using demi- or semi-permanent dye to cover grays

[Anonymous]

I've grown my mostly white hair out over the pandemic.

I doubt I want it like this forever but am not ready to permanently dye it.

Any advice? I don't mind people knowing that I have gray hair, it just looks better with less.

[Anonymous]

I've done some temporary dye to try to blend it in, and the only caution I would have is that the silver hair doesn't go back to silver when the dye fades away -- it's kind of a brassy yellow when the brown fades, which is not great. I'm actually thinking of trying to do some ashy brown lowlights to mix in the gray with the rest of my hair.

[Anonymous]

I do Demi dye over my gray. I don’t have a lot though. It fades out after about 6 weeks, though not totally. The gray parts that were colored fade to a light brown (my base is a medium brown)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've done some temporary dye to try to blend it in, and the only caution I would have is that the silver hair doesn't go back to silver when the dye fades away -- it's kind of a brassy yellow when the brown fades, which is not great. I'm actually thinking of trying to do some ashy brown lowlights to mix in the gray with the rest of my hair.

Thank you.

What level of brown did you do that turns into brassy yellow? My "base" is relatively dark so I was thinking of going more of a brown (v. blond) with the demi/semi -- I wonder if that might help avoid brassy/yellow or if it all turns that color anyway..

My hair is white/gray enough that I had been thinking of trying to "bring out" the brown parts that still remain by making them thicker with the dye. But I could also see that being a total disaster because it could mean I have my real brown surrounded by eventual yellow surrounded by eventual gray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do Demi dye over my gray. I don’t have a lot though. It fades out after about 6 weeks, though not totally. The gray parts that were colored fade to a light brown (my base is a medium brown)

That sounds really pretty- like highlights. I wonder if it would work for me.

[Anonymous]

If you are local, Paul Riley who is now at Izzy salon used to do a nice brown demi for me at his previous salon. It lasted about 2 1/2 weeks looking really strong, I would go for another week or two with stuff peeking out and start the cycle again. I didn't care that much about the peek out because it wasn't a severe/scary demarcation. I am enjoying silver now, but he took good care of me. The color was soooo shiny and he made sure you never got "hot roots". That was his term for when there is too much red in the mix and it dyes the new growth a reddish tint. Anyway, he was always on guard for "hot roots" and it cracked me up. And no, he never gave me them. Always nice cocoas, caramels etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've grown my mostly white hair out over the pandemic.

I doubt I want it like this forever but am not ready to permanently dye it.

Any advice? I don't mind people knowing that I have gray hair, it just looks better with less.

What if you did balyagey low lights that could grow out without demarcation? Then you could go to the salon every 3-6 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do Demi dye over my gray. I don’t have a lot though. It fades out after about 6 weeks, though not totally. The gray parts that were colored fade to a light brown (my base is a medium brown)

This was me and then the grey stopped taking the demi dye well. So at 50 I switched to permanent dye. I still have very little grey. Less than 1/4--more like 1/8th is grey and I go every 6 weeks.

The permanent lasts a lot longer and I probably easy could now make it to 7 weeks. I had been using demi for the past 10 years, but this year it really stopped covering them as well. The color also stays richer and doesn't fade as easily.

I worry that it's more toxic than demi though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are local, Paul Riley who is now at Izzy salon used to do a nice brown demi for me at his previous salon. It lasted about 2 1/2 weeks looking really strong, I would go for another week or two with stuff peeking out and start the cycle again. I didn't care that much about the peek out because it wasn't a severe/scary demarcation. I am enjoying silver now, but he took good care of me. The color was soooo shiny and he made sure you never got "hot roots". That was his term for when there is too much red in the mix and it dyes the new growth a reddish tint. Anyway, he was always on guard for "hot roots" and it cracked me up. And no, he never gave me them. Always nice cocoas, caramels etc.

Oh--I love that!! It's hard to find someone that understands how to dye dark hair without getting that reddish tint. It's a HUGE pet peeve of mine. I am a brunette whose natural highlights were always on the caramel/blonde side and no red undertones. But, once I started to dye it it was so hard to find someone that didn't give reddish highlights--even it if was unintentional. YUCK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do Demi dye over my gray. I don’t have a lot though. It fades out after about 6 weeks, though not totally. The gray parts that were colored fade to a light brown (my base is a medium brown)

This was me and then the grey stopped taking the demi dye well. So at 50 I switched to permanent dye. I still have very little grey. Less than 1/4--more like 1/8th is grey and I go every 6 weeks.

The permanent lasts a lot longer and I probably easy could now make it to 7 weeks. I had been using demi for the past 10 years, but this year it really stopped covering them as well. The color also stays richer and doesn't fade as easily.

I worry that it's more toxic than demi though.

Have you tried INOA or Organic Hair Color Salons ? I am always surprised by how little organic color their is in the DMV. In other parts of the country, quite common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are local, Paul Riley who is now at Izzy salon used to do a nice brown demi for me at his previous salon. It lasted about 2 1/2 weeks looking really strong, I would go for another week or two with stuff peeking out and start the cycle again. I didn't care that much about the peek out because it wasn't a severe/scary demarcation. I am enjoying silver now, but he took good care of me. The color was soooo shiny and he made sure you never got "hot roots". That was his term for when there is too much red in the mix and it dyes the new growth a reddish tint. Anyway, he was always on guard for "hot roots" and it cracked me up. And no, he never gave me them. Always nice cocoas, caramels etc.

Oh--I love that!! It's hard to find someone that understands how to dye dark hair without getting that reddish tint. It's a HUGE pet peeve of mine. I am a brunette whose natural highlights were always on the caramel/blonde side and no red undertones. But, once I started to dye it it was so hard to find someone that didn't give reddish highlights--even it if was unintentional. YUCK.

100% He's lovely and always made me laugh with that one! No hot roots!