I have VERY resistant grays on my temples, so I use 20 volume developer and add 10 drops per ounce of color of the Gray Solution (it’s usually over by the anti-brass drops; and comes in a white box with black lettering; or grab a trial size tube for 99 cents). I color every 3-4 weeks with no damage. I do use a deep conditioner after coloring and then twice a week (every week), then a spray in/leave in conditioner after every shower; and also only wash my hair every other day with a Sulfate-free shampoo and a moisturizing conditioner.

Let me know if you try the Wella color since I’d love to hear another person’s results with it! Like I said, it was “okay” for me, but nothing stellar like Ion is.
Best regards,
Jami

I am 35 years old and have decided to become more frugal in my “old” age by coloring my hair at home. I am a HUGE fan of Sally’s and have been using the ION Color Brilliance line (color 5G) Light Natural Brown. I have resistant grays along my temple and along my forehead. I probably could color my hair every 3 weeks but I suffer through my grays and color every 4 or 5 weeks to prevent damage.

My question is do you think ION is the best line at Sally’s for covering gray? I have been very tempted to try the Wella Color Charm line. My only concern is I use only a 10 volume developer and Wella does not offer a 10 volume. The Wella website states to make a 10 volume to mix one ounce of 20 volume with one ounce of distilled water then to mix in your color. My other question is in reqards to ratio. I know ION is a 1:1 ratio but Wella is 1:2?

Your thoughts and help about the Wella Color Charm line would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you and happy at-home hair coloring!

Kellie

I’m sorry that you were upset a bit by the discussions here. I’m no longer a licensed stylist, but I have had extensive training as a colorist, as well as various other cosmetology courses. You are correct in that it is quite hard to “diagnose” someone’s hair via the internet without pictures. That’s why I frequently discuss color theory with my readers (we do quite a bit of correspondence via email so some things were missed in the public eye/comments section), as well as the condition of their hair, desired results, problems from the past, experience level, etc.

As for Henna, if you look at the comment above to Brittany I suggested that she see a dermatologist and did not say that Henna was good for your hair. If anyone asks me about henna, I ask them my standard questions about results, long term plan, etc because like you mentioned you MUST let Henna grow out before coloring with another form of hair dye over top. The only hair dyes that I’ve found that are “gentle” are vegetable dyes such as Manic Panic and Special Effects, but many people aren’t looking to go pink, purple or green.

I’ve only been to one CosmoProf store, but that one was not staffed by professional stylists. However, every Sally store in my area always has at least one professional, & currently licensed, stylist in the store at all times. However, that very well may just be my local area since I’m in an area with an overwhelming number of stylists.

Please do comment back with your knowledge. I really do appreciate your comments, and I know fellow Bionic Beauties could learn from you. If you’d like to share guidance on anyone’s questions above, please do. It’s an open forum here at Bionic Beauty. I *do* moderate comments for spam and such, but beyond that, I let most everything through (unless someone starts bashing a person directly or using foul language- which I’ve had my share of that too. ha ha! Some people can’t be trusted on the internet.).

Anyhow, I hope you have a great rest of your week and a wonderful holiday weekend!
Cheers,
Jami

henna is not good for your hair. just because it is natural, does not mean it is gentle. it deposits metalic dyes into your hair and can react crazy when another chemical is applied over it later.

the people at “open to the public” type beauty supplies are generally do not have hairstylists working for them and do not give the best advice. be careful if you take this path.

Please keep me in the loop on what you find out! And I hope to see you around Bionic Beauty in the future!
All the best,
Jami

Next, I’m SO sorry to hear about your experience with the Clairol Perfect 10 hair color. If you want my suggestions on the oils issue, see my response to Jacy a few comments up. Those should help you in the meantime. I would NOT suggest Herbal Essences’ Debunking shampoo. It will strip all the oils and actually cause your scalp to MAKE MORE oil.

You need a gentle shampoo. If you don’t have any sulfate-free shampoo in the house, you can pick up some Johnson’s baby shampoo or L’Oreal EverPure Sulfate-free (that is my absolute favorite hair care line, even compared to pricey brands! reviews are here on Bionic Beauty too, they had some free samples awhile back. You could check if those are still active by looking under the “Freebies” section here on the blog”).

I hope things clear up for you. Read through the comments above, and let me know if you have any questions. There are also some good recommendations above on hair colors that do work. And like you said, I like Feria as well. it just didn’t cover my grays well enough for me.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to “see” you on here soon!
Cheers,
Jami (aka Bionic Beauty)