Hair Color

Best Places to Buy Hair Color in the US: Walmart, Top Drugstores, and Pro Suppliers for Salon-Quality Results

Introduction: Why the right place to buy hair color matters

Picking the right hair color isn’t just about the shade — it’s also about where you buy it. You can save money, get a better match, and avoid surprises by choosing the right retailer. Whether you’re shopping for a demi-permanent gloss, a permanent dye to cover grays, or a beard-specific color, the store you choose affects availability, price, and the range of professional versus drugstore options. I’ll walk you through the best places to shop in the US, highlight popular products, and give practical tips so your at-home color lives up to your expectations.

Walmart: A one-stop shop for hair color needs

Walmart often shows up first on lists for a reason — wide selection, competitive pricing, and convenient shipping or in-store pickup. From budget-friendly boxed dyes to some salon-quality offerings, Walmart carries many brands that suit beginner to intermediate home colorists. If you’re hunting for everyday classics like Just For Men or drugstore permanent colors, Walmart is a reliable place to start. It also stocks larger-format products used by professionals and specialty items like dye shampoos and beard treatments.

Popular products you’ll find at Walmart

At Walmart you’ll commonly find products such as Goldwell Colorance demi-permanent formulas in a 4.2 oz canister for glossing and tone adjustments, Just For Men Autostop combs for easy beard or mustache application, Herbatint kits for gentler, plant-based color options, and Dark and Lovely Fade Resist formulas for textured hair. Those specific names are representative of the kinds of options available — from gentle herbal tints to systems designed for quick male grooming. Walmart’s mix of drugstore and professional lines makes it a practical choice if you want to compare types side-by-side.

Other top US retailers to buy hair color

If Walmart isn’t your ideal stop, several other retailers offer distinct advantages. Drugstores like CVS and Walgreens are great for quick replacements and familiar brands; Target is convenient for trend-forward boxed dyes and influencer-backed shades; Ulta and Sally Beauty cater to pro and salon-grade formulas. Online giants such as Amazon can have the broadest selection and fast shipping, while specialty indie sites carry niche and international brands. It’s worth knowing the strengths of each so you can match the store to the product type you need.

Ulta Beauty: salon brands and pro-level care

Ulta is a hybrid: consumer-friendly but pro-savvy. You’ll find salon-exclusive permanent and demi-permanent color lines, professional developers, and treatment systems alongside styling tools and aftercare products. Ulta’s staff and beauty consultants can help if you want guidance choosing between a permanent formula and a demi-permanent gloss, and they often carry professional sizes that are handy for at-home balayage touch-ups or multi-application projects.

Sally Beauty: where professionals shop

Sally Beauty is a go-to for stylists and serious at-home colorists. The store specializes in salon brands, separate developers and colorants, and a wider range of developer strengths and chemistry tools. If you want to purchase a 20-volume developer, specialized mixing bowls, or professional 4.2 oz canisters for multiple applications, Sally often has stock that general retailers don’t. It’s a top pick if you’re comfortable following salon mixing ratios and want better control over color mechanics.

Target, CVS, and Walgreens: drugstore convenience

For quick touch-ups, drugstore chains like Target, CVS, and Walgreens offer the most accessible selection of boxed dyes — think budget-friendly permanent colors, boxed demi kits, and products marketed for gray coverage. These stores are useful when you want an immediate, inexpensive solution and you’re working with shorter hair lengths or minor color corrections. They also frequently carry beard-specific options like the Just For Men comb applicator for quick, controlled color in small areas.

Online marketplaces and specialty shops for unique shades

Shopping online expands your palette. Amazon lists nearly every brand — from indie vegan dyes to barreled professional tints — and makes it easy to compare reviews and prices. Specialty websites and salons’ e-commerce stores offer hard-to-find shades, international brands, and small-batch formulas that mainstream retailers don’t stock. If you want a precise tone or plant-based alternative such as Herbatint, look beyond big-box stores to online specialty shops for the best chance of finding it.

Understanding types of hair color: permanent, demi, semi, and temporary

Not all hair color is created equal. Permanent dyes penetrate the hair shaft and change your base color permanently until new growth appears; demi-permanent formulas deposit color on the outside and inside the shaft for subtle tone changes and added shine; semi-permanent sits mainly on the surface and gradually fades after a few washes; temporary colors wash out immediately. Choosing the right type depends on your goals: cover grays, shift tone, add shine, or try a fashion color for a weekend.

Demi-permanent: when to choose a gloss

Demi-permanent products such as Goldwell Colorance are ideal when you want to enrich tone, add shine, or correct brassiness without the commitment of a permanent dye. These formulas usually use a low-volume developer, so they’re gentler and less likely to cause dramatic lift. That makes them great for toning highlights, refreshing box color, or smoothing uneven tones between salon visits — and they’re often available at retailers that carry both professional and consumer brands.

Permanent dyes: strong coverage and gray coverage

Permanent colors are the pick if you need full gray coverage or a significant shade shift. These formulas use higher-volume developers and penetrate deeply, so they require careful shade selection and accurate timing. Drugstore boxes and salon formulas both offer permanent options, but professional brands and pro suppliers generally provide more predictable results and wider developer choices, which makes a retailer like Sally Beauty or Ulta appealing for complex color work.

How to choose the right shade and the correct amount of product

Shade selection can feel like guesswork, but it doesn’t have to be. Start by identifying your natural level and the underlying warm or cool tones. If you’re lifting color, know that most at-home kits don’t lift more than a few levels — for dramatic lightening, a salon visit is safer. Also, consider hair length and thickness when you estimate how much product you need; shoulder-length hair often uses one box, while mid-back hair may need two or more boxes or a larger 4.2 oz professional canister for full coverage.

Assessing your hair length and product needs

Short hair typically needs a single box or roughly 2–4 oz of mixed product. Shoulder-length hair might require 1–2 boxes, and long or very thick hair often requires two or more boxes or professional quantities sold in 4.2 oz canisters. If you’re mixing color with separate developer bottles, plan for additional volume — especially if you’re doing an all-over color on long hair. When in doubt, buy one extra box so you don’t run out mid-application.

Checking developer strength and mixing ratios

Developers are measured in volumes (10, 20, 30, 40). Lower volumes (10–20) are common for demi-permanent results or gray blending, while higher volumes are used when lifting natural pigment. If you buy a pro product or a separate developer from Sally Beauty, Ulta, or a salon supplier, make sure you follow the recommended mixing ratio on the manufacturer’s instructions. Mixing correctly is as important as shade choice — it determines how much pigment deposits and whether your color will turn out as expected.

At-home coloring vs. salon coloring: deciding what’s right

At-home coloring is cost-effective and convenient, but salons offer expertise, safety, and more predictable results for complex changes. If you’re doing subtle tone changes, root touch-ups, or gray blending, at-home options from Walmart, Target, or drugstores can work well. For major lift, corrective color, or multi-step techniques like balayage, a salon stylist has access to pro tools, 4.2 oz professional color canisters, and the training to minimize damage and achieve the look you want.

Caring for colored hair: products and routines to preserve tone

Color-treated hair needs supportive care. Look for sulfate-free shampoos, color-depositing conditioners, and UV-protective sprays to reduce fading. Gloss treatments and demi-permanent toners help freshen tone between full color sessions. If you use heat tools, use a heat protectant and lower settings to preserve pigment. Many retailers — from Ulta to Walmart — stock aftercare lines designed for colored hair, including protein treatments and deep-conditioning masks to restore strength after chemical work.

Where to find the best deals and how to read product labels

Deals appear across retailers: big-box sales at Walmart, multi-buy coupons at drugstores, loyalty point promotions at Ulta, and clearance events on Amazon or retailer websites. But price isn’t everything. Read labels carefully for developer strength, active ingredients (ammonia vs. ammonia-free), and whether the product is permanent or demi-permanent. Packaging often lists coverage claims and sheen levels — pay attention so you don’t end up with an unexpected level of lift or fade resistance.

Conclusion

Shopping for hair color in the US means balancing convenience, price, and product type. Walmart is a dependable option for a broad selection — from drugstore essentials to some professional-sized formats like 4.2 oz canisters — while Ulta and Sally Beauty are better if you want salon-grade brands, developers, and professional advice. Drugstores and Target are convenient for quick replacements and staple shades, and online marketplaces expand your options when you want something niche or plant-based. Know your goals, match the retailer to the product, and follow mixing and aftercare recommendations to get the best results at home.