I consider my hair and makeup essential, however the government does not, so until Instagram or Zoom figure out how to filter my grey hair, I’m resorting to this classic hair color routine as this time of uncertainty keeps me from my actual beloved hair dresser.
While luxury items are becoming more difficult to find, using a “box” color may not be an option, so I am sharing an alternative that will ship directly to your house and works beautifully.
{Disclaimer: This is simply what I use and how I use it. I am not a professional, I am not endorsing any certain product, I’m just trying to help another mother out. By all means, do your own research. YouTube is where I found this gem years ago and I support whatever works for you!}
I use the following:
- Hair Color Mixing Bowl
- Tint Brush (any size, mine is extra wide)
Creme Developer (10 or 20, 10 is less harsh on my hair) - Hair Color Cream of your choice (I use 3NN for my very dark brown hair, just a reminder: this is NOT the time to experiment, this is meant to “get you by” until a professional can treat your hair)
- After Color Treatment
- Gloves
- Digital Scale
- Timer
- Old t-shirt that you don’t ever want to use again unless it is to color your hair again.
Step 1: Brush and part hair into manageable sections, then pin in place.
Step 2: Gloves on, carefully mix 1 part developer to 1 part hair color in bowl with tint brush. I have a dedicated food scale to help with this for my long hair, I use about 2 oz developer and 2 oz hair color cream and that gives me enough to do my roots plus some.
Step 3: Apply (paint) mixture with tint brush to each section of your hair starting at the roots. Make sure to apply to both sides of your hair and that the hair is saturated completely.
Step 4: Let set for 25 minutes (my greys can be stubborn and Developer 10 needs a little more time for processing on me).
Step 5: Rinse until water runs clear, then apply After Color Treatment as directed. Style and voila!
Just a couple of helpful hints:
I am not a professional so I only use CREAM products.
I also put old towels and rugs down on my bathroom floor to lesson the likelihood of staining.
And I’m not too proud to use this temporary hair color spray in a pinch. It is much less work than the aforementioned routine!
