Drugstore Hair Dye?

I searched the forums and found some threads about the same topic, but they were pretty old so I thought I'd start a new one since there  are probably new products available.

Long story short - My hair stylist is great, but he charges an arm and a leg and I don't feel like paying $50.00 + Tip just for a dye job (plus a cut which is $32)

So I'm going the drugstore route.. I haven't used any drugstore hair dye products for about 5 years. The other reason why I'm going to the Drugstore for Hair dye this time is because I'm not doing a colour overhaul, I'm staying in the same range of color (reddish purple) and just want to freshen up the colour I already have.

So finally to the question lol, whats the best Drugstore hair colour I can buy?

Thanks =)

I just do a dark brown, I use Revlon Colorsilk. It is super cheap, covers grays and that is all I really am looking for. When I used to do red, or burgundy I loved Feria. The kit is super nice with nice gloves. Now that my hair is long I need several boxes.

I have been thinking of doing the same thing. Going the at home hair colouring route, because my hairdresser has moved away!

I was looking at Loreal hair dyes. Though I am still undecided.

I'd like to see what brands ladies here recommend.

I've been reading online about all the different hair dye brands and which ones are the best.. The one line that keeps coming up as the top brand to offer "stylist quality" is L'Oreal in general.  Right now for me its a toss up between Feria and their Excellence Creme.

As far as I've read the Excellence Creme has better reviews, but I'm not too sure how wide the color range is going to be, Feria seems to just have OK reviews but has a larger color line. So when I do finally buy the color I think it'll come down to those two, depending more so on the color selections available.

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Also jut as a side note Katana, if you do end up coloring your hair yourself, I was reading that application is a lot easier if you go out and buy a brush (I don't know the name of it) that's something similar to the ones hair stylists use and apparently you can tell the difference in the quality of the dye job between just using the applicator in the box, which is just a squeeze bottle and a brush. This weekend I'm going to go out and buy a brush from a local beauty supply store, just so I have one on hand when it comes time to dye lol

I prefer, loreal preference!! I've only dyed my hair shades of red from drugstore dyes.   Preference was by far the best i have tried because the color did not fade quickly at all and red dye goes fast usually!  I'm not sure if they have a red/purple though.   When I was younger my mom would drag me to the hair salon and i'd wait forever while she got her hair colored or highlighted.  I learned a lot watching though and now i usually go to a beauty supply and do it myself. So far no mishaps and a wider range of color.

See I was also thinking of maybe going to a beauty supply store and doing it myself too but I've never done anything like it before, is it hard? Would you recommend doing it yourself to a hair dye newbie? I've watched my stylists do my hair dozens of times and I'm assuming that I'd relatively know how to put the actual dye in my hair.. But I'd be worried about mixing and preparing the color itself? Do you get better results by mixing and preparing the color yourself or is it the same quality as box dye? (aside from color selection of course)

Thanks =)

In the past (years ago) I used Feria because they do offer a wide range of colours.

I really like the Loreal Excellence Creme. That is what I have really been looking into as of late.

I also like the Couleur Experte line, I had bought one once, but never ended up trying it, instead I passed it along to my sister who used it.

The downside to Loreal is the colour selection. It really does seem as though Feria has far more to choose from.

In the end I will go with the brand who has the colour closest to what I want.

I never thought of buying a seperate brush for colour application. A brand new beauty supply shop just opened down the street from me, so I will check it out, and see if it is something that they carry. Thanks for the tip!

As for mixing and colouring my hair myself, I would definetly not try it! I would have no idea what I'm doing and probably fry my hair! Let us know if you do go this route and how you did it.

The only one that my scalp did not like was Nice & Easy.  That formulation BURNS!!!!

What I have been using is Garnier Nutrisse & in Dark Ash Mahogany Brown.  It is a good dye and the colour is wonderful! I have gotten a few compliments from it and my bf loves it haha. I have dyed my hair twice using this in the last couple of months and will continue to do so!

I've thought about doing the same thing myself and I saw this Esalon online and almost ordered it. It's $22 and seems like they do a really good job with the questionnaire to get the color right. I went through and chickened out at the end because I currently have highlights and I don't really want to get an all over color. I'm still wondering if I should order it though and see how it works. 

I ended up going to the drugstore yesterday to pick up a few things I needed (haha and a few things I didn't) and I found the colour I'm most likely going to go with, Feria #32 its a really dark purple (I think it was called a black purple on the box) So before I take the plunge I'm going to read some more about Feria, I wish there were more options as far as the product though, because there are tons of different hair colours but not too many to choose from in the colour range I'm looking in, Which kind of sucks..

I talked to my boyfriend and he suggested that I don't mix my own colour, and honestly I don't know what I was thinking by even considering doing it, I tend to be pretty clumsy and careless in general when doing things, so I'm thinking if I ever do get to that point I'm going to have to research the hell out of it lol

divadoll, that's exactly what I read online, that Nice & Easy is one of the worst hair dyes to use because its main thing is covering grays, thus its one of the harshest dyes to use.. I also read that its not recommended to use it if you're NOT trying to cover grays..

Reija, that product looks really cool, I've never seen anything like it before.. If you do end up ordering it you have to let me know how it turns out =)

By the way, Thanks for all your help guys! I really appreciate it =D

When I was college age, I dyed my hair b/c my hair had always been blonde and it was turning darker. I used drugstore, it was fine for a few years but then it looked awful. I then had my hairdresser do highlights for years, but I moved and now I am turning gray. I tried drugstore, the same color as my natural hair (it's medium brown), but it made it orange. I had to go to a salon to get it fixed. I go every month to get my hair dyed by the same person, b/c he is great. It is the exact color of my natural hair, minus the gray, lol. I dont want to risk staying home from embarrassment anymore. It costs 50 as well, but at least it looks normal. I wish I could use drugstore I'm too scared, lol.

 I know this thread is old but I thought I'd update, A few weeks before christmas I was in a Sallys with my Boyfriend, and ended up in the hair color isle. I ended up buying 2 tubes of

ion Color Brilliance Light Intense Red (5IR-55.66) and a 20 volume color activitor thing, a hair colour mixing bowl, a brush, 6 hair clips and a ion Color Brilliance deep conditoning conditioner... I also got a set of eye lashes, some eyeshadow and a China Glaze nail polish. All this stuff was only $36 CDN!

So a couple weeks went buy and after reading tons of reviews I thought it was about time to take the plunge.. I dyed my hair, followed the instructions that the girl at the store gave me and my hair came out awesome! I love it, its been about 2 weeks now and my hair color blead for the first 7ish washes, but from my experience red does bleed alot and despite all the bleeding out in the shower it still looks great. I'm not going to get my hair dyed at my hair salon any more.. Its a total rip off consiering the quality dye job I did on myself. My hair doesn't feel dry or anything, and I don't see any visual damage.

I didn't think that I was capable of doing something like this on my own but I did! I cant beliee it! And I've gotten so many compliments on my hair its unbelieveable.. So if you're sick of paying $50+ to get your hair dyed then absolutly do it on your own. If someone wants more details I'll write out all the instructions that I was given   

I am a hair stylist and I have to chime in here. You do know that OTC (Over the counter) Commerical Hair Color has 70x the amount of ammonia in windex? Regaurdless you will fry your hair. Also if you do decide to go back to a proff. It will cost you more because she will have to do a custom color or a color correction because of the underlying pigment from the Box Color. Also box colors use Metalic dyes, Veg Dyes and Henna. This can SEVERLY offect the outcome of other hair color applications and sometimes even cause the hair to break mid prosess. 

Anything chemically you do to you hair really should be done by some one who has been trained in color as well as color theroy.

If you want to go the less $$ route go to your local cosmo school. These girls are trained and supervised by instructors. If you have a horrible time most likely the service will be free and they will fix it.

* sorry I am the worlds worst speller.*

I thought that hair dyes used at salons were the same as store bought dyes.

Curious why I never hear the exact ingredients of salon dyes, but am told time and time again about store bought products.

Rather than bashing store bought - please list all the ingredients of salon dyes.

We are capable of making the best decisions for our hair - once we have known all the facts.

It has nothing to do with the color agents them self per say (all hair colors have diff addatives such as Rusk Deep Shine has Seaweed and other sea based minerals) other then the ones who have the dyes and additives I was talking about.

It has to do with the Developing Creams or Liquids ( the ammonia)

A Typical 10 Volume Developer for Perminate hair color deposit only has  3% lifting agent while a 40 Volume has 12% this is used for 4 levels of lift.

ok break down some facts.

Windex has 1% Ammonia by weight

Over the counter has roughly 68% by weight.

About 400 (86%) out of the 456 hair colors (OTC) ranked in the Skin Deep cosmetics database of the Environmental Working Group are considered high hazard.

Does it matter that I didn't buy a box dye? I went to a beauty supply store and bought my color there. The Developer I bought was a 20 volume developer. I'm super sorry to say this but I just feel like I'm getting scammed massively when I get my hair dyed. I understand the costs to pay employees, the costs of overhead and the need to make money at the end of the day, but I'd be really interested to know what the financial break down is for the average salon. When I'm at the salon getting a color the guy who does my hair is cutting/coloring someone else's hair while I wait for my color setting time to be up so there's added money to the mix there plus the cash money that you get in tips. I'm seriously not trying to be a witch, it just irritates me because I help run my family's business and I get the way cash flow works. It just seems so strange to me knowing that my boyfriends hair dresser makes more money then his doctor, you know? But I guess that's just a cost in demand thing, which is besides the point.

I know if I dye my hair all the time regardless if I go to a pro or do it myself it will fry my hair, I'm not too concerned about that though because I only dye my hair 2 times a year max. I have no need to dye it more because I have zero grays, and I'm not stepping too far out of my natural color zone.

Also Darla brings up a great point, what are some of the ingredients of the typical pro dye? I've tried sniffing around my hair guys color brand he uses and he won't even tell me the name of it all he lets me know is its "one of the best ones out of Europe" Don't get me wrong hes amazing at cutting my hair, but it would be nice to get a little more info lol

Also as a semi-non related thing, I was just wondering, Whats the standard tipping rate for hair stylists? like I never have any idea what the hell to give the guy when its all done? whats the typical % you get?

PS - This was all supposed come across as non witchy as possible, seriously. I'm sorry if I sounded like a complete A-hole =)

So I talked to one of my old teachers about this today and she pointed it out a bit more for me why it is. I am sooooo tired right now and heading to bed. But I will post the info I got in a while

I have colored bought at home and at hairstylist also I used to go to store for hair color professional and to buy their hair color, and it was almost no difference, drugstore hair color and professional both burn scalp just professional color seams to pull color better when you are trying to get right shade, and washes away the same of professional I have used Loreal, Davines, Goldwell, Annier.

Of drugstore Loreal, Feria has great shine washes out fast, other Loreal like preference stays longer, I used Londa has exact shades but some bad hydrogen, Palette to strong, Palette shine and gloss washes away fast because it has no ammonia, Casting nothing special hard to hit right shade because it is gentle, Garnier always turn darker then on box you must choose much lighter shade.

There is theory among my friends that all imported in western Europe is less quality then on the west, but I am not shore if it s true since I see same problems with getting right color every were.

It is not so hard to dye your hair keep it on roots a bit longer like 10 min then spread all over hair, it is good to part hair into sections goes much easier, I do that in bathroom which has many mirrors so I can see what I am doing from all sides. Only it is tricky when you go light your new hair can get really nice color but rest which is previously dyed want have desired result so it is better to do highlights first and next hair dying all hair.

I like perfect 10