Nine FJ readers share their favourite at-home hair dyes
WORDS BY DAISY HENRY
“Rope in a friend who works fast.”
Earlier this year, Fashion Journal contributing writer Harriet Pudney wrote about trying box dye for the first time after spending over a decade colouring her hair at the salon. “Box dye, as the saying goes, will fry your hair and ruin your life. It’s a sign of bad judgment and impulsiveness, and if you have any sense at all, you’ll leave your colour to the professionals,” she wrote.
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In the end, Harriet bit the bullet and walked away from the experience a box dye convert. Though she admits that drastic hair changes might be better left for the professionals, box dye can be an easy (and cost-effective) option for a quick gloss or root touch-up.
But with an ever-expanding aisle of box dye at the chemist, knowing what brand and shade to choose can be overwhelming. Curious to know what exactly the girlies are using to achieve glossy, DIY hair colour at home, nine FJ readers tell us their trusted favourites.
Tahlia*, 33, she/her
I’ve used the Colour Royale range from Hairhouse for years. It’s salon quality, and usually there’s someone knowledgeable at the store who can help you choose the right shade (sometimes I mix two). You buy the colour tubes and developer separately – it’s $16 for the colour and $15 for 1 litre of developer, which lasts a really long time. I like mixing 6.11 Dark Intense Ash Blonde with 5.1 Light Ash Brown for a natural brown that’s not too dark and leans more ash-y, without the red or purple tones you get from a lot of supermarket box dyes.
I’d recommend buying all the tools so you can do a pro job at home! Proper gloves, a plastic bowl for mixing, an application brush and tail comb/clips. It’s cheap and it makes the experience a lot less stressful. Also, you have to rope in a friend who works fast.
Sara*, 26, she/her
I buy L’oréal because it’s the cheapest! I want to try other brands but it’s not in my budget at the moment, and I find the results to be consistent, which is important to me.
My advice is to cover every surface before starting, use proper gloves (not just the ones they give you in the box) and to go slowly, working in sections with a dye brush and bowl. If you don’t have someone to help you dye the back of your head, make sure you have a mirror on hand to check!
My hair is naturally quite dark and personally, I can’t tell the difference between a colour refresh done at the salon and one done at home! I think hair colouring is much more forgiving for those of us with dark hair.
Clem*, 20, she/her
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I use Good Dye Young’s Semi-Permanent Hair Colour from Priceline. It refreshes my salon-done calico hair and it smells great! I love Hayley Williams and she is the ultimate pioneer of orange hair, so I trust her brand.
Don’t over-use permanent hair dye, and don’t fold your hair over itself if you’re using bubble dye as once this lightened different parts of my hair unevenly. There’s so much information online about dyeing your hair at home – if you put enough research into it you can really get semi-salon-quality hair on a budget. My next endeavour is at-home bleach!
Zara*, 31, she/her
I’ve recently started using the semi-permanent Hair Gloss by Josh Wood Colour, it’s the first at-home hair colour available at Mecca. I’m a natural brunette and I have a few greys strands I like to cover, so the salon assistant recommended me the shade ‘Smoky Brunette’ to tone down the natural warmth in my hair. I really love the result, it didn’t fully my cover greys but it blended them enough, and my hair looked a shade darker and so much shinier, with a cool espresso tone. A tube is $46 and lasts two uses, so not the cheapest option but way cheaper than going to the salon.
Semi-permanent is way safer than permanent in my experience. The gloss I use lasts about six washes. My trick is to apply vaseline along your forehead, ears and neck to prevent dye stains on your skin.
Anthea*, 23, she/her
I always go to Hairhouse and look for one of the senior staff to ask for their recommendation. Without fail, they always give me the most perfect products to get the right result every time! They typically have a ‘don’t follow the instructions, do this instead’ method and it’s never failed me.
Olive*, 27, she/her
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I’ve been using The Shade’s Sienna Brown hair colour. I was nervous about using an at-home hair dye initially but I wanted something quick and easy to hide the grey hairs that have started creeping through. I was scared it would looked unnatural or too harsh but I think the results are as good as any salon I’ve been to.
If it’s your first time, my advice would be not to rush through it. Pop on a podcast, some dark clothes and follow the instructions closely.
Rosa*, 30, she/her
I love the Schwarzkopf Brilliance Fiery Topaz from Chemist Warehouse. As a mousy brown-turned-blonde-turned-copper girlie, I love the fiery vibrancy of it and the fact that I can do both my roots and ends, and it all blends out evenly. It’s so easy to apply – usually I get my housemates to help me but I’m fairly confident doing it on my own at this point if I need to.
I box dye my hair monthly, then go to the hair salon for a cut and professional colour ever three months. They always tell me that the colour has faded out nice and naturally from the last time and I just smile and pretend I’m being diligent with the colour treatment they sold me years ago.
I use hair masks as conditioner (also from Chemist Warehouse) which helps. But I do recommend using the aftercare, for me it genuinely locks in the colour to last longer. When starting, take care of the roots first then blend out to the ends. Don’t be ashamed if you’re a two box girlie, either. If your hair is longer than your shoulders you may as well buy two boxes just in case.
Also don’t forget to put the timer on. Or to wear gloves and black clothes. If you’re copper like me, when you wash it out try not to panic when the water looks like a horror scene from Psycho (it gets me every time).
Natalie*, 33, she/her
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I was so excited to try Josh Wood’s at-home colour range, so when it arrived at Mecca I ordered straight away. It’s $34, so it’s a tad pricer than most Chemist box-dyes but well worth it. There are a range of shades but I opted for the the dark brown. It’s super easy to use, smells nice and the colour blended really well.
If you’re looking for a full hair refresh you’re probably better off going to the salon but if you’re looking to cover up your greys or correct your hair tone, I’d recommend giving this a go!
Kelly*, she/her, 35
I use L’oreal from Chemist Warehouse. I have curly hair which hides a lot if sins, so I’m quite fuss-free about it and apply it like shampoo but with gloves on.
*Names have been changed for privacy.
For more on at-home hair colour, try this.
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