Just wondering - how many of you color your own hair rather than go to the salon? If so, what brand do you recommend and how have things worked out for you? I have a lot of grey (well over 50% - top is probably 70%). I am 61. I have been going to the salon for color since my mid 40s, but it is getting to be very expensive. I am trying to save money this year and wondering if I should start using drug store color. Both my daughters are against it - said I would make a mess of it, but I am not sure. Have any of you ever had salon color and then started coloring with box color? To be honest, if I was retired I probably wouldn't care and would just "go grey gracefully" but I work with a lot of younger people and that's one of the reasons I do the color thing. It is pricy though (especially when you add the tip).

just asked a frugal french friend what she uses (her hair always looks lovely) and its L'oreal mousse absolue.

I wouldn't worry too much about doing this at home, I think just about all the french women I know do it themselves. I don't do mine because I get highlights, in this instance, my genetics did me a favour and I don't have any grey hair yet.

Mrs Hotscot did salon, then DIY, but she's back to salon as she likes the end result better, plus I think it's a wee bit of socialising.

I am not a ladieee....

I am a guy, but I do know you need to make sure its okay for grey coverage, some colors/brands are not and you end up with a less then ideal outcome, but the box will say on it somewhere if its good for grey coverage.

My mom has colored her own hair since well as far back as I can remember, so 30 years at least, I'll ask what brand she uses, she is a bit younger then you but only a couple years and colors now to cover the grey.

I go to a salon now, but when I used to do my own I would go to the beauty supply outlet and buy professional stuff to do myself at home. The staff are all trained hairdressers and can help you get the right products.

I use Clairol Nice n Easy and Clairol root touch-up at home after years of getting it done at the salon. I got tired of the time it took, and the expense. I am now mostly grey and color about every 3 weeks alternating between the two products. When I use the all-over color, I apply it mostly just to the root area to prevent that over dyed look. Apparently, this home job is working since hair stylists are always impressed when I tell them (when I get my hair cut at a salon - not brave enough to try that at home!)

That is what I did/do.

I usually go to my hairdresser now but occasionally I do it myself still. If I do I go to Sallys, that is the outlet near me. They give good advice. As long as it is all over colour, not trying highlights myself

Good luck, it will be fine and save you money and time

My friend whose hair always looks wonderful uses Clairol.

Seconded. I'm going with my Bride of Frankenstein grey streak these days, but once when I attempted to add streaks myself and ended up looking like a leopard on a really bad day, I went to Sally's and they gave me great advice and chose the perfect product to even me up and allow me to take my hat off again!

Thanks everyone for your responses! I think I am going to give it a try. I really need to save some money - condo assoc fees increased this year, health insurance premiums. You know how it goes............. I have a Sally's fairly close to work so will probably go there Friday after work. Hopefully it will turn out okay and I will be able to go to work on Monday without having to wear a hat

Good luck -- I'm sure it will be absolutely fine and you'll look great. My fiasco came became I decided I could put in big chunky streaks without ever having tried anything like it before. I basically just daubed away, left it in too long to "be on the safe side", and created a debacle that was utterly classic! Happily I'm the sort that finds things like that hilarious, not heartbreaking!

I did the same one time. I thought as my hair was so curly the streaks would just blend in however I did it. Wrong!! But a nice friendly hairstylist sorted me out quick, which was just as well as we had a wedding to go to.

Keeping the whole over effect with a good box colour will be easy and way less expensive. Havs fun!

I once got fed up with my highlighted blonde hair but couldn't afford the hairdresser (still a student...) so I went to boots and bought a brown hair colour - semi permanent wash out in 8-10 washes. My hair went green all over. My flatmates laughed their heads off. I called my stepfather and he said put egg white on it and leave it a couple of hours. Didn't do a thing. He laughed as well and said that he'd made it up..... I washed and washed it, went to work with it braided into a french braid, tight to my head. 2 weeks later a colleague said "What've you done to your hair, it's green on the ends". I've never touched my own hair since.....

I am going grey at an alarming rate (have had grey hair since my mid 20s). I have coloured it a couple of times myself and every time I've done it (the semi permanent stuff that lasts 16 washes or something), my hair gets very dry and frizzy looking. It looks great for the first few days but as soon as I wash it, it's awful.

If you find a good one, let me know. I never though about going to the supply shops (just went to Walgreens :/)

Never bothered with a semi permanent box, only use the permanent ones. I use whichever colour I like best, I then get used to using that particular shade only for the company to discontinue it so it's back to the drawing board. Never had a problem with hair going dry and frizzy, normally after using the conditioner that comes with it, it feels better than it had before.

Don't use them on very clean hair, they work better if the hair's not been washed for a couple of days. Some of the cheaper ones are quite runny and you end up with a stained neck or face, the better quality ones are creamier/thicker so work better. The gloves that generally come with the box are the rubbish cheap ones, get yourself some of the better quality gloves, like the food handling ones. Also if you're doing a root coverup job, leave the stuff on the roots for a few minutes more than they say and then when you spread the stuff over the rest of the hair leave it those few minutes less. Grey hair is a bitch to cover up.

I tried at home - I'm a clumsy arse and it got everywhere except my head! So started back at the salon.

However I used to use both Revlon and Clairol Natural Instincts (semi permanent).

If yours if permanent, then maybe get it done at the salon and just a root touch up will do for the rest of the time. Also, I tried a place called esalon at one point - they send you colour every couple of months . Sorry, can't remember how much it is.