by Ashley
I never gave you guys an update on my hair coloring adventure! I ended up buying a box of Garnier Nutrisse hair color. It was regularly $6.99, on sale for $5.50, and I had a coupon for $3 off a box, making it a grand total of $2.50. Can’t beat that (if it’s good), right???
I chose a color that’s close to my natural (a dark blonde). My thought was that it would help conceal the new growth (no visible growth line), so it would allow me longer between colorings.
Since my last dye job was a bit of a platinum blonde disaster, I left the dye in for the max amount of time that the directions referred to as for use with “stubborn greys.” When everything was said and done, I was a little disappointed. I don’t know whether to blame the boxed dye or my terrible previous dye-job for destroying my hair, but the boxed color didn’t entirely hide the old blonde. It certainly made my hair a few shades darker, but I feel like my old growth line is still visible (at least if you know where it is and are looking for it).
So, I felt pretty “meh” about it.
Then a couple days later I had to take the girls’ to the doctor and while there the nurse complimented me on my hair color!! She said it a couple different times, too “I love your hair color” (and later) “I really love the color of your hair!” It made me feel so much better! I can’t even remember the last time I got a compliment on my hair color (and this coming from someone who has exclusively paid for professional colorings for the past several years).
So it looks like I may give Garnier another try next time I color my hair (probably not for another month or two). Not too shabby, boxed hair dye! Not too shabby!
Do you have a favorite hair dye brand?
Hi, I’m Ashley! Arizonan on paper, Texan at heart. Lover of running, blogging, and all things cheeeeese. Freshly 40, married mother of two, working in academia. Trying to finally (finally!) pay off that ridiculous 6-digit student loan debt!
I use Preference by L’Oreal – seems gentler than other brands I’ve tried.
It took me a few tries and different colors to find one I really like so keep trying…..and remember the $2.50 price tag:) GREAT savings!
Blonde is really, really tough to do with box color. Most blondes want to maintain brightness / lightness of color, and to do that right usually requires a double process (stripping color out and then putting it back in). Don’t forget to investigate whether nearby salons, technical schools and / or hair schools, like Aveda Institute, have training nights or events when you can get a free cut or color, or have it done at a very reduced price.
That said, I’ve been using Clairol Natural Instincts for my dark brown hair for nearly 20 years. So much more room for error when you have dark hair. I’m starting to lose the battle of the grays though, which is bumming me out. I knew it had to happen at some point though.
You may want to leave a Protein Filler on the previously dyed section beforehand the next time. It will help even it all out. You can get at Sally’s. One bottle is like $7 and can be used twice.
I’ve never even heard of this! There happens to be a Sally’s right around the corner, though, so I definitely need to look into this! Thanks for the tip!
It helps those of us with lots of grey. 🙂 When I used Nutrisse I had to ALWAYS use it or my roots didn’t take the dye very well and looked a lot lighter. I switched to getting my dye at Sally’s, which worked better even without the protein filler, but then you had to buy everything separate and that was a hassle. Now I’m using Olia with the protein filler (purely because I like one of the color choices they have, not because I think it is better than Nutrisse). I’m honestly not sure what the difference is between the Sally’s dye and the store, but there is something. I used Nutrisse for years with no issues. I like their color selection and it didn’t seem to be too hard on my hair.
Garnier Nutrisse is my brand of choice. I feel like it doesn’t dry my hair out. “Sangria” is my color. I try to find coupons and/or on sale, but even if I have to pay full price ($7/box), it’s still cheaper than having it done at the salon. I also love the convenience of doing it at home. And people also compliment me on my hair color. 🙂