HELP!! Need advice about blonde root touch-ups!

 

OK, here's a little of my history.  My natural color is dark blonde (been told about a level 6-7), but my current color is a medium to light blonde.  I have a history of highlights and lowlights.  Most recently I attempted to color at home with L'Oreal Les Blondisimess to "blend" my regrowth with my highlights.  I need to maintain my blonde color at home because I'm broke and can't afford salon color any longer.

 

My dilemma is this... the L'Oreal produced an unfortunate yellow/orange cast to my roots and I had to go to my salon and get it "fixed."  She put in some low-lights and highlights in an attempt to blend everything, but I still had an orangey cast to my hair that I didn't like.  She gave me a good 2-inch trim and I condition lots and lots, so my hair is in great condition now.

 

About a week after the salon, I went to Sally's and bought demi-perm. light ash blonde (level 9) and that counteracted the orange pretty well.  Now I have a pretty light blonde color that I'm happy with and want to maintain at home.

 

So, because I want to maintain this color at home, I'll be shopping at Sally's for professional hair color.  I want to avoid bleaching my hair.  I've read that a 30-vol. developer would be about right for what I want to do (lighten 2-3 levels at most). 

 

How do I go about blending my re-growth and my light blonde length?  I'm going to be choosing a blonde (level 8 or 9) in a blue/violet base but I need to know this... do I apply the color to my roots first and just "comb thru" to the ends the last 5-10 minutes, or so?  From what I understand that is how I do it.  Do I do it like this for future root touch-ups as well?  I'm trying to avoid that obvious line where the re-growth has been touched up.

 

Thanks so much in advance.  I know this is long!!  I really appreciate any advice!! 

 

 

So, you don't have a "line" ever??

 

What about for me, since this is the first time I'll be doing this at home with a new brand trying to match my current color.  I probably will have a line, so do you think I should pull a little of the color thru at the very end to match better?  I'm thinking I'll definitley have a line this first time because the new perm. color won't match what I have now exactly, even though I'm gonna try.