The 4 Best At-Home Hair Color Kits, Plus Tips for DIY Dyeing

by Grace Gold (Subscribe to Grace Gold's posts)
Posted Apr 14th 2010 at 7:00AM

Photo: Getty Images

During these tough economic times, just about everyone has been cutting back.

And for many women, that means cutting corners and saving extra bucks on hair color.

Two-thirds of women have taken steps to save money on their hair in the last 12 months, with over one-third trying to pinch pennies by going to the salon less often, a study conducted by ShopSmart of Consumer Reports found.

But as anyone of a certain age knows, those gray hairs don't stop sprouting just because you're on a budget.

The good news: Consumer Reports just found that three types of at-home hair color do a fantastic job of fully covering grays, with results that parallel a salon experience that would otherwise cost you upwards of several hundred dollars more per year.

And like many Consumer Reports tests, the experts in the labs created some pretty amazing conditions for their experiment. First, 470 wigs of 90 percent gray human hair were acquired, separated into corresponding product groups and then dyed according to the instructions on countless brown hair dye boxes. Then testers washed the hair with shampoo formulated for color-treated hair and blow dried it a grand total of 16 times in order to create identical conditions to a month's worth of every-other-day washings and stylings - which is how often the average woman refreshes her hair.

We're exhausted just thinking about it.

At the end of seemingly Olympic-level hair testing, four brands stood out from the rest of the crowd: Clairol Texture and Tones ($7), L'Oréal Paris Superior Preference ($9) and the male and female versions of Clairol Natural Instincts ($9). All of the top four products maintained consistent color through the 16 washings and stylings.

Our suggestion? If you rely on hair color mainly to cover grays -- and not for more complicated things like double process or highlighting -- give one of these winners a try; it could lower the cost of your hair color routine significantly.

If you're a first-timer who is intimidated by coloring your own hair, a few simple rules can help make your DIY job a success.

Check out detailed color swatch sites like those run by Clairol and L'Oréal to help pick your shade, or ask your hair stylist's opinion the next time you pop into the salon. Go with a semi-permanent color for glossy, full-coverage results that you don't need to permanently commit to.

Always patch test a new hair color before applying it all over your head to make sure you're not allergic to any ingredients in the formula. You don't want to suddenly find something like that out after the dye has been sitting on your scalp for 20 minutes.

This may sound so obvious so as to be silly, but read and reread the directions on the box. Many women breeze over the instructions and don't apply the color properly, which can give you lackluster results and end up costing you more, since the color will wash out prematurely. Different brands can have widely different methods, so don't assume you know how to apply the color just because you've colored your hair before.

When applying the hair dye, aim the applicator straight at your scalp and away from easy-to-stain surfaces like the shower curtain, walls and bath mat. Set a timer to make sure you 'cook' long enough; if you don't have a wind-up one, the oven timer works great too.

Finally, if your results don't meet your expectations, find the free hotline number on the box and give the company a ring. A professional adviser may be able to help you quickly and easily remedy the situation.

For more tips on home highlighting kits, take this advice from What Not to Wear's hair expert, Ted Gibson. Simply follow the steps in the gallery below! And if grays have you gloomy, be sure to check out touch-up tips from celeb colorist Jason Backe.

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Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

Get salon-worthy color at home with step-by-step tips from star stylist Ted Gibson.

Peter Buckingham

Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

Home highlighting has come a long way. Gone are the days of orange hair that looks and feels like straw. New formulas, with nourishing ingredients, offer healthy, natural-looking results. The key to achieving gorgeous color? Shade selection and placement. Here, celebrity stylist and Hair Basics expert, Ted Gibson, offers tips on how to achieve salon-worthy results at home.

Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

Shade selection can make or break your hair color. As a general rule, choose a shade that's one to two shades lighter than your natural base color. "If you have dark hair you want to stick with more of a neutral color and if your have medium toned hair you can go a little bit lighter," says Gibson.

Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

Where you place the highlights is essential. Start by looking at your cut. "Hair color is a great way to highlight a hair cut," says Gibson. "Always think about what feature you want to bring out and highlight it. So if you have bangs, highlight them so that you bring emphasis to your eyes. If you have a little bit of a longer bang, make sure to highlight in the front so it can highlight the cheek bone," he adds.

Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

Start applying in the front first, painting thin, delicate strokes from root to end. Move to the sides next and finish with the back. The back of the hair is the hardest to highlight-not a bad idea to enlist a friend. When applying, remember less is more. A few strategically placed highlights look most natural, and you can always add more later.

Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

Start the application 1/4 inch from the scalp. "You don't want the highlight to look like it's coming directly from the scalp," says Gibson.

Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

When applying the formula to the ends of the hair, you can paint it on a little thicker. Because the sun tends to lighten the ends the most, this creates a sun-kissed look that feels and looks more natural.

Tip: Highlights make the hair look thicker. "It actually expands the hair shaft," says Gibson, creating the appearance of fuller locks.

Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

When application is complete, allow the hair to process. Most kits have a 15-minute processing time.

Post-processing, shampoo and condition the hair thoroughly, then style.

Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

Soft and natural-looking, highlights create beautiful dimension to the hair and add a sun-kissed radiance.

Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

TIP: Your highlights will lighten over time. Make sure to use color-saving shampoos and conditioners to keep your color truer, longer.

Hair Basics: Highlighting 101

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Filed under: Hair, Hair Color
Tags: ConsumerReports, gray hair, GrayHair, hair color kits, hair coloring, HairColoring, HairColorKits, shopsmart, smart shopper, SmartShopper

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READER COMMENTS

(36)Add A Comment

Teacher, 4-15-2010, 6:30AM

For you men out there: Get yourself a separate applicator bottle to mix the ingredients in. You can get a product like Just For Men and make a box last 3 applications. Just remember that its always a 50-50 mix of peroxide and color.

Pour in a little peroxide( 1/4") and look on the bottle to where twice as much would be- make a mental note and add coloring agent until it reaces that line.

(Remember to leave a little grey at the temples so you don't look like a guy who dipped his head in ink!)

Also, after all the trouble, if you are finally going to let it grow in gray, you'll need to maintain a healthy (?) suntan so you don't look washed-out or ill.

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jeffRey, 4-15-2010, 12:16PM

Natural Instincts for men is the best product out there for coloring grey. I have tried them all as I started graying at 30. I have a full head of hair. You can try all the others but they dont work 1% as good as Natural instincts for men.
Its easy and fast to use as well. It takes about 20 minutes.
Just wanted to put my experience on here with all the other products I tried, and it works as well as going to a salon.

hairdo072, 4-15-2010, 8:53AM

I appreciate that everyone is going through economically hard times. As a licensed hairdresser & certified colorist, I can understand the need to DIY... but you end up making more work for me (& more cost for you) when you come in to either have your home color fixed or when you have too much color buildup to change your hair color. I have several clients who "touch up" themselves to save money. When I have to do corrective work to fix that dark band around your head, you're no longer saving.

BTW.... NOT all colorists charge 3 arms & 2 legs. I don't... so find a good colorist at a reasonable price. We're out there... :)

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A do it yourselfer, 4-15-2010, 10:16AM

Waaa, Waa, you have a job and you are complaining about fixing the home-dyed mistakes? Don't you charge more money for that? Quit complaining and do your job!

Abbey, 4-15-2010, 4:05PM

You sound just like a hairdresser I used to go to..she thought she was Gods gift to the hair business..and yes, most hairdressers do charge 3 arm & 2 legs but then they have the same attitude you have which is even though the clients are paying the hairdressers, the hairdressers think they are doing the clients a favor by allowing them to do our hair..forget the fact that we are paying them....

Rae D, 4-15-2010, 12:25PM

I've yet to see someone do a touch up for less than $50. And I have to say it's pretty disheartening to have your hair done to the tune of $100 or most and see them tossing into the trash the OTC Loreal color I could have bought myself for less than $10 then all they did was starting at the root apply, leave on for 20 minutes and rinse out then wash. REALLY -- that's worth $100+?

My step-mother was a stylist and she gave me great tips that I follow -- super simple and I color my hair for less than $10 when needed. My stylist friends tell me the job is excellent, they could not have done better themselves.

ChristaLynn829, 4-15-2010, 3:38PM

I've been to 2 salons to have my hair colored to cover a small gray area at the roots.

I left both times with my lovely strawberry blonde hair nearly dark brown and apologies. Even after I told the second "professional" that my hair took brown too well, she still screwed it up seriously!! I asked if the last one could at least add highlights to lighten it...but was told they did not have time. AAGGHH.
Since those two incidents (the last one just before a special event) I have never allowed a "professional" to touch my hair color again and using Loreal, have never had a disapointment. And before you say it, if they felt coloring strawberry blonde hair was beyond their capabilities, they should have said so! These were not young inexperienced stylists either! One said she had attended a special coloring school in NY!

RS, 5-26-2011, 2:44PM

Sounds just like my hairdresser: whenever I ask her to suggest a good home hair coloring brand, she always tells me that she can't recommend any, because she's a hairdresser - ???? What?! Do you still want me to come in every 5-6 weeks for a cut, or not?!

otrpu, 4-15-2010, 1:39PM

How you gonna slow the hair groth down, even the cheapest dye lasts longer than that.

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Katie, 4-15-2010, 12:36PM

Well I certainly don't know what you mean by "hair groth". If you mean hair GROWTH, then oh, o.k.

Edna Summerlin, 4-15-2010, 1:16PM

been using since it came on the market. I only wish there were more shades in a redish brown or medium and dark auburn.

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tina, 4-15-2010, 2:43PM

I agree I have auburn hair that I do myself would be nice to have more selections in this range of color :)

Walt, 4-15-2010, 2:05PM

I'm a guy whose hair has gone totally white. Coloring, which I believe is a must for me, I do at home. I like it easy, so I have used Clairol's Loving Care, and in my mirror the color looks like it's supposed to. I like that it fades over a couple of days, so there isn't so much of a white halo appearing along he edges. But, outside in the sun, where I am most of the time, people tell me my medium ash brown coloring looks scarlet red. I then tried dark brown, cutting a couple of minutes because I don't want it so dark, but they now say my hair is purple. I've become a spectacle.

This is embarassing for a guy (and I'm a Harley guy, too). Are there any cures for this? Or, as my wife believes I should, must I give up trying to look younger and join the non-biker, you're-looking-well shuffleboard set? I know you can ride bikes with white hair, but I'm afraid of blinding car drivers coming my way. Can I be saved?

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B, 4-16-2010, 1:32AM

Walt, sounds like you went from a 'warm' color to an 'ash'. The warms have red tints, & the ash will have blue. You can get a toner, which will help a bit, and in the future you may want to watch what shampoo you use as some tend to strip the color more than others. In the meantime check out a box of Loreal or Clariol- or their web sites, they have 800 numbers for you to call with technicians to advise you of which color and which product should work best for you. Good luck!

Suzie, 9-06-2010, 11:23AM

Hi, you know, you probably need to try a more yellow-based hair color shade with the words "golden" or "ash" in it to cut down on the red tones you're picking up. Also, Loving Care is a temporary hair color that washes out in less than 6 shampoos or something. My mother used it at home during the 1970s on her brown hair and literally developed a "green" streak down the center of her head that had to be corrected. I use Just for Men on my husband's hair in Light Brown, and it comes out darker at first, but fades nicely and gradually and NEVER changes color on him. Also, he likes the idea that it takes 5 minutes versus 25 with regular color. Good luck!

CATHYO, 4-15-2010, 2:56PM

Have been using Natural Instincts color for several years. Like Pecan for medium to light brown color but to get good coverage have to leave it on for 10 minutes roots and 5 more all over. Can do 10 minutes with darker shade 5 or roots 5 more all over.
Coverage is great and with slow hair growth I don't see roots for 5 weeks. Since color is slightly darker than my own shade and begins to wash down to my natural shade it takes a long time for roots to become obviously gray.

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Jan, 4-15-2010, 8:12PM

I don't have gray hairs, but having used several Loreal hair colors as well as several Clairol colors, I have found that Garnier hair color lasts much longer than the two in the article.

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Louise, 10-17-2010, 3:15PM

Where is my email for this article I requested?

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Beth, 4-15-2010, 9:21PM

I can understand the need for all of us to try and save money, but why be so harsh on hairdressers? Are you willing to take a pay cut because someone thinks you make too much? We should all stop turning on one another in these trying economic times and have respect for everyone's profession in trying to feed their families. I am a hairdresser and I am always more than willing to adjust my price to help a struggling client, but remember I am also struggling right along with you.

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debra, 4-15-2010, 9:52PM

I'm with Abbey and Rae. The colorists charge at least $70 for 25 minutes worth of work, and those same 25 min. only cost me $10. I just started coloring my hair due to the economy and my colorist, who was making almost $200 a visit from me, wasn't willing to work with me at all. Not only have I been saving a lot of money from coloring my hair at home, but my color job is just as good or better than my old colorist.

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