture of red henna and indigo dye. It is the coldest, darkest auburn, very rich color.
posted by Oyéah at 6:54 PM on February 4, 2023

Best answer: How much grey do you have? If it’s not that much (like 15%) go for Wella Color Touch (I think Amazon carries it, not sure what stores near you would, check Google Shopping), or L’Oreal Casting Crème. Less peroxide/ammonia, which means less damage. Stick within 1-2 shades of your hair, go with the same colour or slightly darker. With the L’Oreal, it initially comes out DARK, will fade eventually. So go for the same colour as your hair in that case.

With Wella Color Touch, you can combine colours. I’d mix a neutral brown (2-5/0) and a “Deep Brown” shade at the same “level” (of darkness), will fade into a nice reddish brown without too much yellow.

You can do that with the L’Oreal too, I did - combined “Iced Cocoa” (412) which has some violet tones with “Deep Brown” (400), which is more neutral. It came out almost black but mellowed to a deep chestnut.

Eventually the grey bits will just fade out to highlights (or might just stay brown depending on your hair type).

When it comes to regrowth: follow the instructions, put conditioner over everything but your roots, apply the dye to the roots, then pull the colour over the lengths for only like 5 minutes to refresh the colour. This is to prevent damage.

If you have more grey, like 25+%, I’m not sure about the product. Lots of coarse, grey hair may need a higher level of bleach. But still do the roots the same way and mix a neutral brown with a violet-based shade.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:54 PM on February 4, 2023

Also for when you do just the roots, later - helps if you divide your hair into sections with clips.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:55 PM on February 4, 2023

Best answer: So I have reddish brown, I have grey, and I use Clairol Nice 'n Easy in 5WR because that's close to my natural colour. I do not mix it with anything or tone it with any violet products. I just split my hair in two, run a grid pattern with the bottle on my scalp and then do the rest of it by globbing it on and moving it around. You may need two bottles if your hair is longer than shoulder length.

There are 300,000 YouTube videos on home dying that can be helpful. These include ones on dying for grey coverage.

PS Your scalp will burn. That's normal. Buy gloves if the box doesn't come with gloves. Also wipe your hairline with Vaseline right the way round your head so you don't dye your skin!
posted by DarlingBri at 2:16 AM on February 5, 2023

Best answer: I use Schwarzkopf's Color Ultime (I've done both Vintage Red & Ruby Red). I've liked its staying power. At least with the reds I've used, it will stain your towels the first few washings but I also find it washes out of the towels pretty well. My natural color is also a gray/brown mix (more brown than gray but not enough gray for it to be an attractive mix).
posted by edencosmic at 9:22 AM on February 5, 2023

I do my approaching-60 wife's bright purple hair -- and this is very 'hot' right now, older women with punk rock hair color, so if you've ever had an inkling to do so you'd be cutting edge. Her hair, uncolored is about 80% silver and 20% dark brown and she jokes she looks like a tabby cat if we didn't color it.

But, we do it in the kitchen, using Wella bleach powder and a 40 developer which comes out almost completely white, and then a Ion permanent or semi-permanent color. The bleaching is pretty forgiving, and instructions are simple, it doesn't need a hair dresser as long as you follow the directions. Mix powder and developer to a yogurt-like consistency, apply to everything, let it sit 20 minutes, wash out.

You don't need to do the punk rock colors, but if you do bleach powder and a 40 developer, you can pretty much put any color you want on it. In the long term it's harsh on your hair, which is part of why my wife keeps it short, so keep that in mind if you have long hair.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:15 AM on February 6, 2023