Works For Me Wednesday: Hair Care For Less

I have a confession – I dye my hair. No, really, I do. You’re surprised? I find that hard to believe. My long-time readers have probably seen me in a variety of colors – y’all, I’ve done it all: auburn, black, brown, red – even blonde, which I refuse to share because it did not turn out well.

There was a time in my life where I was dying my hair every 6-7 weeks at $120 a pop. While I love and adore my hairdresser, there came a time when that just didn’t work for my budget anymore. I hopped in my car and headed to Sally’s to see if there was a cheaper, easier solution.

Disclaimer: Hairdressers are wonderful, talented people. I’m not telling you to discontinue your relationship with your hairdresser. But if you are hurting for money and need/want to dye your hair, there are other options than letting your grey show loud and proud.

Let me preface this by saying I’m not a huge fan of box hair colors. I find them to be very damaging and they don’t last as long as I feel they should. Sally’s sells “professional” hair colors – sort of a step above the box colors and a slight step below your hair salon. You won’t find Redken or Aveda at Sally’s, but they do have some wonderful brands. My favorite brand is Wella.

Let’s start with what you’ll need to color your hair. You’ll spend about $25.00 initially and will only need to replenish the color the next time you buy, which costs between $5-$10 for one tube.

1. Applicator bottle
2. Developer
3. Gloves
4. Plastic cap
5. Hair color
6. Comb

Pick out your hair color. I DO NOT recommend dying at home if you want to go lighter. There’s too much margin for error and you might just end up with green hair. Go to your super talented hairdresser for that. However, if you want to either maintain your current shade (and cover grey) or go darker, that’s something you can manage at home.

Tip: Get a cream, rather than liquid, hair color. Liquid is just asking for splotches and stains all over your bathroom counter and walls.

Ask the Sally’s employee what volume developer you need. I also use 20 volume. You *usually* only need a higher volume if you’re going lighter.

Hair color is either 1:1 or 1:2, meaning you’ll either do equal amount of color and developer or more developer than the hair color. Sounds confusing, huh? It isn’t. For example, Wella is 1:2, meaning I use one whole tube of hair color (2 oz) and 4 oz of developer. Other brands require one tube of color and an equal amount of developer. Read the instructions and it will tell you exactly how much developer you need.

Combine the color and developer into one bottle. Your applicator bottle has measurements on the side to make it easier. Then shake, shake, shake your booty to mix it all up.

I didn’t get pictures of the rest of the process because I do not look attractive while coloring my hair. But you know the drill, right? Apply the color all over your hair. I’d like to say I have a precise method of application, but I don’t. I start by parting my hair and applying the color along my roots in sections. Eventually I get frustrated and just kind of start glopping it on. I very gently run a comb through my hair to make sure I’ve got color everywhere it needs to be and then I cover with a cap and wait it out.

Tip: Have a friend or husband help you with the application. There’s no need to contort yourself unless you really have no other option.

Another tip: If you have very long or thick hair, you’ll need more than one bottle of color. Plan ahead and buy more than you need. There’s nothing worse than running out and having a halfway colored head of hair.

The directions will tell you how long to let the color sit. Start timing from when you first apply, and work as quickly as possible. I tend to leave my color on for the maximum time to allow for the time it took me to get the color on my head. Make sure you use a towel to get the excess hair color off your forehead, neck, and ears.

Hop in the shower and rinse the color out. Then shampoo and condition with a deep conditioner. This part is vital! Coloring your hair is damaging – there’s just no way around it. You can lessen that damage by using a great deep conditioner after you color and then 1-2 times per week. I love Loreal’s Feria conditioner. I purchase it at Sally’s. It’s the kind they sell in Loreal’s box hair color and it is fabulous.

Last step: dry and style as usual. Admire your gorgeous, silky locks. Make sure to come back by and share the results, ok?

My favorite color – Wella’s Black Cherry

Got any tips or tricks you want to share? Head over to We Are That Family to participate in Works For Me Wednesday.