Do you use home hair dye or go to the hairdressers?

[[M]umma[M]ia]

lol im a hairdresser (comp 2nd year) and even I use at home dyes!

[Bloom]

I've only had foils done once professionally and while they were nice, I just didn't think it was worth the moolah! I have also dyed my hair at home and I like how it turns out. But the vast majority of the time, I stay natural. Though I'm considering a colour change soon.

[kristy J]

ok i have been a hairdresser for 13 years and honestly it depends on what colour you are, how often you colour it and how long your hair is.

i colour my own hair but with salon colour.

if you colour at home it is important to:
- use the same colour each time
-use enough colour (1 box if for short hair only or just a root touch up)
- don't try to colour correct (Blond + brown = Green)
-use a good salon brand shamopp to counteract the higher peroxide levils in home colour
- don't use bleach at home EVER
- if you mess it up don't try to fix it get help.
-do it ever 5-6 weeks and just a root touch up
-only colour ends every 2-3rd time

good luck hope it works out ok.

[alioops]

I dont use the box colours as a box colour fades a lot faster and has higher peroxide which just fades so fast for me. I use the Salon Professional Supplies tubes ($10 each) and I only use half a tube at a time, and the Salon Professional Supplies Vol 5 1.5% and that stays in for ages. My hair takes ages to 'grab' a colour so I have to do it the painstaking brush and bowl with the clips to hold it all in place. I also have a cape that came with DH's clippers and I use an old towel to protect my neck at the back. I have to leave it in for almost an hour even on recently coloured hair.

I have dry hair. I use a treatment just after colouring to extend the colour and add moisture to my hair. I find that after dyeing I have healthier hair than when I have virgin hair.

Using the dye that I do is about the same cost to me as a box colour and it lasts longer.

[MollysMum]

I do both. Every few months I'll get my hair done properly at the hairdresser, but do it myself between proper colourings, just to keep the roots looking nice

[Mrs Jak]

I'm glad this question has been asked!

I just bought a couple of packets (semi perm) today. I have done my own hair only twice before and it worked out great. It was a while ago and I think I only stopped because I went back to blonde streaks, so went to the hairdresser for that.

Since seeing old photos of me with blonde hair, I have decided dark is best for me now and will probably continue doing my own from here and just go for a haircut when needed.

Thanks for all the tips everyone has supplied

[tattoo_mama]

I've coloured and cut my own hair for the last 10 years, I've been to the hairdresser twice in that time, once I paid over $300 for a cut and colour at Maurice meade and the colour came out after 2 washes, the other time was to get my synthetic dreads sewn in , close to 600 bucks, and they killed my head so took them out after a week...I have bleached the crap out of my hair and done it every colour under the sun and never lost all my hair like hairdressers say you will if you do it urself, maybe im just lucky.

I get awes colour in my hair (well I think so anyway) by doing my hair with 30 vol bleach til its almost white, then use fudge colours over the top. Lots of hair repair and treatments keep it from being like straw, and I cut my own goth fringe and ever changing hairstyles with a normal pair of kitchen scissors.
I think most women go to the hairdresser for the pamper treatment and talk, I hate both ( my neck cains in the wash basin at hairdressers and they always talk such crap!) LOL

[Glamourcide]

Definitely an at-home girl all the way. But then, I have a fair bit of experience as a hairdresser (didn't finish my qualifications but may as well have, I was almost there and I did enough work experience to last me nearly a lifetime) so I know all the tricks.

It saves me so much money and to be perfectly honest I really hate going to the salon and making meaningless small-talk with a complete stranger for over an hour... I'd rather just put DD to bed early one night and get my colouring done while I play with my laptop or watch my favourite shows on TV.

It is really easy to do even if you're not a pro, though, and I'm with tattoo_mama with the mad bleaching and neon colours. I think my record for bleaching was six times in a 16-hour period, using 30vol bleach, and no my hair didn't fall out either - maybe we just have good hair, or maybe the hairdressers are just lying to everyone!! (I think they're probably just erring on the side of caution by advising people against doing drastic things like that, we know when it's time to pull the plug but a lot of people wouldn't, and then would blame the poor hairdresser for their lack of smarts!) Tattoo_mama, what colours do you usually use in your hair?? I can't stay away from jet black (I'm not into the blue-black thing, it washes me out, Clairol Nice n Easy Natural Black is perfect for my colouring) but I usually do the front part of my hair (from ear to ear, like a really thick fringe) in either Pink Flamingo or one of the red shades, I've forgotten which one (pg atm so am staying away from regular bleaching/dyeing etc). I'm thinking after this bub comes along it might be time for some acid green, any recommendations?

[tattoo_mama]

Haha GothMum that sounds awesome! I usually just go black or red, black I go Garnier Nutrisse in Licorice, the colour is really nice black without being blueblack (too much for me aswell, im very pale), and in fudge I use red corvette, its awesome cherry red colour that fades to a funky pink as it washes out...there's a pic of my hair (and mini belly haha) in the 2nd trimester BB gallery if you wanna check out my latest hair....( red corvette all over with black fringe)
Hey GothMum was wondering where did you find good clothes while you were/are pregnant? Im struggling to find anything now im 6 months, still a rather small bump compared to most but all my skirts and skinny jeans are getting too tight!
All the maternity clothes I can afford e.g. Kmart and target are so frumpy! Ugh! I want to learn how to sew so I can make my own!

[Glamourcide]

^ Ahh, Red Corvette, that's the one!! I too am very pale, I'm naturally dirty blonde and with black hair everyone likens my colouring to 'Snow White'...
Alas, I have started to do a lot of sewing myself, I agree, most of the Kmart gear is pretty ordinary and the maternity labels online tend to be a bit pricey for me (especially when I'm only going to wear it for a few months, I like my clothes to last years!).
I still lean pretty heavily on stores like JayJays and Supre for pseudo-'goth' ('goth-lite' I call them, because they're really tame) stuff that gets me through pregnancy, I find a simple black sundress can be played up with some funky stockings and accessories. eBay is a life-saver, I try to buy things a size or two bigger than usual so I can nip in the bits that are baggy and leave enough room for my belly.
A-line dresses are a lifesaver when you're pregnant, but for separates I stick with bottoms that sit around my hips and just cover the gap between bump and shirt with a long Supre singlet (you can pick them up for $10 a pop and they last forever, I have about ten black ones and a few in different colours) - that way I can get away with my ratty old jeans and band tees without having stretch marks showing!!
HTH!!
(PS your photo is gorgeous!! I love your hair )

[tattoo_mama]

Aw thanks GothMum... I try

Yeah I work at Valleygirl (company plug? Hehe) and we get in a lot of semi goth/punk stuff that I team with jeans and my own stuff and its nice and cheap!!