Hair color won't stick

Is it not covering in the first place or is it fading quickly?

Not covering it in the first place, unfortunately. I did try a salon and that worked well - the guy there told me that professionals use stronger stuff so that going to a salon is really my only option. I really hope that's not the case because I really can't do that on a regular basis.

Thanks.

Eh, that’s not really true about salons using stronger stuff. Home dyes are pretty much the same as salon dyes, it’s just using them properly most of the time.

This isn’t my area really, though I’m just getting my first greys now (I expected them in my early 20s like the rest of my family, but some how they held off to my mid 40s!) so I need to learn myself. We can try and work this out.

When you dye, are you making sure the room is warm? It can make a big difference if the room is cool.

What colour are you aiming for? Maybe there’s some better dye.

Thanks so much for trying to help me.  I never paid much attention to the temperature of the room but I don't think it's been particularly cool. And the first couple of times I tried it was in summer, so my apartment was definitely warm then.  My hair is dark brown - I've been using L'Oreal Excellence Cream 4. But I'd be more than happy to try something else of course, even something expensive. I just really need the convenience of coloring my hair at home on my own time.

Many many thanks,
Gary

you might be better off using something from a shop as sally's some of them are better than the boxdyes in the drugstores. you can also try different volume peroxides. My mom uses 20 vol and says it works better than the stronger 30vol. Not sure why, maybe less damage which means the hair keeps color in better?

ETA: my mom uses Wella Koleston