Would you ever dye your own hair?

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I dye my own hair all the time, but I realized yesterday when I posted a picture of the box (and the after picture of my hair) that not everyone does. I was kind of surprised, because I thought it was fairly standard? But clearly it’s not!

I do it for a few reasons. First of all, I cannot STAND sitting in that chair at the salon for 2 hours. And then of course, there’s the fact that it costs a fortune. Dude, I don’t need to be paying $150+ for something that I could pay $7.99 for at home you know? However, if I happen to be at the salon (for a haircut or am there with L and B – we all go to the same place) and my hair is looking a hot mess, my girl will insist on dying it.

I don’t always use the same brand (I mean if I have a coupon, I will buy whatever), but I do really like Garnier line. The instructions are really easy to follow and it’s not a huge mess.

If you have never dyed your hair before, but want to give it a try, here are my tips:
~Do it on a night where you don’t have to go anywhere the next day (i.e. work), but also on a night that your salon is open the next day (JUST IN CASE). I’d recommend a Friday night.
~Follow the instructions. I once left dye on for longer than the instructions said because I wanted my hair to be “really dark brown”. Umm, yeah, it turned black. OOPS.
~Don’t go from blonde to brown or brown to blonde or whatever the FIRST time you ever dye your own hair. It’s just not a good idea.
~Have someone help you if you are super worried. I used to have B help, but now that I have done it a bunch of times, I don’t need him anymore.

Allright, so tell me, do you dye your own hair? What are your reasons? Do you hate being trapped in that chair as much as I do? And if you do, share your secrets and tips! What brand do you use? And if you don’t, why not?

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Jennifer

Jennifer is the author and founder of Subscription Box Ramblings. She first discovered subscription boxes in 2012 and has been addicted since. Current favorites include CAUSEBOX, Boxycharm and Beachly!

This Post Has 33 Comments

  1. Amy

    I don’t dye my own hair because I have red hair and just put highlights in. I could never do highlights myself so I leave it to my girl!

  2. Ellen A.

    I wouldn’t say all the time, but when the urge hits, I’ll do it myself. I normally just change it a few shades, nothing drastic. I just don’t like paying so much for something I can do myself. I’ve only had it done in a salon once and I got highlights, and that was a special treat 🙂

  3. Alison

    wait until you read jessica alba’s book… I started annnnddd I don’t think I’ll ever color my hair without feeling totally guilty

  4. Elizabeth

    I love getting my hair done – it’s so relaxing for me! At the local salon it is only $38 for a hair cut and color and I have always been happy with the outcome! Even if I get my eyebrows done and add in a tip it’s under $50!

  5. Sharon

    I used to dye my hair at home regularly for years. I got highlights in the salon once and it took 6 hours, that was when my hair was 6 inches shorter. It also cost me a fortune! I’ve stopped dying my hair now because, it is very damaging, and I want long healthy hair. It has also become very impractical. My hair is nearly down to my butt now. It would take around 3 bottles of dye to cover my whole head of hair. Lord knows how long that would take for me to apply. I’m learning to love my natural color. I haven’t seen it in years.

    I had one major mishap years ago when I tried to go from dark red dye to platinum blonde. My hair came out peach colored.

  6. Lyndie

    I said “no, but I would” even though I have…it years and years ago. I can tell you that as soon as the gray starts popping up more, I’ll being dying mine myself. I agree, it’s easier, cheaper and faster. My hair is pretty low maintenance so dying it myself is pretty easy. However, I did at-home highlights once and I think I’ll be leaving that to the professionals if I ever decide to go that again. LOL

  7. Shannon

    I don’t dye my own hair. I actually love going to the salon. My hair stylist is awesome and fun and my sister works there as well. I just found in the past that I could not find the color I really wanted in a box. And I love the flexibility of the stylist mixing their own colors. Also I used to keep and Ombre which I know for sure I would never be able to do!!

  8. Alicia

    I’ve definitely used at home hair dye before but I had my aunt do it for me. I’d LOVE to do it myself but how do you make sure you get all the hair covered? Do you do sections. Do tell! lol.

    I actually like sitting in the chair for hours. I feel like I’m getting pampered and I love people playing with my hair, but what I don’t like is how crazy expensive it is!!

  9. Aimee

    Honestly… I have not gone to a salon since high school! I cut and dye my own hair.

  10. Wendy

    I do mine all the time! I usually buy whatever I have a coupon for as well. I go for the dark reddish brown normally. I have a hard time paying so much for something I can do at home. Speaking of I am due for one cause I gots some greys hanging out! 🙂

  11. Carly

    I used to do it all the time, then got sucked into doing it at the salon, but am now considering going back to dying it at home. I dye it dark brown, so its not scary at all and really really hard to screw up since I am only going a few shades darker.

    The only sucky thing was when I would splatter dye all over the bathroom. I had to repaint an apartment bathroom door because of that.

  12. Jen

    I love dying my own hair, much cheaper and easier that way. 🙂

  13. Whitney

    I used to color my own hair all the time. I went to cosmetology school for a while and quickly learned how to mix colors together to make the one I want. But then I also learned that professional color does not last as long as box color, which is obviously because of the chemicals used in each type. It’s been a while, because I’ve been in the Navy, but when I get out on October you best believe that I will be hitting my hair up with some new color!!! 😀

    1. Whitney

      @Whitney: Oh yeah, and if you get some of they dye on your skin and you think it’s going to stain or it’s drying up a little and starts to stain, take some of the wet dye on a corner of a towel or maybe even a paper towel and rub at the dye that is on your skin and it should come off relatively well. But if you have light skin and a dark hair color, don’t be mad at me if it doesn’t come off.

      Also, you can lightly rub petroleum jelly around the hair line, that should help keep the color from attacking your skin.

  14. Jennifer Cochran

    I’m a dishwater blonde, so I do bleached highlights. I pay someone. Luckily it’s one of my favorite people in the world, so I don’t mind sitting in her chair for a few hours!

  15. Alexia561

    I’ve only had my hair dyed at the salon a couple of times. Once I went in for subtle highlights and wound up with platinum blonde hair! Looked horrible. And once I sat in the chair for almost two hours while she painted each section and carefully wrapped foil around it, but my hair looked exactly the same color after the blow out.

    Easier and cheaper to just do it myself. I hate having to dye my roots, so usually use Natural Instincts. I’ve always done it myself, and it’s not that hard if you follow the instructions. I’d recommend wearing old clothes though, as no matter how careful I am, I always get some dye on my shirt!

  16. Tori

    If I am going to do an all over dark brown, I always do it out of a box from Walgreens and it ALWAYS turns out exactly how I want it. However, if I want highlights or lowlights, I get it done by a professional. And, I never lighten my own hair…there’s just too much that can go wrong.

  17. Mary Q.

    Hahaha! Your timing is impeccable. I was just staring at my box of Olia hair dye (by Garnier) and thinking I should finally use it. I’m sad I didn’t get around to it during the BzzAgent campaign I got it from, but I figure I should still try it. I love that it’s made with natural flower oils! Hope it works well.

  18. Kristin S.

    I did it one time and I will NEVER do it again. It was terrible and yes I was in the salon the next day getting it fixed. I do have a hard time when the appointments get long but I usually try to have a magazine(s) or something to keep me busy during the non chatty times. 🙂

  19. Mrs. L

    Mine wasn’t listed…I don’t currently dye my own hair (I pay someone a rediculous price to do it in a salon), but I have in the past and will probably do it again. Once you get to a certain age, covering the gray is a bit tricky 🙂

  20. Christine

    I would NEVER dye my own hair…ever. Knowing me it would turn pink like Frenchie in Grease. I have a gay, hairstylist cousin who is perfectly comfortable to experiment with my hair and I’m perfectly fine with him dealing with the technical stuff. Plus, I like getting pampered every once in a whole 😀

  21. Lauren

    I’ve done it both ways…. if I am dying it all one color, I ALWAYS do it myself. I think it is insane to pay $100 for something I could do my self for less than $10. If I am getting highlights or something more difficult, I will go get it done. All though it a annoys me to death. I have a ton of hair and it is pretty much an all day thing… just for highlights, and ain’t nobody got time for that! The last time I paid to get my hair done I spent $190 and I hated it!!! I actually just yesterday bought a dye kit that is a dye and highlighting kit in one…. so we shall see how it turns out…. as soon as I get the motivation to do it!

  22. Jenny

    I’ve never done a full over dye job. I’ve gotten highlights at a salon before but that was before the kids so at least 5 years ago. LOL My hair is so many different colors naturally that having one color would look funny on me. I have noticed some more greys in the top so I’ll be fine for the summer with my natural highlights but I might need to start doing something in the fall. :/

  23. Emily KG

    I used to dye mine myself all the time, then had enough blunders that I gave up. I’m with you that I HATE sitting in a chair forever, and the cost, BUT the healthiness of my hair is enough. I finally gave up on blonde several years ago because my hair was getting darker and darker, so I went red. Then I got layers and its light on top and dark underneath. I LOVE it! But there are a few things that lend me to do this: I only have to get my hair done every 8-9 weeks, I don’t wash my hair everyday, I am very particular about the products I use to maintain my color, it only takes two hours to dye, cut and style, AND I ALWAYS GO ON 20% off Tuesdays.

    Tons of people do it themselves, otherwise their would be a lot fewer kinds on the market. And if I really got strapped for cash it would be the first thing to go. It’s a luxury, NOT a necessity for me.

  24. Suzanne

    I have done it twice and been at the salon begging someone to fix it the next day! Mine always ends up an unnatural shade of orange if I do it!

  25. Jamie

    Blonde is just to tricky for at home I tried it once not for me. But I so wish I could it would save so much time and money

  26. Angela

    I have had it done both ways, many MANY times. I like to change it up and have bleached my own hair as well as darkened it and everything in between. I have had many major screw ups that have needed fixing as well as successes. From my experience, if you are maintaining a similar color to cover some greys, doing it yourself works just fine. For everything else, see a professional! Lol

  27. I used to dye my hair all. the. time. Both of my older sisters did, too. I had pink streaks in my hair occasionally during my junior and senior years of high school, which required me to first bleach out what I needed, then apply the pink. Then in college I dyed my hair many colors – red, black, brown(er), blonde, streaks, chunks, whatever.

    I cut my hair super short when I was 23 and never dyed it again as it grew out. I don’t know why. I was going to get highlights earlier this year but my better half talked me out of it. I still get the envy when I go to the salon or the hair dye aisle at the store.

    My worst hair dye-related mishap was when I tried to re-dye my blonde streaks the night before my senior pictures in high school (wanted to look fresh to death, obvs). I dyed too much and tried to dye them back to brown. Green. Green hair. Pictures were rescheduled. Whoops.

  28. Monica

    I don’t color my hair becuz I donate to locks of love.. once you put chemicals (color or perm) it can’t be used.. I am pretty proud of the fact that I have “unofficially” donated half a football field since I was 18 n my bff received a wig.. but its starting to grey so I will soon start..

  29. Norma

    Honestly I’m scared to dye my own hair… I was going to attempt it one time but hot talked out of it by my hair girl… I called to get her advice & she said my hair would turn greenish (I had blonde at the time) but now that I’m dark only I might try it…. Eek!!

  30. Mel

    I’m always tempted. My hair is naturally mousy brown and I prefer it a bit to a lot darker. I tried once in high school with a popular brand (I don’t remember which, but it wasn’t some no-name) and luckily I took the box’s advice to test a small chunk of hair first because it turned my hair purple. Now I’m afraid to ever do it myself. But I don’t want to pay to have it done professionally, so mousy it stays. :/

  31. brandy

    my hair is that ugly light brown color. i dye it all the time – with semi-permanent dye. so when i forget to do it, it just washes out, no big.

    i totally dye my eyebrows too. i use eyebrow dye from switzerland. otherwise my glasses don’t look right.

  32. Paula

    I had been going to a “professional” for years, getting the grays covered up. Then she did a bad job, over processed. It was gross. Hated the color. Went to Sally’s and got the dye there and the developer and started mixing my hair color and putting it on, love it love it. I love not giving up 2+ hours of my free time every 4-6 weeks. I just put in highlights with a bleaching kit, got kind of orange streaks, put on a toner and love it again. It looks better than it ever did, cost me about $80 less. I am having a ball doing it myself.

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