I buy the root touch up coloring kit and streak the color through my hair. It gives a natural look as natural hair isn't all one color. The kit comes with a great applicator. If you use an all color for dark hair always go with a shade lighter then your natural hair color and be sure it says ash. The goal of any great hair coloring is not to have every hair be the same shade. Unless of course you want the dye look.

I would suggest you go to a Sally's Beauty Supply and talk with one
of the employees there. They have to either be in school or have been
to school (to do hair) in order to work there.

Tell them what you want to do and they will direct you down the right
path.

In case you are wondering you DON'T need to be a professional to shop
there. I shop there often enough that I have their Sally card it gives me
the same discount that licensed professionals get, and the card costs $5
a year, but you can get that back if you take that receipt back in to buy
other stuff.

I have been a Sally shopper for over 20 years.

I was a hairdresser for over 30 years and am so glad I don't have to mess with it anymore, I am so over it. I hated the growing (new growth process) and yes after a couple three or four weeks you're going to see the new growth. Hated having to correct the home box colors. People really don't like paying for their mistakes. I suggest you have your hairdresser/stylist do it for you. She can do lowlights which would help you to grow it out gradually to get used to your natural new color. You can go longer with lowlights also.

It sounds like we have similar hair in color and style. I had bangs for a hundred years (or else, it just seems that way LOL) and have finally grown them out because I was tired of stringy damp bangs on my face in the summer heat. Now I keep my hair in a shoulder-length side-parted bob type style. Anyway, after wishing and hoping that my grey hair would grow in "pretty" (I had two aunts with beautiful white/grey hair), I finally realized I would not get so lucky and I just looked OLD. :) So I've been coloring with Natural Instincts semi-permanent color; I use the color called Chocolate Crème. It does a great job on my dark brown hair, and the greys come out a little bit lighter, sort of a dark reddish brown color, that almost makes my hair look highlighted. So far I'm happy with it! The color is inexpensive and easy to do myself.

I'm 65 and have been coloring my hair for at least 10 years. I should amend that, I have my hair colored. Yes, it is $50 a crack and I have mine done every 5 weeks. I look at women with terrible dye jobs and consider it's money well spent. I could never part my hair and do the roots and all that she does at home. Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

I use Loreal Excellence for covering gray. I've been coloring my hair monthly since I was 16 Years old. (That's 47 years!) I used to use Clairol or Loreal Preference, but started using Excellence when I started going gray.

I used to dye my hair myself and used whatever was on special. I have awful problems with psoriasis on my scalp now and have my hairdresser colour my hair. She does foils and doesn't get any on my scalp at all! It means less money for fabric, but worth it for my sanity as I have grays only at the front.... and I hate them!!

Loreal Preferance -- I started out using Revlon but when I got gray I had to change to Preferance -- DD uses the same product for her chestnut colored hair. I have been a light blonde out of a box for 52 years. My friend has a reverse color done in a shop, but around here it costs $100 or more to get a shop color so I do my own. I mix a couple of colors to get the one I like and I use the John Frieda shampoo that has a bit of color in it so I can stretch out the times between color jobs.

I have tried most of them over the years. I like the nutrisse brand. And there is a new one called Keratin by schwartzkopf I think it is. Very nice. I don't like Olio (Olia) because it doesn't cover the gray. Age defy will do but not my favorite. It does need touch up every 4 weeks. Sometimes I just mix half a batch and do the part and hairline in front. I can afford a salon and have the time but speaking only for myself I don't like sitting there while it gets done. I had it done once in a salon and it was fine but took a long time. I am 72.5. Mr Stitchnripper is going on 61. He is mostly gray. Everybody has their opinions. Mine is only for me. I don't want to be gray right now.

I have been using Zoto Age Defying from Sally's but my hair was getting dry - I wonder if I bought the peroxide too strong. This week I used Keratin by Schwartzkopf. My hair feels much better, but I will need to adjust the color choice. Caramel Blonde is a golden brown on my hair which is white in the front and an icky gray in the back. I let it go gray several years ago, but it just wasn't me.