Anonymous wrote:nooooo!!!! It's horribly messy and you won't be able to color your hair as evenly as a stylist. Go to the salon!!

So this is my problem. Some people are great using box. I’m not one of them. I have a few grays but they are stubborn and not easy to color. Also I guess I am the only one who gets dye in a lot of unwelcome places - bathroom, clothes, me, etc?

I am also a fan of Natural Instincts. I think being semipermanent it is a little less drying and as a PP noted it fades/grows in more naturally. I’m a 5/6 brunette type of shade.

I use Clairol Natural Instincts dark warm brown to cover grays and it works well. I have to leave it on for 45 min though, not the recommended 15 min.

nooooo!!!! It's horribly messy and you won't be able to color your hair as evenly as a stylist. Go to the salon!!

I started with Nice and Easy hair medium brown hair color. In the beginning, I choose a “semi permanent”color because the color washes out in about 8 shampoos. This will give you confidence in choosing the best color for you. I now use a permanent color and buy the Ion brand from Sally’s Beauty and mix it myself. The challenge is segmenting your hair so you don’t miss any areas. Watch some YouTubes for advice.

I use a demi-permanent box dye to cover grays at home. It is not perfect -- I have dark blonde hair and the dye helps blend my grays but doesn't totally eliminate them. I'm fine with that -- it looks more natural and actually keeps my hair from look fake or badly died because there's no harsh line when my grays come in at the scalp.

I use Clairol Natural Instincts in 8, Medium Blonde (going slightly lighter than my natural color has been the key to getting the best result on my grays -- the darker blonde dyes are usually too dark and tend to wash me out.

For just a few grays try a demi dye at home, should make them look like highlights.

You can buy professional color at Sally’s.

Dh or your kids could help with the at home highlights. There's an applicator tool and it's very easy to use.

I used it for years until I had too many grays to keep up with. If you’re dealing with stragglers rather than a whole head of grey roots, I think it’s a fine solution.

Hair color is super expensive in this area. It costs twice what I used to pay when we lived elsewhere. I go to Madison Reed now for my whole gray head and it’s more economical.

How did you guys decide what brand to use? Or are they all essentially the same? --OP

I dyed my hair darker at home for years. I now go to a salon because I don’t trust myself to do highlights, but I think you’re fine with box dyes.

I do box dye at home and it's fine.

I dye my own hair at home. I do think it dries out my hair more than the salon chemicals do but I'm not willing to spend a $100 every month just to cover up a few grays.

I have dark brown hair and want to just cover a few grays. Is this a scenario where trying a box dye at home would be OK? I know the recommendation is usually to go to a salon but I assume that will cost $$$ even though what I want is really simple compared to people lightening their hair or doing highlights or balayage.