No more color accidents with our hair color guide. This is how you can find the perfect shade at the drugstore for little money.
Table of contents
- Hair color from the drugstore: The 3 best products
- #1 Permanente Coloration von Syoss
- #2 Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Color
- #3 Brillance Intensive Color Cream from Schwarzkopf
- Hair color from the drugstore: coloring or intensive tinting?
- How good is drugstore herbal hair color?
- Coloring the roots: Which hair colors from the drugstore are suitable?
- Concealing roots without dyeing: What products are there?
Hair colors from the drugstore promise easy application and a rich color result at an affordable price. While we have to pay at least 50 euros to dye our hair in the salon, at dm, Rossmann & Co. we can often get hair dye for at home for less than five euros.
But can hair color from the drugstore really keep up with a visit to the hairdresser? And how does it work at home?
We looked at which hair colors from the drugstore are rated best online, what you should pay attention to when using them and when it is not a good idea to dye your hair yourself at home.
Here you can find the most popular drugstore hair colors:
Hair color from the drugstore: The 3 best products
The selection of hair colors in the drugstore is almost endless. It's no wonder that, given the long shelves, you can quickly become overwhelmed when choosing the right product.
We therefore clicked through the internet for you and took a closer look at the reviews of the individual hair colors from the drugstore. The following three products performed best:
#1 Permanente Coloration von Syoss
Syoss products are clearly among the most popular hair colors from the drugstore. Users particularly emphasize the good gray coverage of the inexpensive drugstore hair color. The color fastness is also a real plus point with the permanent coloring from Syoss.
Another advantage of Syoss hair color: Brown tones do not have a red cast after dyeing, according to users who bought the hair color from dm. Anyone who naturally has a high proportion of red in their hair should be happy about this.
Disadvantage of the cheap hair color from the drugstore: It contains hydrogen peroxide. These strip the hair of its natural pigments, but this also makes a lighter hair color possible.

#2 Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Color
The shades from Garnier Olia are also among the bestsellers when it comes to hair colors from the drugstore. The permanent coloring promises an intensive color result and 100 percent gray coverage. The special thing about this hair color without ammonia: The coloring cream consists of 60 percent oils that are intended to care for and protect the hair during coloring.
Users particularly emphasize the ease of use. Olia's hair color would be easy to apply without dripping. The color result is described as rich, intense and long-lasting. The shine that the oil coloring would conjure up in the hair is particularly beautiful.
Disadvantage: Some users complain that a red tinge appears in their hair after dyeing. If you want an ashy, cool shade, you should be careful and let the professional do it.

#3 Brillance Intensive Color Cream from Schwarzkopf
The shades from Schwarzkopf's Brillance series are also among the most popular hair colors from the drugstore. The permanent coloring promises luminosity and color fastness for up to nine weeks and is intended to cover gray hair. Users emphasize that the hair shines beautifully after dyeing and the color is rich. Disadvantage: The hair color from the drugstore should give off an acrid smell when applied. The reason can be found in the ingredients. In addition to hydrogen peroxide, the coloration also contains ammonia compounds.

Hair color from the drugstore: coloring or intensive tinting?
Anyone who has often used hair color from the drugstore knows: you have to get the right tone. It is not uncommon for color accidents to end up at the hairdresser the next day, who then tries to save what can be saved.
To avoid frustration, it is important to clarify a few questions in advance so that you know which hair color from the drugstore is right for you. This way you minimize the risk of ending up choosing the wrong shade and being dissatisfied with the result.
The first question you should answer for yourself: Do you really want permanent coloring, i.e. a hair color that doesn't wash out but grows out, or is hair coloring the better choice? Pay close attention to the names on the drugstore hair color packaging.
Be careful with the term “intensive tinting”:Even if it says tint, there is hair color in it. Because an intensive tint penetrates the hair like a permanent color. The only difference to permanent coloring is that it does not have a brightening effect. You can only “dye” your hair darker with an intensive tint.
Another difference: The durability of an intensive hair color is weaker than that of a permanent hair color. However, the intensive tint only washes out up to a certain point, after which it's time to let it grow out.
Product tip:One of the most popular intensive tints from the drugstore are the shades of Casting Creme Gloss from L'Oréal. I have also tried the intensive tints and was happy with the results. Important to know: The intensive tints often turn out darker than expected. So it's better to approach it with a lighter shade.
Here you can find the Casting Creme Gloss shades on Douglas*

Also read:
How good is drugstore herbal hair color?
Care products with natural ingredients are trendy. This is also noticeable when it comes to hair colors. Whether in the salon or the drugstore, there are more and more so-called herbal hair colors available. Unlike chemical coloring, they are intended to gently color the hair without ingredients such as hydrogen perioxide or ammonia.
Your advantage:While chemical hair colors from the drugstore penetrate the hair structure and change it, the pigments of herbal hair colors simply surround the hair. This means that real plant hair colors are often less stressful for the hair and, for examplesuitable. Your disadvantage: Your hair cannot be lightened with herbal hair dyes.
Important:Not everywhere that says nature has nature in it. In the drugstore, be sure to pay attention to the ingredients of the supposed herbal hair colors. It is not uncommon for so-called “natural colorations” to still contain small amounts of hydrogen peroxide or ammonia.

Coloring the roots: Which hair colors from the drugstore are suitable?
Many women regularly dye their hair to conceal their roots. Depending on hair growth, they are visible after two to six weeks. Not everyone can or wants to afford to go to the hairdresser every few weeks and therefore resort to hair dye from the drugstore.
Root dyeing is not about changing the type, but rather about achieving the most natural and consistent result possible. That's why you should only color the roots and not your entire hair with the color.
If you color your hair completely every few weeks, more and more pigments will accumulate in the lengths of the hair with each coloring, making it darker and darker, but also more and more damaged.
Important when coloring the roots with normal hair color from the drugstore:Choose a tone that exactly matches the hair color of your length. Then apply the color only to the roots that have grown out. This is particularly easy with a style comb and a color brush.
Tipp:You can also buy special root hair color directly from the drugstore. These sets make root dyeing even easier.
Concealing roots without dyeing: What products are there?
In addition to coloring, there are other ways to conceal the growing (gray) roots. In addition to hair colors, you can also find various products in the drugstore that visually conceal the roots. These include hair mascara, root sprays, so-called “retouchers,” or root powder. The products contain color pigments that lie on the gray hair and cover it.
One of the most popular drugstore products is the root sprayMagic Retouch von L’Oréal Paris(is available online here*). Users are thrilled that the spray covers gray hair well and that re-dyeing is therefore less necessary. While the experience with brown hair is good, the root spray seems to have a few weaknesses with light blonde hair.
The root spray “Hair Touch Up” from L'Oréal Professionnel is rated even better. On Flaconi, the concealing spray has a whopping rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.You can buy it in different shades from Flaconi here.*
Bestseller for concealing thin roots
Are you looking for a way to conceal light roots? Imperio's root powder is a real bestseller on Amazon. The powder is available in four different shades of brown. Buyers rave that the powder makes the hairline look fuller and the color looks natural.

How do I use drugstore hair color correctly?
To ensure that there are no coloring accidents and that the result is as uniform as possible, you should always follow the instructions that come with the hair dye from the drugstore exactly.
Depending on the product, the manufacturers recommend applying the hair color to dry or wet hair. Follow this information exactly.
It is also important to protect your clothing and skin from the hair dye. It's best to take off your top and put a towel around your shoulders. You can protect the skin on your ears or hairline with greasy cream.
Then put on your gloves, mix the hair color according to the instructions and start applying it straight away. Do this thoroughly but quickly so that the color result is nice and even. Start with the roots and then add the color to the lengths and tips.
Allow the hair color to take effect and follow the instructions on the packaging or instructions carefully. Then rinse out the coloring until the water is clear. Tip: Pin long hair up with a large clip.
Important:Because hair dyes can contain irritating ingredients, it is important to test on a small area of skin before dyeing to see whether you tolerate the hair dye well. If you experience burning or redness, i.e. you are allergic to the hair color, you should wash your skin with plenty of water and under no circumstances dye your hair with the color.
Reading tips:
How long does drugstore hair color last?
Depending on the product and shade, drugstore hair color lasts 8-10 weeks. The color result then slowly fades. Nevertheless, it takes a very long time to get yoursregained, because permanent coloring penetrates the hair and doesn't just lie around it. So the hair color has to grow out. Depending on how fast your hair grows and how long it is, this can take many months.
Red tones are among the hair colors that don't last that long and fade relatively quickly. They can wash out after just a few weeks. So the hair color loses its intensity.
Which drugstore hair color covers gray best?
According to users, Syoss hair colors from the drugstore cover gray hair very well. The color result should be intense and gray hair should be reliably colored over.
Which hair color from the drugstore is the best choice for gray hair always depends on your own hair structure and the desired color result.
Also read:
What can I do to make drugstore hair color last longer?
There are a few tips to help drugstore hair color last longer:
1. Wash the colored hair with shampoo only after 24 hours.
2. Wash your hair less often because some of the color and brightness is lost with every wash.
3. When washing, use color shampoos that match the new hair color.
4. Shampoo only the roots and rinse the lengths.
5. Care for your hair with color-refreshing treatments.
If you stick to it, you will enjoy your new hair color for a long time!