The under-$15 hair makeover for any woman who doesn't have time for the hairdresser.

When you’re a parent, having five hours to spend at the hairdressers isn’t always a priority or a luxury – it can be a logistical nightmare.

Time? Spare? What language are you talking? And when it comes to date nights with hubby or nights out with the girls, there’s even less time to give yourself the luxe treatment you deserve.

It’s a hair situation mums Lauren Joyce and Genevieve Gardner found themselves in recently.

“My colour was tired and grey was showing through. It was in need of attention and looking a bit neglected,” Genevieve told Mamamia.

Since having her son Harrison nine months ago, Lauren said she'd felt "frustrated" with her hair.

"Since I had my second baby, for some reason the grey has come through round my hairline, whereas previously it used to be just in one patch so it was easier to cover up by just parting my hair to the other side," she says.

Both said their hair felt dry, tired, lifeless and in serious need of some TLC.

But with work, kids and life in general obviously taking the lead, addressing their hair concerns was on the to-do list behind approximately 5678 other tasks. Again, who has the time?

Then their hairy godmothers friends got involved, nominating them for a hair makeover from Schwarzkopf. (Ahem, where can we get ourselves some friends like this, please?)

The idea was to give Lauren and Gen a little hair confidence boost as well as show that good hair doesn't have to cost you hours OR hundreds of dollars, thanks to the professional-looking at-home colour from Schwarzkopf Live Salon Permanent Colour box (which retails at just $13.99).

And it didn't hurt that the makeover was timed just before a scheduled (and much-anticipated) date night for the pair and their husbands.

Fortunately, their friends didn't need to do too much persuading and the pair decided to give it a go. How did it turn out? Well, see for yourself.

Genevieve

Gen's hope was for her hair to look and feel better.

"It was looking a bit damaged from previous colour, so I just wanted to bring some life to it," she said.

For Genevieve, Schwarzkopf hair whizz Grant recommended an ombre look created by combining Live Salon Permanent 5-0 (Light Brown) with 5-6 (Auburn Brown)., both $13.99.

This gives a rich dark brown colour at the roots before fading out to her existing, lighter colour at the ends of her hair for a beautiful, natural look. The combination of the two also ensured a warm auburn tone as well as 100 percent grey coverage.(Post continues after gallery.)

The results were a win. "I felt better about myself and it definitely gave me a lift," she said.

"I'll definitely be attempting it myself at home in the future, as it was easy to do. Being time poor, it's great that I could do it at home when the kids are in bed rather than wasting quality time doing something else.

"I'm not the kind of person who likes spending hours at the hairdressers."

Bonus? It was a thumbs up on the hair from the family, although her son wasn't quite convinced by the smoky eye makeup. You win some, you lose some.

Lauren

Having experimented with at-home hair dye before, Lauren just wanted one that would cover all the greys properly.

"I was certainly hoping for the greys to be covered, this was much better than that. [Other ones I have tried] it might look OK and I think I've done a good job but I never seem to get all of it and the colour doesn't come out as intense on the grey areas," she said.

Lauren used the same four-step process (Mix, Apply, Rinse, Seal and Style) to apply the Live Salon Permanent in 4-45 Rich Chocolate.

She also learnt a handy trick that solves one of her biggest DIY dye problems.

"I learnt to put the dye on different areas of my hair and leave it for different amounts of times," Lauren told us.

"So I will put it on the grey first for say 10 minutes and then apply to the mid lengths and the ends later, so the areas of grey hair get longer and have more coverage. (Post continues after gallery.)

"Learning that has changed the way I have approached home hair colour in future."

Another styling trick that made her date night look even sweeter? How to make her curly hair look more polished.

"My daughter Florence, three, has curly hair and is already starting to say things like 'I want long straight hair' so I'm really conscious about embracing my hair and wearing it natural although I don't necessarily like wearing it curly as I don't feel as polished," she says.

"The team showed me how to let my hair dry naturally as I normally would and then just do the top layer with a curling wand."

Style and colour came together for a winning final look and the best date night yet.

"I've got so many compliments! My husband said 'Oh my god, it's like the real you'," she said.

"It's only a subtle change in the colour but it's really freshened it up, and I was really surprised at the grey coverage and the intensity of the colour as well. It looks more rich."

It's also a process she can easily integrate into her busy lifestyle and redo at home.

"It's clearly something I can do when the kids have gone to sleep. I can put a colour in, do a 30-minute yoga class on YouTube and then rinse out!"

Just beautiful, we think. What's your best hair tip? Share below.

All images: AnnMarie Calihanna/Mamamia/Schwarzkopf

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner Schwarzkopf.