Coloring: box vs salon.

[ShawnaLeigh]

So I am about sick to death of my dirty cement floor colored hair.  LOL

I am still unsure about it all growing back and covering the bald spot on top and the thinning in the front "corners".  The rest is growing nice and thick but still in a very "guy" length.  I might be getting some back even, I'm not sure.  I haven't taken an "after" pic lately to check.

So I am not cutting it short for a wig quite yet but really hate the grey.  

So I mentioned this to my wife and she immediately starts to try and persuade me against getting into coloring my hair via a salon or professionally as it can be quite expensive and seems never ending.  Though she does this.  (double standard-Grrrrrr)

I agree it can be crazy expensive especially coupled with a hair cut or whatever.  So I was thinking of doing a box coloring but I have always heard so many horror stories about this.  You go for a nice chestnut brown and it turns out closer to be a dark fecal matter.  Or worse! 

So I am wary of trying to do this, especially with no experience at all.  I have to do something before I go crazy.  I am not quite ready to go into a wig but my hair is quickly becoming the biggest detractor from me looking and feeling like my female self.  I hate to throw out the word dysphoria over it but it does really bother me a lot.  

Suggestions?

Products?

Shut the heck up your whining?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Jackie C.]

I think I'd probably start with a comb-in product. They sell plenty "for men" as well as for women. Find the color you like and just go for it. So what if it turns out bad? You can always choose another product and try again. The other advantage to a comb in is that if you're not digging the result, you can stop.

Personally, I'd probably just beg my friend Roseanne for a makeover, but she runs a salon. That's another option: Make friends with a woman who has a salon, then trade favors. I'm half-kidding. I would LOVE to have a trusted girlfriend do my hair.

 

Depending on how long your hair is, wig caps are a thing. You could buy an inexpensive starter wig and a wig cap for less than $100. The idea is that you tuck your natural hair into the cap, then put the wig on over that.

 

The point is, go play. Life is too short to avoid having fun as a woman. There's no reason not to try and if you stumble here and there, so what? The worst thing that can happen is a weird color until it washes out. It's OK to be a little silly sometimes.

 

Hugs!

[Jani]

My sister finally convinced me to color my hair three years ago.  She did it and it came out nice.  I did it a couple times afterwards but it was hard leaning over the sink in the laundry room (careful, the dye will stain) to do the steps and rinse.  I ended up having my hair stylist do it for me.  I go every 5 weeks for a cut and color.  We've adjusted the color a little bit and I've settled on something I like that is not anything like my natural color when I was younger.  For me its worth it to have it done and it feels good to be pampered.  

 

Jani

[ShawnaLeigh]

2 hours ago, Jackie C. said:

The point is, go play. Life is too short to avoid having fun as a woman. There's no reason not to try and if you stumble here and there, so what? The worst thing that can happen is a weird color until it washes out. It's OK to be a little silly sometimes.

I guess once I am fully out to everyone I can adopt this attitude with my heart.  I'm still on a male leash though...  Doing these things is "not acceptable" for a man.  LOL.  

 

2 hours ago, Jani said:

I like that is not anything like my natural color when I was younger.  For me its worth it to have it done and it feels good to be pampered.  

Oh yes I too love to be pampered and this seems right up my alley.  I just need to get passed this financial crap and then  be able to pamper myself

[VickySGV]

I checked on this one when I first was coming out.  Male haircuts had been $25 per session every two weeks.  At that time, a five week touch-up in the Salon was just under $90 or just $15 dollars more than the haircut expense.  It took less time and bother for me to comb out my girl style hair than it did to groom my male style hair.   I did a few color experiments which did cost more at first, but I like my red color which is almost genetic natural. (I was towhead blond as a child.)  Look at expenses that way and you can make a good choice.  A friend of mine really botched a DIY hair color job and it took her about $400 worth of beauty shop work to look halfway human and not like a wild animal everyone tries to avoid.