Today I dyed my hair "dark brown" and it came out too dark. I don't want to strip or bleach my hair, I just want to make the color fade a little faster. I've read about several ways to do this and I wanted to know if anyone knew the best method or if any of these really work. Here are the suggestions I have found:

1. Wash it with Prell shampoo
2. Wash it with a dandruff shampoo that has tar in it
3. Wash it with shampoo mixed with baking soda
4. Wash it with Dawn dish detergent
5. Wash it with Tide

If anyone can elaborate on these (i.e. tell me how frequently I would have to wash my hair with any of these) or give me other suggestions that would be great. I would especially like to know of any method that is less damaging to my hair.

Thanks.

dear hearyoume,
i just made the same mistake a few days ago- i'm a natural blonde, but i tried to dye my hair auburn. (bad, bad idea.) now i shudder every time i look in the mirror, since it became a crazy, bobo-the-clown orange-red.
obviously, i tried a bunch of hair-dye removal tequniques. the baking-soda-and-shampoo didn't work for me at all, but then again, i didn't leave it on for a very long time. i'm currently trying the old "dish-soap" remedy (here's hoping it works!), and if it helps, i'll post again to let you know.
as for prell shampoo, it's supposed to work really well, but i haven't gotten out to buy some. but it may depend on when you died your hair, since i read everywhere that it comes out easiest in the first 48-72 hours after dying. but don't fear, there are hair-dye-removal kit things at salons if you're willing to go out and buy something.
also, check out this website for the prell tequnique (and a hot oil treatment which is also supposed to work). you'll have to scroll down a bit, but when you get to it (it's in bold letters and says somthing like, "when you've dyed your hair too dark") it gives you specifics that i'm too lazy to type. the site is: www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip1236.htm.
good luck!
~the gingerbread girl~ :)

well, i'm sitting here right now with my head full of dish detergent, wrapped in a towel - i figure maybe it needs to sit for a bit? i had my hair coloured yesterday (supposedly a mid-brown brown; my natural colour is mid-brown & i'd just wanted to freshen things up) and i look completely goth, my hair is nearly jet-black. i'd go back to the salon, but they're too snotty & i know they'd just make me feel like this is what i'd asked for. ANYWAY.
i washed my hair with sunlight (dish detergent) and head 'n shoulders (dandruff shampoo) about 10X last night, conditioned like crazy, left it on overnight.....and TODAY, it looks exactly the same :(((
so now i'm washing it maniacally a few times more with the detergent - if i don't see any improvement, i'm going to go to a beauty supply store to see what they have in terms of a 'color fix' solution. actually i think it IS called 'color fix', haha - does anyone have experience with this???????
i'd go and get highlights put in, but my poor hair needs a break for a few months, anyway....
good luck!!!

If nothing else works, and you want to protect your hair for a few months, maybe a colored mousse a little lighter than what you've got might cover it up for a little while - at least that can always be washed out. I myself use quick and brite (totally environment safe and an enzyme) to wash my hair and it's colored silver blond then I use silver mousse on it after washing. I stays shiny and does not feel like straw. Good Luck.

also, check out this website for the prell tequnique www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip1236.htm

The Prell technique works the best. I've done it twice, so far, and each time I rinsed, the water was black. I thought about using the L'Oreal Color Remover Kit, but I don't want to damage my hair any more than it already is. I definitely recommend Prell.

is it the regular Prell shampoo that works the best? I went to the store and saw 4 or 5 different kinds of Prell shampoo. I really need to get this hair color out! ;)

It says "Original" on it. I found mine at the grocery store (our Target doesn't even carry it, LOL!) Good Luck!

Boy the Prell must be some great stuff. Did you know that the prell dishwashing liquid added to a lot of water and sprayed on your trees and bushes in the garden also keep aphids and other bugs off it? Thumbs up for Prell!

My beautician really screwed me over. I specifically said no red. I thought I was going from blonde to golden brown. I got red (purple lowlights). :( It's been almost 48 hours, however I've gotten rid of some. I've washed with Prell at least 8 times. Hot water, however is doing it. Notice the water color when you rinse with warm water & then with hot. Hot strips the color! Also I've been using hot extra virgin olive oil, then washing with Prell, ALOT! Then deep conditioning, because I think it prevents the color from settleing in the hair cuticle. I'm going to try the tomatoe base next, they say the acid in tomatoes strips the color. P.S. These are for bad brunette dyes not for blondes. Good luck!

If your hair is not colored too much and is in good shape and your not scared try mixing bleach , 20 volume peroxide, and shampoo and work it evenly into your hair but dont scrub but the shampoo will take the harshness out of the bleach and for a quick fix it will lighten hair but you might have to color over it if you get it too light just watch it carefully. I am a hairdresser and when something like that happens that is what is the fastest way to lighten hair but it is hard to tell you what to do because I cant see it. I hope evrything turns out. If you need any more help go ahead and email me and I will try to help in anyway I can. Good luck.

If your hair is not colored too much and is in good shape and your not scared try mixing bleach , 20 volume peroxide, and shampoo and work it evenly into your hair but dont scrub but the shampoo will take the harshness out of the bleach and for a quick fix it will lighten hair but you might have to color over it if you get it too light just watch it carefully. I am a hairdresser and when something like that happens that is what is the fastest way to lighten hair but it is hard to tell you what to do because I cant see it. I hope evrything turns out. If you need any more help go ahead and email me and I will try to help in anyway I can. Good luck.
Glad to have a 'specialist' in this aboard. My exam was in 1969 and I'm sure that there have been a lot of changes and new techniques since then. Please answer the questions put to you on the forum, instead of email, so that we can all benefit from your advice. Enjoy this forum, you'll really are a welcome member!

I dyed my hair dark brown and it came out too black for my taste. I was wondering how much color the Prell would take out? Thanks.

I would normally recommend that people go to a salon to get their hair dyed. However, I know some of you just don't have the time or money to spend, so you color your hair at home. Yes, Prell or dandruff shampoo will assist color fading faster. Take some Prell shampoo and apply it throughout out your hair, leave it on for 45 minutes, then rinse it out with warm water. Use a conditioner after your done rinsing the shampoo out.

Here's another tip: Hot oil treatments will also help to strip chemically applied color.

Chery, I didn't see your question until now. Not the kind of oil you normally use on your skin, it has to be hot oil hair treatments. Hot oil treatments will gradually fade hair dye. However, I wouldn't recommend using it to repair damaged hair. You probably heard that oil treatments restores hair and makes it soft and shiney, but it's not true. Most oils do not have the ability to penetrate into the hair shaft. It lays on top of the cuticle and cause build up. It's best to use deep conditioners on damaged hair, it will repair the cuticles and make the appearance of your hair healthy.

Chery, I didn't see your question until now. Not the kind of oil you normally use on your skin, it has to be hot oil hair treatments. Hot oil treatments will gradually fade hair dye. However, I wouldn't recommend using it to repair damaged hair. You probably heard that oil treatments restores hair and makes it soft and shiney, but it's not true. Most oils do not have the ability to penetrate into the hair shaft. It lays on top of the cuticle and cause build up. It's best to use deep conditioners on damaged hair, it will repair the cuticles and make the appearance of your hair healthy. I never needed any oils for my own hair, I used mayonaise and that worked for me, wrapped in plastic and placed under a red lamp for 20 minutes, then a lot of rinsing, but never hot. If hair gets too hot, it's not good either. Now I let my daughter do my hair, as it's hard for me to lift my arms long enough without pain of arthritis and old age. Too bad I don't get grey hair, no women in my family ever did, but I wish I had it. It's hard to get the right 'silver gray' color I want and it's a pain to retouch it. Thanks again, and you give great advice. Don't stop..

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_9_21.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN) sorry it took so long to respond, had the flu over the weekend.

Chery, thank you for those kind words. I also think you give great advice, your comments are very helpful to me and others. I must say that everyone here has been doing an outstanding job as well. It's good to see that all of you are using your knowledge to help people. It doesn't matter how old you are, or where you come from, your advice makes a difference here. ;)

i've just had my hair stripped of its prievious colour and dyed bright orange--huge disarster-- i went back and had it toned down by dying over it, it was ok but i just got back from vacation and the sun and pool have spripped the colour back to a dull urban. i hate it, but i can't afford to change it yet again- (the last effort cost $300) i'm going back in a mouth but i can't stand it atm. i want to dye it blond but i don't know how to get the current colour out, i thought about bleaching it but last time it went orange- but then i had blue black in it- will it be ok this time givern that its had most of the preivious colour stripped resently? i'v read that if it does go orangy after bleaching that u can use a ash based hair dye that it nuetralises the orange? is this true?

Hello,TamaraInkk, I will answer your question before I go out tonight. When you add bleach to your hair it will change your hair color in stages. First it will change from black to red, and then lighten gradually from red to orange, orange to yellow, and finally from yellow to white. When your hair is very dark and you want to dye it blonde, it will most likely turn orange. The hair would have to be bleached to remove the dark color. Changing your hair color can be a difficult process. I don't think you should do this on your own. I recommend that you see a hairstylist.

Some hairstylists will get confuse when toning down hair colors. Let your hairstylist know that they need to use a violet base color to neutralize the orange in your hair. To tone down the red, they have to use ash/green based color. Good luck, hun.

You need to by a toner and it will lighten the hair. You can but it at any hair place and it doesn't cost alot. Hope that helps

Toners are very weak and they will only work on very light hair. If your hair isn't light enough not much will happen. TamaraInkk hair has to be bleached if she wants her hair blonde. It's best that she goes to a hairstylist to have it done, I've given her some advice on how to tone down unwanted shades, she can pass it on to her hairstylist.

all of your advice is very helpful. I dyed my hair dark brown a little over two months ago. it's still black. how long do i have to wait before it's "safe" to try a lightening kit? loreal has a kit that lightens hair but it says right on it that you shouldn't use it on dyed dark brown or black hair. I didn't know if there was a time afterwards that I could use it without totally ruining my hair, please help

Hello,TamaraInkk, I will answer your question before I go out tonight. When you add bleach to your hair it will change your hair color in stages. First it will change from black to red, and then lighten gradually from red to orange, orange to yellow, and finally from yellow to white. When your hair is very dark and you want to dye it blonde, it will most likely turn orange. The hair would have to be bleached to remove the dark color. Changing your hair color can be a difficult process. I don't think you should do this on your own. I recommend that you see a hairstylist.

Some hairstylists will get confuse when toning down hair colors. Let your hairstylist know that they need to use a violet base color to neutralize the orange in your hair. To tone down the red, they have to use ash/green based color. Good luck, hun.

Dear Pretty... you really know and care about the outcome of some of the vast expectations of several dark-haired women who want to become blondes overnight. This is not possible unless they go to professionals, and you've been trying so kindly to explain this. I hope this sinks in to most. Also, someone stated that they were in the sun and in the pool - what most un-natural blondes forget, that the pools with clorine in them will give their hair a shade of green - which is not fun. The sun is a natural bleecher, and also dries out the hair if not treated with the appropriate products to prevent this. I just love the way you try to explain and wish you were here to help me with mine.
LADIES - THIS GIRL KNOWS WHAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT - LISTEN UP...

all of your advice is very helpful. I dyed my hair dark brown a little over two months ago. it's still black. how long do i have to wait before it's "safe" to try a lightening kit? loreal has a kit that lightens hair but it says right on it that you shouldn't use it on dyed dark brown or black hair. I didn't know if there was a time afterwards that I could use it without totally ruining my hair, please help

Hello, bellabrunetta37. Remember that "Color does not lift color." When putting a brown color on very dark hair, it will do nothing. To lighten the hair one to two levels and add a color, you will have to use 20-volume peroxide.

Most women color their hair every 4 to 6 weeks. But it really depends on the porosity of your hair. If your hair is not damaged and is in good porosity, then it's okay to color it. Don't put the lightening kit on your hair, it's going to ruin it. Please consider letting your hairstylist color your hair. When the hairstylist colors your hair you can ask them questions and how to maintain the color on your own, it will save you money this way.


Dear Pretty... you really know and care about the outcome of some of the vast expectations of several dark-haired women who want to become blondes overnight. This is not possible unless they go to professionals, and you've been trying so kindly to explain this. I hope this sinks in to most. Also, someone stated that they were in the sun and in the pool - what most un-natural blondes forget, that the pools with clorine in them will give their hair a shade of green - which is not fun. The sun is a natural bleecher, and also dries out the hair if not treated with the appropriate products to prevent this. I just love the way you try to explain and wish you were here to help me with mine.
LADIES - THIS GIRL KNOWS WHAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT - LISTEN UP...


Thank you Chery and BellBrunetta37. I came to this board to offer my help and I'm glad to see that my beauty advice is useful to people.

I just wanted to pass on the help I received when I recently dyed my hair too dark. I have dark brown hair and chose a dark brown permanent hair color kit from the drugstore to cover the greys. My hair turned out almost black--I looked Goth. I've since learned that I was supposed to have used the medium brown hair color.

I tried shampooing a million times with Prell and really hot water....nothing worked. I went to Sally Beauty to see about getting a color deposit formula, and two very nice ladies working there told me that my best bet was to use original formula Dawn dishwashing liquid.

I didn't believe them at all. But I tried it and it totally worked! It had even been a few days since I had dyed my hair, and they said it wouldn't matter.

They told me to shampoo with the Dawn, leave it in about 5 minutes, and then rinse it out. I shampooed two more times after that just to be sure. You could see the dark water at the bottom of the shower from the hair dye rinsing out. Make sure you condition well because it does leave your hair pretty dry.

The color is still a teeny bit too dark, but at least I'm not embarrassed to go out in public again! :)

Hope this helps you like it did me!

I don't recommend using just Dawn detergent on your hair to fade the color, the chemicals in it will ruin your hair. Add a few drops of dish detergent to your shampoo before you use it on your hair. The detergent will dry out your hair like crazy. After you use a mixture of shampoo and liquid dish detergent to lift the color. Please apply a deep conditioning treatment on your hair for 15 to 20 minutes and use a plastic cap to protect your hair. The deep conditioning treatment will restore moisture balance to dry or damaged hair.

Pretty - got that 'spread it' message again.
Girls, this lady knows what she's talking about, and her advice is, in my opinion, the best you can get - and it's FREE.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_32_11.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN)Too bad there is no 'donation slot' in the PCs and Internet. But people should at least rate you for your great advice!

I saw the postings about using 20 developer and shampoo to help lighten hair. could you tell me how often I can do this and when I do apply should I let it sit on my hair.
Thanks

I would like to know how often I can use the 20 developer along with shampoo to help remove the hair dye?? And howlong should it sit on my hair if any??
Also second question:: I seem to have some spots on my scalp they look just like a sunburn would on skin it does get itchy and I have been using a special oil that if for babies cradle cap to help with it but if I itch it then just like a sunburn it peels off and then I am left with dandruff looking things in my hair. is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening or fix this?? I do colour my hair but usually only every 8 weeks. I did my last colour at the start of december. and I really want to get my hair back to my natural colour which is blonde. I have been colouring it brown for the last year.
Thanks so much this site rocks.

Sassy, it appears that you have an unhealthy scalp, it might be seborrheic dermatitis. If the symptoms are scalp irritation, scales on the scalp or red patches you need to see a dermatologist for evaluation and treatment. I advise you not to put any peroxide or dye in your hair until your scalp has healed.

If your hair is brown and you want to be blonde, the 20 volume developer isn't strong enough to lighten your hair to blonde. You may need to use a 30 volume peroxide to strip the brown color from the hair, then a toner has to be applied. It's important to wait until your scalp is healthy before dyeing your hair. When your scalp is healed, please do not attempt to dye your hair on your own, it's best to let your hairstylist do it for you.

Chery, I hope she follows the advice and see a dermatologist. If she puts a hair dye or peroxide on her head. She will have an abnormal reaction such as redness, itching, burning, or other signs of irritation. You should never use a hair color if your scalp shows any evidence of abrasion, eruption or other abnormal condition. It's best to make sure that the scalp is healthy before applying hair dyes or other chemicals to the hair.

I have made an appointment finally to see the dr. but I did read online that putting apple cider videgar would help heal any irritations on the scalp and what do you know it seems to be working. I have not been itching at all nor do I have redness.I am not doing the peroxide treatments for some time and I already use salon dye I don't even bother with the stuff they sell in the store.
Thanks so much for your help:)

I just colored my dark brown hair a natural black color and i think it is way too dark. I called my grandma who is a former hairstylist. She recommended that I wash my hair with liquid clothes soap, towel dry and repeat a few times then put on a conditoner and leave on for about 1/2 hour. Good luck and may i suggest temporary hair color as opposed to permenant!

Sassy, your welcome. I'm so glad that you've made an appointment to see your dermatologist. It's very important that the scalp is in healthy condition before using hair dyes. The use of hair dyes can trigger dermatitis with symptoms ranging from mild itchiness to even hair loss. If you have any abrasions on your scalp, please wait until they are healed.

Courtney, someone has mentioned using dish detergent on their hair to fade the color. I've recommended that they not use just dish detergent on their hair. I had to tell them to add a few drops of dish detergent to their shampoo before using it on the hair, then apply a deep conditioning treatment for at least 20 minutes. Using dish or clothes detergents will leave the hair in poor porosity. I don't want to see people ruining their hair or loose it, that's why I advise people to see a professional hairstylist. The hairstylist will diffuse the unwanted color and apply a corrective hair color.

Sometimes it is necessary to remove all color from the hair in order to achieve the correct color. Dye removers are not generally sold for use by unprofessionals because the process is too complex for the untrained. Therefore, color removing is a professional service done by hairstylists. Color removers may contain ingredients designed to diffuse pigment, both natural and artificial, and are sometimes mixed with hydrogen peroxide. Ladies, it's best not to attempt to dye your hair on your own, you will most likely end up with different shades and it will be harder to correct the color. I suggest that you schedule an appointment with your hairstylist to color your hair, they will make sure that the hair is one even shade, and they also will give you tips on how to maintain your color.

I went to a salon and asked for a warm brown with a slight red tint. I got dark brown on my ends and copper penny colored on my scalp. To fix it, i dyed it all dark brown. But I'm almost in tears because you can still see some red through it and its so dark brown. If I use that prell shampoo will it only remove the brown and leave the copper color or will it remove both shades gradually?

I'm soo upset right now :(

Sorry to hear that you didn't get the color wanted at the salon. Sometimes, getting the exact color can be tricky. The hairstylist that did your hair didn't choose the right color. You should have gone back to the salon and have them fix it, most salons will re-do the client's hair if they're not happy with it. However, you've decided add another color to your hair and the salon you've went to will not fix it for free since you did it on your own. Unfortunately, Prell will not remove the dark color or the red in your hair, it will fade the color slightly. Your hair is level 3 dark brown, but since you want it lighter, you will need to go to level 5. Level 5 is "Light Brown" and it will lift your color about a shade or 2. But you've also mentioned that you have red tones in your hair. The ash colors gets rid of the red tones on the hair. So the color you will need to use is "Light Ash Brown." When you apply the color make sure that it's distributed evenly throughout the hair, and leave it in a little longer than the usual time. Hun, next time have a hairstylist do it for you.

Hey there

I recently dyed my hair tips red. BRIGHT red. I made the mistake of bleeching my hair before I did it (I have dark brown, bleeched the tips blond) and dyeing the tips red. I was hopeing for a dark red, but got a "coke can" type color. Now as it is fading (We dyed it this past Saturday) it is turning orange. I would like to get it back to just the bleeched tips by Monday (if possible at this point). Is there anything I can do?

I liked the blond tips, but this orange is killing me! It just isnt my color. hehe :D

Teaghue, the ends of your hair was overprocessed. When your trying to achieve a red color you should never bleach your hair above the orange stage. Remember that red fades faster than any other colors, and it will most likely turn orange. It's best to choose a red color with a touch of brown in it because it will penetrate the hair shaft better. But if you want to go from orange to blonde, then you will need to bleach the hair. You must also make sure that the porosity of your hair is in good condition before you lighten it. If your hair is healthy, apply a 20 volume peroxide, leave it on for about 5 minutes, then rinse it off and dry your hair. Next, apply a neutral blonde toner and the tips of your hair will be blonde again.

I've noticed that a lot of you ladies have been coming to me for help on how to correct your hair color. I understand that some you don't have the money to go see a hairstylist. Since I'm also a Cosmetologist, I will try my best to help you. But if I feel that your hair is in bad porosity, I will have to refer you to a hairstylist. However, I will give you information that you can take to your hairstylist. Ladies, feel free to ask me any questions, I'll happy to answer them on the board.

Hey, thanks for the advice. I forgot to mention that this is only semi-perminent. It is fadeing, but I want to gone faster if possible. I can see some blond through the orange so I am assuming that it will all fade to blond over time, correct?

^_^ Thank you so much for your help. You are a life saver. Btw, im a guy. lol.

Teaghue, if you have used a semi-permanent color in your hair, the color will last within 2 to 6 weeks. A semi-permanent color is suppose fade after 6 shampoos, but it does not rinse completely out of bleached or light hair. Your hair will fade if you shampoo it a lot. I didn't know that you were a guy, it's great to see that guys are also coming to me for hair advice. Guys like to get highlights in their hair, they prefer blue, red or blonde highlights. My brother is in an alternative rock band, so he asked me to do red highlights in his hair. After I came home from work, I went to see him to do his hair, and all his friends were there. He told me that his friends think that I'm hot looking and they like to go over his place whenever I'm there. Now his friends call me to cut their hair all the time. I don't think you will have another hair disaster, post #37 has all the answers you need. It's good to hear that I'm a life saver, if you have any more questions, post it on the board and I'll be glad to answer them.

Hey, thanks for the advice. I forgot to mention that this is only semi-perminent. It is fadeing, but I want to gone faster if possible. I can see some blond through the orange so I am assuming that it will all fade to blond over time, correct?

^_^ Thank you so much for your help. You are a life saver. Btw, im a guy. lol.
If pretty's advice is not fast enough for you, there is a wax that is in a can and it's especially for blonds, it puts a golden blond highlite on, so try that on the tips on Saturday if nothing else worked. Good luck.

Today I dyed my hair "dark brown" and it came out too dark. I don't want to strip or bleach my hair, I just want to make the color fade a little faster. I've read about several ways to do this and I wanted to know if anyone knew the best method or if any of these really work. Here are the suggestions I have found:

1. Wash it with Prell shampoo
2. Wash it with a dandruff shampoo that has tar in it
3. Wash it with shampoo mixed with baking soda
4. Wash it with Dawn dish detergent
5. Wash it with Tide

If anyone can elaborate on these (i.e. tell me how frequently I would have to wash my hair with any of these) or give me other suggestions that would be great. I would especially like to know of any method that is less damaging to my hair.

Thanks.














i just put small black streaks in my hair but i washed my hair right after i dyed it which i wasnt supposed to.. and now i have nothing but black on the top of my head and brown underneath i look goth! i want to fade it alittle and i just bought some prell shampoo it says original on it.. is that the right stuff?:confused:

BabiiGrrl, remember that black or brown dyes are the hardest to fade. Using Prell or a dandruff shampoo will slightly fade the color. If your shade is too dark, use a few drops of Dawn liquid detergent with the Prell shampoo you've bought. You will need to shampoo your hair several times, the more you shampoo, the faster color will fade. The hair will feel dry afterward, so be sure to use a deep conditioning treatment for 15 to 20 minutes. If the color doesn't fade, I recommend that you go to a salon to have the color corrected.

I've read a few of the postings on this site & they've been helpful! I recently colored my hair, using a medium brown color & my hair turned Black!! I too have the Goth look! YUCK!! I am wanting to try the Dawn Dishwashing liquid process on my hair, but I've got a question. I have a friend who does people's hair in her home & she suggested I add some highlights to my hair. So, she did...they're blond highlights, which don't look very good against my black. My husband and 2 kids, tell me it doesn't look that bad, but I hate it!!!! Doubt that I'll ever let her do my hair again!!! Anyway... my question is, What will the "Dawn" process do to my blond highlights that are mixed in with my black hair?? Will the process help fade them as well?? Thanks for your help!!

ok heres one for ya. a new policy came up at work. hair must be one solid normal color...mine is purple blue and turquoise. so yeah, i plan on just bleaching the whole thing blonde and toning it to a platinum which hasn't been a problem in the past after making it all colorful but the color in my hair hasn't faded out enough that the bleach will take it all out completely and i only have this week to fix my hair. its only semi-permanent color but still how can i get it to fade out most of the way really quick? does prell and all that other stuff work on semi color as well? please help if anyone has any advice, i don't wish to lose many more days of work over my hair.

note:dying it darker is not an option. i'm just one of those people that dark hair looks horrid on.

Mom2607, using Dawn liquid detergent, dandruff shampoos or an intense hot oil treatment with heat will fade the hair "slightly". If you have black hair with blonde highlights and you use Dawn, you will still have blonde highlights, but it will be a little faded. I'm sorry to hear about your hair problem, you should consider letting a hairstylist to fix your hair. Good luck.

Deadeyes-star, semi permanent colors will gradually fade away. The color lasts up to 4-6 shampoos because it contains no ammonia and does not have a developer. The more frequent you wash the quicker it will fade away. Yes, you can use the Prell on your hair, you can also try the other products that I've mentioned above.

Hi, I've been reading the advice on this board and it all seems really helpful but I'm not sure if it will help me with my particular situation.

I have naturally light brown hair but dyed it black with a semi-permanent colour. That was back in July. I then dyed over it after it was slightly faded with a dark brown. That was in August. I now have stripes of black and copper mixed unattractively with the light hair that is showing through at the roots and the tips. It is a complete disaster.

My friends told me you can have the colour stripped from you hair at a salon. I was wondering if any of you have tried it and if you recommend it. If not, what do you suggest?

Timea, semi permanent dye can last a long time, depending on your hair type. It doesn't wash out of the hair completely. Also, dark hair colors are hard to fade because the pigments in the dye are strong. I understand that most of you can't afford to have your hair color corrected at the salon. So since I'm in the beauty field, I will do my best to give you answers. There's a product by Loreal name Loreal Color Zap and Color fix by Jheri Redding, it washes away unwanted color and leaves the hair ready for re-coloring. But if it doesn't work on your hair, you may need to have the color stripped professionally. I'm glad you find the advice useful.

Was looking forward to splurging at the salon to have my hair colored last night, spent $300 to look like a witch! I've been using same stylist for 8 years. I explained thoroughly what I wanted and we even reviewed pictures, samples of medium auburn with light highlights, we agreed on pictures of auburns that were "too dark and some that were "too red" so I felt confident she knew exactly what I wanted, I even said "I trust you", Three hours later I'm walking out of the salon horrified:eek: but didn't want to hurt her feelings. It's so dark of an auburn that it looks black from a distance, I look like I'm wearing a bad wig with pale skin! I went home immediately and shampooed my hair twice! There's NO difference, I'm already turning down offers to socialize and it's been less than 12 hours since I've had my hair colored. I was seriously thinking about floating in the jacuzzi today, thinking combo of the sun and warm chlorine water would fade the color but after reading info on this site, may not be so healthy for the hair, and GREEN would be a worse color than I have now:( Now I'm considering changing my skin color to match my hair. I'll go to the tanning salon for a little tanning bed and spray-on tan combo. If anyone has any better ideas, would love to hear them.

P.S. Going to a professional stylist go me into this mess, sometimes I think it's better to buy a box of clairol and do it myself, at least it would've cost less for the same result.

Was looking forward to splurging at the salon to have my hair colored last night, spent $300 to look like a witch! I've been using same stylist for 8 years. I explained thoroughly what I wanted and we even reviewed pictures, samples of medium auburn with light highlights, we agreed on pictures of auburns that were "too dark and some that were "too red" so I felt confident she knew exactly what I wanted, I even said "I trust you", Three hours later I'm walking out of the salon horrified:eek: but didn't want to hurt her feelings. It's so dark of an auburn that it looks black from a distance, I look like I'm wearing a bad wig with pale skin! I went home immediately and shampooed my hair twice! There's NO difference, I'm already turning down offers to socialize and it's been less than 12 hours since I've had my hair colored. I was seriously thinking about floating in the jacuzzi today, thinking combo of the sun and warm chlorine water would fade the color but after reading info on this site, may not be so healthy for the hair, and GREEN would be a worse color than I have now:( Now I'm considering changing my skin color to match my hair. I'll go to the tanning salon for a little tanning bed and spray-on tan combo. If anyone has any better ideas, would love to hear them.Dear, Pretty will probably tell you the same thing, you SHOULD NOT have left the salon unsatisfied - and I'm sure if anyone can advise you on what to do now, she can. You should have told them that they messed up instead of sparing someone's feelings - and you are suffering for it now. Especially when it's your hard earned money, the I'm sure that they would have given you a certificate to come back or fix it on the spot. They would do the same if the table were turned around and you did something wrong.
Sorry about your dilema and hope that it does not take too long for you to get your normal life back.


http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_22_18.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN)
Good luck, and keep us posted.

Chery is right. Salonregret, you should have said something to the manager of the salon if you weren't satisfied with the color. You didn't get what you paid for, therefore, they have to re-do your hair. Do not put chlorine or the box of Clairol on your hair, it will only make matter worse. Go back to the salon and have them fix your hair.

Ok well...I heard that Prell shampoo works well. See...I experiment with my hair often. My hairstylist, Carlos, and me decided I could go a shade and a half brighter in my red because it was fading fast. I was scared to do the whole head so I higlighted it... and because of that, I did no dye my eyebrows. Well its much more red then my natural dark brown and my eyebrows are REALLY annoying me. My boyfriends mom told me its very unhealthy to dye your eyebrows anyway. I do like the color, its gorgeous, but its just not me. I would liek it to fade a bit..I dyed it yesterday morning and today I washed it with dandruff shampoo but I see no diffrence. Tommorw I'm going to make a trip to Walgreens for Prell because it's 3 bucks so it's very eay on the wallet and I really don't see how it's nto worth a try. I just want to tone down the color a bit, forget beiong seen in school,I have senior portraits a week from tommorow!!! My problemo is this

If I have a scrub down with prell, will my hair end up orange:eek: ?

Well, it's been 6 weeks since the disastrous dark hair color, it's finally faded into the warm auburn I'd hoped for when I first had my hair colored , however..............Now that it's at just the right color, my gray is coming in at the temples. Time to color again! Has anyone tried the new hair color product that promises to match your roots to your current haircolor? It's supposedly a product to buy you time before you go back to the salon for professional hair coloring.

Hi All:

I recently had my hair hilited by someone totally different (for a change). Beautiful base colour, but my blonde hilites are very ashy. I went to my regular hairdresser today and fessed up, she told me she couldn't help me out by adding more or making darker the ones that already existed, but to wash my hair with Sunlight dish soap. Really?? So ... has anyone tried this?? Keep in mind my hilites are blonde (an ashy blonde) my under or base colour is like a light brown (a tad of a caramel tone to it). I hate the ashy tone - makes me look grey, and I feel frumpy. I can't believe she wouldn't fix it for me, though I guess in the long run she is doing me a favour. Guess I'll try the Sunlight, just wondering if anyone has tried it on blondish hair with success. Thanks!!

You can try the Sunlight dish soap to see if it works. But if it doesn't fade your hair color, then try using Prell or a dandruff shampoo and hot water. These products are known to strip hair dyes slightly. Heat also helps to fade hair dyes from the hair faster than cold water. Good luck.

Thanks PrettynPetite1 ... I couldn't stand looking at myself anymore with the "ashy" hue to my hair so went to a salon in the local mall. After several attempts at adding a 'toner' - something light blonde I think he said, then finally painting on another colour straight from the tube, I have no hilites left and a golden brownish colour. Don't like it .... I'm used to being blonde, and I have no hilites left. However, I guess it's better than the green/ashy tone. Hard to get used to though. So ... I did use Sunlight Dish soap on it this morning when I washed it - nothing came out. Am really afraid of going green again. I live in Ontario, Canada ... we don't have "Prell" shampoo here. Guess I'll just hope it washes out / tones down over time. Any idea how soon I could get some blonde hilites into this????? Thanks SO much.

Frequent shampooing will fade hair dyes faster. You can also try using hot oil hair treatments, or you can use a clarifying shampoo to fade your hair color. Washing your hair will dry out, so make sure you use conditioner. When you're ready to add highlights, don't go too light or too dark with the highlights. Highlights should look natural.

Thanks PrettynPetite1 ... I am seeing the colour "fading" gradually, and the hilites are coming back through somewhat - hope the "green" stays behind though. I did call the stylist that fixed me up, he said, like you ... anytime I'm ready to come in for hilites though he doesn't want me to go too light. I'm just having a hard time getting used to not having the blonde hilites.

You know, I really would love to find a great stylist who knows what would look good on ME, knows their colours, can recommend / suggest what would look good, and a stylist who gets to the root when using foils. I hate paying $140 for foils only to get home and see a good quarter of an inch of root already!!!!!!!

I find it hard to express my concern without sounding *****y. My last stylist, who I have gone to for years, and am very comfortable with, and can say stuff like "make sure you hit the root" has lost my business now. She refused to help me when my hilites were ashy/green, so I guess it's time to search out someone new. The guy who fixed me up was okay, not fussy on the colour I have now though, but at least he was willing to try, and was very confident he could do it. If only nature blessed us with exactly what we want!!!

Thanks again!!!!

I'm glad to help, Hun. If you're not sure about a hairstylist, do some research. There are lots of salons out there with different stylists and different levels of experience. You can get a consultation. These are usually free as long as the stylist doesn't do anything to your hair. This will allow you to get a feel for the stylist's personality, knowledge and capabilities. Good luck.

I am a hair dresser and can honestly say that the product you are looking for is called molases made by abba it is an intense clarifier and used daily will drastically reduce your color. Also washing with the hottest water helps to fade color.

Thanks Again PrettynPetite1 ... well, this hair has gone "green" too - well, a tinge of it. So ... I trotted off to my former stylist, and asked her if NOW she could do something with it. She said "yes, now that he has covererd it over for me". So, tomorrow I go at 12:30 .. her plan is to go an all over colour, darker than it is now, with blonde hilites - not thin ones, but larger ones. She feels that if they are larger (chunkier as she put it) it will cover better against the darker colour. You know, I trust her - she's done my hair for many years, but when she told me she wouldn't fix it, I was miffed. So not so sure now.

She says for sure she can get rid of the greenish cast... but is there a polite way of asking her to get as close to the root as possible with the hilites (I've often left there with definite quarter inch gaps, and been reluctant to go back).

One more question - if colour "fades" over time ... won't the "Greenish / ashy hue" fade as well???

I'm thinking of getting her to just put lighter hilites in what I have now - but then again, I guess it won't cover this green. Gosh, can you EVER get rid of the green????

Tks!!! Keep your fingers crossed it works this time - I'm cleaning out my bank account trying to fix this.

Hi everyone,
I've been dyeing my hair for some time now, and while I loved the color when I would first dye it, it faded way too fast. So I decided to go with a different brand, same color.. so I thought. It came out black!! Should have been light to medium brown. So I searched online and came across this forum. I went out and got some Dawn, and used my boyfriend's dandruff shampoo, and washed my hair quite a few times, and it actually worked! Now I love the color. So just remember to condition after you shampoo!! So thanks everyone!!!

You're welcome, cazgirl. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that your highlights will come out the way you want it.

Thanks Again PrettynPetite1 ... well, this hair has gone "green" too - well, a tinge of it. So ... I trotted off to my former stylist, and asked her if NOW she could do something with it. She said "yes, now that he has covererd it over for me". So, tomorrow I go at 12:30 .. her plan is to go an all over colour, darker than it is now, with blonde hilites - not thin ones, but larger ones. She feels that if they are larger (chunkier as she put it) it will cover better against the darker colour. You know, I trust her - she's done my hair for many years, but when she told me she wouldn't fix it, I was miffed. So not so sure now.

She says for sure she can get rid of the greenish cast... but is there a polite way of asking her to get as close to the root as possible with the hilites (I've often left there with definite quarter inch gaps, and been reluctant to go back).

One more question - if colour "fades" over time ... won't the "Greenish / ashy hue" fade as well???

I'm thinking of getting her to just put lighter hilites in what I have now - but then again, I guess it won't cover this green. Gosh, can you EVER get rid of the green????

Tks!!! Keep your fingers crossed it works this time - I'm cleaning out my bank account trying to fix this.

Hi, cazgirl, I sure hope that all of you girls remember that it's summer time, and time to go to the swimming pool. Well, when you go into a chlorine-filled pool with bleached hair, you'll probably wind up wondering why your hair turns green. Unfortunately, it does, and we sometimes forget this. The chemicals in swimming pools can do strange things to your body, so be just as selective about your pools as you are about your hairstylists. Tell your hairstylist about your sport and swimming habits to help him/her advise you best on what to do for your hair in the summer. I've been told that applying hair-wax before swimming protects the hair a little. There should also be some new improved products from California beach-scenes that will help.

Good luck and have a great weekend, and a super summer!

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_9_16.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN)P.S. Hey pretty.. - keep up the great job!

Thanks Tons Pretty and Chery ... I think it's great that there is a place to go about our beauty woes, AND that there are professionals out there who will answer us!!

Thanks so much!!! Oh ... my hair is much better, but depending on the shampoo I use, I can still see that darn "ashy hue" and the occasional green too!!! Guess cutting it is the only solution.

Am on the hunt to find an awesome hairstylist who will work with me to achieve the look I want. Any suggestions (I'm from the Toronto Ontario area)

Thanks again!!!

Caz, I know you're still hesitant about letting another hairstylist fix your hair after what you've been through. But there are a lot of good hairstylists out there that will be able to correct the problem for you. The best way to locate a trusted new hair stylist is to ask for referrals. Ask friends and family for references of stylists that they trust and recommend. Also, check the Yellow Pages and phone directories to see if a stylist with the specialty you need has a listed advertisement. Good luck.

Chery is right. Prevention is the always the best medicine for hair problems. Chemically created blondes tend to have hair that may be more porous and allow chemicals to soak in easier. Heavy metals, such as copper, found in pool water are the culprits in turning light colored hair greenish. Since the outer hair shaft may be open and damaged from exposure to chlorine, this allows the heavy metals to get into the hair shaft and turn hair green. Ladies, once you get out of the pool, rinse your hair with club soda, it will prevent your hair from turning green. Or, you can use clarifying shampoos to get rid of the greenish hue.

hi how do you apply the dawn and dandruff shampoo?
do you mix it?
i dyed my hair "dark brown" and it came out like black.
i want it to be like light-medium brown.
what can i do?

Blueeyeshottie14, use a clarifying shampoo, it will help fade your hair faster. Keep in mind that artificial hair color will fade quicker the more you shampoo.

Hi all,

I have the same prob as many other posters, tried to die my naturally fair hair to brown. But it's jet black. I hate it so much, am so used to being blonde I can't stand it.

But I live in Ireland and have never heard of any of these brands of shampoo that have been suggested, or the dishwashing stuff. Please please help I can't buy any of these things here and I absolutely HAVE to get rid of this colour!!!:( :( :( :( :( :(

Hi all,

I have the same prob as many other posters, tried to die my naturally fair hair to brown. But it's jet black. I hate it so much, am so used to being blonde I can't stand it.

But I live in Ireland and have never heard of any of these brands of shampoo that have been suggested, or the dishwashing stuff. Please please help I can't buy any of these things here and I absolutely HAVE to get rid of this colour!!!:( :( :( :( :( :(

Irishgirl2006, the only way you're going to get your natural blonde hair back is to grow your hair out. However, you can also do a double process, it's when the hair is lighten with bleach and then a toner is applied to give you your desired color. This process should be done by a licensed hairstylist. But if you want to fade your color slightly and can't find the products that were discussed on this thread, shampooing with a regular shampoo and exposure to water will gradually fade hair dye.

I have a question... I've been dying my hair Dark red for about 2 years straight. I've been trying to go back to my original hair color which is blondish... I'm just too impatient to wait for it to grow out. It's faded quite a bit so far, but it's still not light enough! What can I do to speed up this process? I am not interested in bleaching or hair stripping because my hair will most likely fall out, or be damaged until it grows out. -_- Any home remedies? Will Prell work?

Red hair dyes fade fast but doesn't mean that your hair will fade back to blonde. If you've used permanent hair colors, the chemical is still in your hair and it won't wash out. Red hair is difficult to change to a blonde shade. Do not do it yourself. I recommend that you have it done professionally. Your hair may not require bleaching. The hairstylist will determine what level your current color is. Then she/he will use a higher volume peroxide developer with an ash base blonde color to remove the red and match your original hair color.

I recently dyed my hair dark brown and turned out black almost! My natural colour is dark dark brown *almost black*, but i was not used to it since i always had my hair dyed light. My complexion is meditteranean so it looked ok but yikes it was inky darkkkk black. SO, this is what i did to make it fade. I washed my hair everyday with a clarifying shampoo and an anti-dandruff shampoo. Before i even got into the shower though to wash my hair I used VO5 Hot Oil treatment, but did NOT warm it up, i used it cold *best way to use it if you want to fade your color* So i did this everyday for 4 days, and it actually started to fade, my color is a nice rich brown. It'll eventually fade away more though becuase i dyed it with a non-permanent dye. SOO, hope this helps anyone out there who had the same prob. as me. xo

OK. So on Saturday afternoon I dyed my hair a light/medium brown with highlights and of course my boyfriend told me they looked orangy. So me being the genius that I am dyed it dark brown. It came out so awful it was black and dark brown in some spots. I went to the hair salon and she dyed it one color.. dark brown with little light blonde highlights in it. I hate that you cant see the highlights and that the dark brown is way to dark for my pale face. What I want to know is, I got it done last night, if I use dandruff shampoo and put hot oil in my hair will it help fade the dark brown? Please let me know thank you

I've answered your question on this thread.

http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/beauty-skin-care/too-dark-color-30163.html

Thank you so much for all the helpful advice on this forum! I have light auburn/red hair. I like my shade but thought it'd be fun to spice things up a bit. I used Herbal Essences' Bold n' Brilliant Color in Deep Red. I left the color on for 35 min. instead of 25, since the instructions said this could be done to achieve a more intense color. Intense would be an understatement. It's now blood red. I've seen a lot of posts about brown and blonde hair but didn't see many on red. Which products would be best to just bring the color down a few notches, but do so quickly as I can't wait six weeks for this color to fade?? Again, thanks!

What is the best way to lighten an at home hair color the color is good it is just to dark

I just had my hair done at the salon. It was supposed to be red/orange Level "7.7" (almost 8, but not quite). It's pretty brilliant red in the sun (which I wanted) but still more of a darker auburn than I'd like. I can *almost* deal but would like it a bit lighter--or perhaps more accurately, brighter.

I know the smart thing is to have the salon do it, but I've had this woman strip color before, and I refuse to do it again. Will one of the hot oil/clarifying combinations give me what I need? And does it matter that the roots were perm and the ends demi? The ends are actually more of what's bothering me. Hope this makes sense. Thanks for your help!

does prell really help fade away darkened hair? and if it does is it that much of a change?!

Thank you so much for all the helpful advice on this forum! I have light auburn/red hair. I like my shade but thought it'd be fun to spice things up a bit. I used Herbal Essences' Bold n' Brilliant Color in Deep Red. I left the color on for 35 min. instead of 25, since the instructions said this could be done to achieve a more intense color. Intense would be an understatement. It's now blood red. I've seen a lot of posts about brown and blonde hair but didn't see many on red. Which products would be best to just bring the color down a few notches, but do so quickly as I can't wait six weeks for this color to fade?? Again, thanks!

Keep in mind that red hair color fades faster than any other color. You could wash your hair with Prell and hot water to help fade the color. If the color doesn't fade fast enough, use a clarifying shampoos to speed to the fading process.

What is the best way to lighten an at home hair color the color is good it is just to dark

Cherity, how many shades lighter do you want to go? To go two shades lighter, it may require a product with bleach or other lifting components. If you want to take your color more than two shades lighter, you will need to do a double process which involves bleaching the hair and then applying a toner to add the desired color.

I just had my hair done at the salon. It was supposed to be red/orange Level "7.7" (almost 8, but not quite). It's pretty brilliant red in the sun (which I wanted) but still more of a darker auburn than I'd like. I can *almost* deal but would like it a bit lighter--or perhaps more accurately, brighter.

I know the smart thing is to have the salon do it, but I've had this woman strip color before, and I refuse to do it again. Will one of the hot oil/clarifying combinations give me what I need? And does it matter that the roots were perm and the ends demi? The ends are actually more of what's bothering me. Hope this makes sense. Thanks for your help!

As you know, red hair color fades faster than any other color. And sometimes red hair will turn orange with frequent shampooing. You can use a clarifying shampoo to help fade the color, but don't use it too long.

Hey there...

I am from Australia and am having a similar problem to the previous posts, but have no idea what prill and dawn are!! I dyed my hair tonight and its gone far darker than it should have.

I dyed my blonde hair with a dark copper blonde permanent dye and it turned out a medium brown...How do I fade it? Can you give me some hints as to what the products suggested are so that I can find them here. Color correction is just wayyyy out of my price range!

THANKS :confused:

HEY!

My hair is naturally light brown, but i died it red at a salon professionally, it came out a purplish red, magentaish, and i know it fades to a lighter, softer red as a few months pass....

BUT

I HATE the color. YES i died it this way before, but i didn't have a choice, he had mixed the formula already when we got there, and i wanted dark brown, OH WELL, i didn't want to cause TOO much trouble...

HOW DO I GET THIS COLOR to fade out FASTER than normal. I got it died yesterday, and im thinking about pruell shampoos, but i don't have any of that right now.

I keep washing it, and seeing the red drain out, but it STILL looks the same!

any other tips, PLEASE let me know ASAP.

The best way to get rid of the color faster is to use dawn dish soap it will take the color out faster than anything and then go to your local beauty supply store and get some colesteral it should be in the african american people section. I have a client and I have to go any more questions let me know

Washing your hair with Dawn dish detergent can help fade the color slightly, but it's a little harsh for the hair and it doesn't work for everyone. Use a clarifying shampoo. It will fade the color quickly with each wash.

I'm in the same situation as the OP. I have platinum blonde hair and this morning I dyed my hair what I wanted to be a slightly darker blonde, but it turned out to be a pretty dark brown.

I went to the drug store and couldn't find any sort of color remover, or pelle shampoo or anything. I just got out of the shower where I used a heck of a lot of chlorine bleach mixed with shampoo, and clarifying shampoo (I washed my hair about 12+ times), and the color hasn't changed at all. Any tips on how to get back to my normal color?

Thanks so much for any replies.

I'm in the same situation as the OP. I have platinum blonde hair and this morning I dyed my hair what I wanted to be a slightly darker blonde, but it turned out to be a pretty dark brown.

I went to the drug store and couldn't find any sort of color remover, or pelle shampoo or anything. I just got out of the shower where I used a heck of a lot of chlorine bleach mixed with shampoo, and clarifying shampoo (I washed my hair about 12+ times), and the color hasn't changed at all. Any tips on how to get back to my normal color?

Thanks so much for any replies.


Please do not mix chlorine bleach with other products and use it on your hair. It is a very corrosive, hazardous chemical, and it can cause serious burns on your skin and hair.

Permanent hair color will not fade in one day. You need to be patient, your hair color will eventually fade. Clarifying shampoos are great for stripping hair color, too bad you didn't give it some time. There are other products that can fade hair color, such as hot oil treatments, dandruff shampoos, Prell and of course, hot water. Remember that your hair will softly fade every time you shampoo...Most drugs stores don't sell hair color removers, you will find it at beauty supply stores.

HI i really need help my hair was dyed brown but then i went and dyed it a natural black using this asian hair dye that covers grey hair it is called "bigen speedy hair colour" which only takes 5 min 2 develop. well i dyed it and it came out so dark and i don't know what to do? if i follow all ur advice and use prell and dandruff shampoo will it make it fade faster? because the hair dye i used is used to cover grey hair so i don't think it will fade. My friend said its going to be harder to get out. PLEASE HELP

dear pretty and anyone pls help me im sittin here cryin with sunlight detergent in my hair. i jus rly want it 2 fade so badly my hair is jet jet black liek gothic black n my skin tone is light what can i do??? please tell me if it could fade and thanku dragonfly 4 ur advice but i heard the colour removin kits can rly damage ur hair and result r unpredictable i went 2 the hairdressers 2day n asked wat i can use 2 make colur fade one lady said i shoud shampoo it regulary but told me it wil onli fade a bit she suggested to go 2 te salon and get it fixed. i went 2 another salon and they said to use a dandruff shampoo because it strips off colour but she goes that she could put my hair into colour spa thingy and then put a colour on top. she suggested foils n tld me 2 go brighter insted of lighter. HELP ME i dyed it 1 1/2 days ago almost 2 days HELP ME PLS I LOKK GOTHIC AND IM SO DEPRESSED I CANT EVEN WALK OUT OF THE HOUSE CAN WILL MY HAIR COLOUR FADE?????????? I USED THE HAIR DYE FOR GREY HAIR AND I HAV A FEELING THAT IT WONT FADE OUT LIEK OTHER DYES

Okay, so after much hunting and no response on this board, I headed out to find a way to fade my hair here in Australia...seeing as we don't have prell and dawn etc. I found a cheap at home gentle colour stripper by solfine 'creme colour' that smelled like coconuts. It was FAR cheaper than the salon option and didn't damage my hair at all! The colour came straight out, and I was left with blonde hair. It comes with a protein mask for after use and was great.

For any curious Aussies, you can get it at price attack. But it is European, so I am sure you would be able to buy it throughout Europe and perhaps the USA. Check out http://www.solfine.it/en/home/ for the relevant retailers.

A WARNING THOUGH: Listen to the lady at the counter and follow directions to the letter. Leaving it too long or putting it on hair that has been chemically treated several times or is 'over processed' can have BAD results according to the hairdresser at Price Attack, in these cases she suggested that the salon was the only option. I wasn't one of these people (only a poor dye job here!) and the at home option was cheap and easy with no noticable damage!

im from australia as welll!!!!!!!! does it remove balck hair dye??

According to the hair dresser at the store it sure does... it works by reopening the follicle and letting the little dye particles come out (at least thats how she explained it). It took mine back from medium brown to blonde (what it was before). You can get it at Price Attack or there is a similar product thats about 10bucks more expensive at hairhouse warehouse.

I have longhair and one pack was more than enough. It strips it even too!! Be warned though, it will be a shock from the dark colour to the lighter, but you can semipermanent right away if the transition scares you!! eg. you could strip the black out and put in a medium brown or even a red... BUT MAKE SURE ITS A SEMI, as a permanent will reck your hair according to the chick in the store!!!

Good Luck!!

i have a question and i reallly dont know what to do!
i originally had dark brown hair with a panel of white blonde along one side of my head
yesterday i dyed it blue
it came out a gorgeous shade of navy(what i was planning on having) and i really like it
the only problem was the blonde bit
see i wanted to keep it blonde because if i tried to dye that blue as well it would come out very very bright and my school would go mad!
so i covered it during the dying process and everything went well
the only thing was when i was rinsing out the dye some of it ran through the blonde leaving it a greyish white colour and its really horrible
im so disappointed coz the rest of my hair looks great, and i dont know how to fix it

it tried the washing up liquid and the anti dandruff shampoo but all it does its make i greyer

could somebody please help?
am i going to have to redye it?
or would it be possible just to use some toner to lighten it back to white?

I want to thank all of you for the great ideas on getting the black over-tone to fade from my hair. I tried the baking soda mixed with shampoo and it didn't work at all. So I tried Hydrogen Peroxide(the kind for cuts) and it took some of it out. But I went and bought a bottle of "Prell Shampoo" and the black has started to fade with every shampoo. I started out with a Pecan color that was really turning red with my grey hair showing through so thought I would go with a Hazelnut shade but ended up with a Black Walnut. I was horrified!! Enough has faded after three days though, that it is now a pretty brown with reddish hylights when I'm in the sun light. In side the house it still looks black but now that I know it will fade out I can live with it.
I wish I would have known about "Prell Shampoo" sooner as I would have had it on hand before I messed up my hair. When your older and your skin tone changes it's hard to get a flattering color, now that I know about "Prell" I can try them all!!!!!!!!! Thanks Girls.

I just did this to myself today which sounds rather common- using a dark brown hair color on medium-dark hair and I ended up with black hair.

I'm not too worried because I've always been interested in what I'd look like with black hair and I don't look terrible (I have medium-dark brown hair naturally), but I wouldn't mind trying to fade it a little since I really prefer dark brown.

I figure my hair must be somewhat non-receptive to colors as I have used both a semi permanent and a permanent hair color before which both seemed to fade within several days. Though I assume my shampoo has something to do with it as it is not recommended for treated hair - which may be ideal in this case.

I will try the techniques mentioned but one thing I'm worried about is that under some lighting my "black" hair appears to have a blue tint. If I attempt to fade the color by any means will the blue color appear more obvious? Or is the blue just an illusion..?

HI i really need help my hair was dyed brown but then i went and dyed it a natural black using this asian hair dye that covers grey hair it is called "bigen speedy hair colour" which only takes 5 min 2 develop. well i dyed it and it came out so dark and i don't know what to do? if i follow all ur advice and use prell and dandruff shampoo will it make it fade faster? because the hair dye i used is used to cover grey hair so i don't think it will fade. My friend said its going to be harder to get out. PLEASE HELP


You can use Prell or a clarifying shampoo, they are known to strip hair color. Add a few drops Dawn dish detergent to your shampoo to help speed up the fading process. If these products doesn't help, go to the beauty supply store and get a hair color remover. It will remove the unwanted pigment from your hair, but using a hair color remover will leave your hair brassy. Once you've used the hair color remover, you can re-color your hair to the color you desire.

Not sure if this is true, or just an old wives tale... so don't go ahead if people suggest otherwise... washing your hair with a bit of vinegar is supposed to make it very shiny, and the acidity should help strip the colour away faster. Just make sure you rinse WELL!

i have a question and i reallly dont know what to do!
i originally had dark brown hair with a panel of white blonde along one side of my head
yesterday i dyed it blue
it came out a gorgeous shade of navy(what i was planning on having) and i really like it
the only problem was the blonde bit
see i wanted to keep it blonde because if i tried to dye that blue as well it would come out very very bright and my school would go mad!
so i covered it during the dying process and everything went well
the only thing was when i was rinsing out the dye some of it ran through the blonde leaving it a greyish white colour and its really horrible
im so disappointed coz the rest of my hair looks great, and i dont know how to fix it

it tried the washing up liquid and the anti dandruff shampoo but all it does its make i greyer

could somebody please help?
am i going to have to redye it?
or would it be possible just to use some toner to lighten it back to white?

If you've used a permanent dye on your hair, the color will not wash out, it will only fade with frequent shampooing. Using a stronger developer with a toner will lighten the grayish white cast in your hair to a blonde shade. Choose a blonde toner with 30-40 Volume developer, it should bring your hair closer to the color you are trying to achieve.

Makikato, I'm not sure about that blue tint showing through. I know my reddish Pecan color is showing through but that is probably because under that Pecan color is actually snow white. Now that my hair is white in places I get my own natural highlites when it is dyed. Today is my fourth day and my hair is a rich reddish brown in the sunlight. I'm pleased with how the Prell Shampoo has lightened it but I'm going to switch to another brand so that it's not stripped out to fast.
Your blue tint may just fade as well. Try the Prell Shampoo for at least three days and you should be able to tell wether or not you need professional help.

I've provided lots of information on this thread. Please take some time to read the thread and see if you can benefit from the answers. But if you still need help, feel free to ask me questions.

I've provided lots of information on this thread. Please take some time to read the thread and see if you can benefit from the answers. But if you still need help, feel free to ask me questions.

I've read through the entire thread and a lot of the advice has been really helpful!

I have a similar situation, but with varying questions. My story is that I dyed my hair black a little over a month ago with the intent of it being temporary. I didn't research it and know I know that black is a mess to get out of hair. I want to go from a black to a light/platinum blond but I'm not sure how I should go about doing it. I'm going to a salon (since I don't want my hair to look worse than it does, to put it lightly my hair is "spotted like cheetah") but I don't know if my hair should be bleached or stripped, and wanted to get an idea of the possibility of going to a light blond before hand. I've had bad dye experiences at salons before and want to make sure that I know exactly what to tell them in order to minimize time and money involved in completing this process.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

To go from black to platinum blonde, you must do a double process (bleaching and toning) to achieve the color you desire. First, you will need to strip of the dark pigment from your hair, and apply a toner. This process is difficult to do by yourself, you should consider having it done professionally. Don't be afraid to go to the salon because of your bad experiences in the past. There are some really good hairstylists in salons that can give you the results you want.

Okay, currently I have black hair with about half of my hair as regrowth (it is dark brown almost black). I have about six inches of black(on top) and the bottom is a slightly paler black and about six inches of my natural colour.

I previously used this same black permanent hair colour. The last time I used it, it faded out to a dark brown a tad lighter than my natural colour. About six months after that faded I used the same black to dye streaks on the top part of my hair. Two months later I had gotten bored of the streaks and dyed all of my hair the same black as the previous times. I have had it for about five months and it hasn't faded in the least this time.

I went to my hair stylist, who is an expert at colour, to get some burgundy and blue highlights put in. She used both a vol. 30 and then a vol. 40 developer on my hair for over an hour each. She said that at five months the pervious dye shouldn't matter that much and because most of the highlights would be in the regrowth. Never before have I had problems lightening my hair but the highlights only went into the two inches closest to the roots. Actually something happened to the blue entirely and ended up washing out of my hair the next day and leaving my hair a tiny bit lighter.

I have tried just about all of the methods mentioned for fading hair dye and were wondering if there were any others. My hair is in good condition but I refuse to use bleach because I have iffy allergic reactions to it.

You've mentioned that your hair is currently dark brown to black. If you want to go a couple of shades lighter, you can use a permanent color with a 30-40 volume developer. But if you want to go 4-5 shades lighter, your hair will need to be bleached and colored.

Well, I had permanent color and both a 30 and 40 vol. developer put on my hair. The colors being put on were at the most two shades lighter than my natural hair. And I can't use bleach because of allergies that don't always show up but I don't want to take any chances. But thanks for trying to help anyway.

I also recieved a bad dye job from the salon that is ually really good. I had blond highlights for summer and I wanted to go back to my origonal darker color for fall by getting a dark shade with a couple light low lights.....what I got was black hair with reddish/purple lowlights and I look horrible. I have a professional job where I have to look nice and I look rediculous. I tried the prell technique twice and it didn't help at all.......do I have to do it alot to work???? Is there anything else I can do to expedite the process????????? I don't want to redye either.....just get this dye job out!

Tchida22, colored hair will fade gradually with shampooing and exposure to hot water. The more you shampoo, the faster color will fade. Keep in mind that excessive shampooing can make your hair dry, be sure to use a conditioner afterwards to restore the moisture in your hair.

hello, i am in desperate need of some advice!
i came back from the hair salon today, my hair is naturally medium brown, and i had subtle highlights in it. i wanted a change. My hairdresser corrected the highlights and i had asked her to do a chocolate bown in my hair with a slight tint of red. It came out horrible. right now i have a really dark eggplant looking color ...which i hate!!!!!!!!!!!

what can i do to get rid of it?
is stripping and re-dyeing the wrong move???
how about dyeing over it with a dark brown and put subtle highligts in it to break up the darkness.....any tips or advice??
i hate eggplant. that is the last thing i would ever do to my hair, and now i am stuck with it. HELP!!!

Using a dark brown color over the highlights will make it dark, however, if you apply another color to break up the dark color, you will end up with red or orange tones in your hair. Try going back to the salon and have them correct the color.

Use Anything With Citrus!

I would like to jump in on this forum. I too dyed my hair and it came out darker than expected, however, my problem is that now my hair is turning out thick and oily even after I wash it and either blow dry it or air dry it. It looks as if I didnt wash it. Its heavy and gross. Is there something I can do to remedy this? The thick/oilyness is mostly on the top crown area of my head. By the end of the day my hair is so oily its gross. Please help.

Thank you in advance.

LocaRosa, try using a shampoo designed for oily hair. Wash your hair regularly to remove oils produced by skin glands. Shampoos like Pantene Pro-V Clarifying Shampoo For oily Hair or Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo For Normal To Oily Hair are great for oily hair.

LocaRosa, try using a shampoo designed for oily hair. Wash your hair regularly to remove oils produced by skin glands. Shampoos like Pantene Pro-V Clarifying Shampoo For oily Hair or Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo For Normal To Oily Hair are great for oily hair.

Thank you PrettyLady. I already use shampoo for oily hair cause my hair is always overproducing oil. However, when I dyed my hair black its like I wash it in oil, its thick, oily, and yucky. I think the dye went wrong somewhere, but I've never had any problems with hair dye doing this to my hair. I've been dying my hair for years and now this. Is there some sort of home remedy I can use that is similar to Philosophy Shear Splendor Age-Defying Hair "Marinating" Oil ? Would this help?

I dont know what else to do, I shower every day and by the time my hair dries, its thick and oily and I go to work looking like I never shower :( not sure that's a good thing (keeps the co-workers away LOL)

Excess sebum on the scalp is the primary cause of oily hair. Don't use shampoos like Shear Splendor Age-Defying Hair "Marinating" Oil, it's for people with dry hair. Try using a solvent-type shampoo or fruit acid shampoo to remove the excess oil in your hair.

Excess sebum on the scalp is the primary cause of oily hair. Don't use shampoos like Shear Splendor Age-Defying Hair "Marinating" Oil, it's for people with dry hair. Try using a solvent-type shampoo or fruit acid shampoo to remove the excess oil in your hair.

Thank you very much PrettyLady. I'll look into a fruit acid shampoo today. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply.

Have a great weekend.

I found a product called color oops in my drug store in the hair color aisle and it works wonderful. Didn't dry out my hair or anything Bleach free.

I got the wrong color and my hair turned out black with alot of red I got light auburn brown instead of light auburn blonde when I did the color oops now I am back to a golden reddish brown my color I had when I was a kid It looks better now then it did before I tried the color.

Try color oops. It does work.

LocaRosa, try using a shampoo designed for oily hair. Wash your hair regularly to remove oils produced by skin glands. Shampoos like Pantene Pro-V Clarifying Shampoo For oily Hair or Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo For Normal To Oily Hair are great for oily hair.

I just wanted to post a follow up to this reply. I RAN out and got the Pantene ProV shampoo
<a href="http://www.pantene.com/en_US/products/collection/classic/purify_clarifying_shampoo.jsp">PURITY CLARIFYING SHAMPOO</a> and took a nice hot shower and VUALLA!!! All the gooky wooky came off!!!! I mean there's still some there but I"m shooting that down tonight!

Thank you PrettyLady, your advise was a stroke of genious! (spell?)

I found a product called color oops in my drug store in the hair color aisle and it works wonderful. Didn't dry out my hair or anything Bleach free.

I got the wrong color and my hair turned out black with alot of red I got light auburn brown instead of light auburn blonde when I did the color oops now I am back to a golden reddish brown my color I had when I was a kid It looks better now then it did before I tried the color.

Try color oops. It does work.

OOOOH PERFECT!! I'm going to give this reply to my sister, she just did practically the same thing to her hair and its a bad hair day Friday for her LOL! We're just lame when it comes to dying our hair I guess.

Thank you Hypermommy!

OOOOH PERFECT!! I'm going to give this reply to my sister, she just did practically the same thing to her hair and its a bad hair day Friday for her LOL! We're just lame when it comes to dying our hair I guess.

Thank you Hypermommy!

You're Welcome It seems to only be at a Walgreens store when you do a search for it on google.

I found it at Happy Harry's a drug store that Walgreens took over

Chrissie:)

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=304384&navAction=jump&navCount=1&id=prod2180463

I just wanted to post a follow up to this reply. I RAN out and got the Pantene ProV shampoo
<a href="http://www.pantene.com/en_US/products/collection/classic/purify_clarifying_shampoo.jsp">PURITY CLARIFYING SHAMPOO</a> and took a nice hot shower and VUALLA!!! All the gooky wooky came off!!!! I mean there's still some there but I"m shooting that down tonight!

Thank you PrettyLady, your advise was a stroke of genious! (spell?)


You're welcome, sweetie. Keep Hypermommy and I posted. I'm here to help. If you need me, you can PM me or post your message on this forum.

soo heres my problem. my hair is naturally blonde, and i dyed it dark brown back in august. now it is this weird reddish brownish color, and i don't like it all. so last night i tried to dye it blonde again, but nothing happened at all. the color looks exactly the same. so how on earth can i get my hair dyed back to blonde?? is stripping it the only way? and, i can't go to a salon, i'm just a poor college kid!

Daniellabella, if you want a decent shade of blonde, minus the orange/red tones, it will require a double process, bleaching and toning. The hair will need to be lightened and then the selected is applied to achieve results.

ok. is the bleaching thing like one of those hair color remover kit thingys??? and if so, is it a bad idea to do that by yourself?

ok. is the bleaching thing like one of those hair color remover kit thingys??? and if so, is it a bad idea to do that by yourself?


The process I've mentioned is difficult to do by yourself. I recommend the you go to a salon to have your color done professionally.

darn. is there any other way to get the color out??? i never should have dyed my hair. :(

so i have natural light blonde hair and i never dyed it in my life. but in october i dyed my hair this medium brown by clairol natural instincts. It is a non permanent dye and said it would wash out in 28 shampoos. Well, its now December and its only faded alittle bit. My blonde is starting to come through but its taking forever! i just want my blonde back. is there any way i can get the brown out of my hair and get my natural color back to the way it was before?
ps. i am in the process of using prell shampoo and am now trying Sheer Blonde shampoo by John Frieda. And i tried dawn dish soap, that didnt do a thing...

and another question, i read on here somewhere about using clarifying shampoo to help fade the color, and i was wondering what a good brand of clarifying shampoo i could use, because i'm just not sure about them.

darn. is there any other way to get the color out??? i never should have dyed my hair. :(

You can try using a hair color removal product to strip the color. Remember that the hair color remover may make your hair look brassy, so you will need to re-color your hair in order for it to look natural. As for clarifying shampoos, try using Pantene Pro-V or Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo. You will find these at your local drug store.

so i have gotten my hair to fade a lot, but i was wondering, if i can get it light enough, will i be able to dye it blonde? and if so, exactly how light does it need to be?

hi all, my goal was to have brown hair with light brown highlights.. dyed my hair brown myself, then a week later went to the salon for highlights. their highlights didnt work, and they put wayy too many, so they ended up just putting bleach over them, and i walked out with orange hair :(
the next day i dyed it brown, which faded back to orange pretty quickly because i guess it wasnt dark enough. after all that suffering ive been deep conditioning my hair; its been a week, and today i dyed my hair natural brown... which turned out jet black!
i tried washing it with shampoo lots, but here we dont have dawn, purell, and i cant get out to buy head and shoulders...
i was wondering, would regular dishwashing soap work? my hair is really fragile right now, but i cant stand the color!! if i leave deep conditioner on for a couple hours would that help too? thanks in advance :o

so i have gotten my hair to fade a lot, but i was wondering, if i can get it light enough, will i be able to dye it blonde? and if so, exactly how light does it need to be?


In order to go from brunette to blonde, you will need to pre-lighten your hair with bleach to a yellow stage and then apply a toner to achieve the desired color.

hi all, my goal was to have brown hair with light brown highlights.. dyed my hair brown myself, then a week later went to the salon for highlights. their highlights didnt work, and they put wayy too many, so they ended up just putting bleach over them, and i walked out with orange hair :(
the next day i dyed it brown, which faded back to orange pretty quickly because i guess it wasnt dark enough. after all that suffering ive been deep conditioning my hair; its been a week, and today i dyed my hair natural brown... which turned out jet black!
i tried washing it with shampoo lots, but here we dont have dawn, purell, and i cant get out to buy head and shoulders...
i was wondering, would regular dishwashing soap work? my hair is really fragile right now, but i cant stand the color!! if i leave deep conditioner on for a couple hours would that help too? thanks in advance :o


Excessive coloring can damage your hair. I advise not to use anymore at home box color on your hair for now. Yes, dish detergent can slightly fade hair color. If your hair is fragile or dry, apply a conditioner after you shampoo. You can also do a deep conditioning treatment once a week to restore moisture in the hair.

I Just dyed my hair "reddish brown" but the top turned out RED/orange (just imagine CarrotTop or Bobo the clown ) and the bottom is the reddish brown color... my natural color is a medium brown. I haven't dyed my hair in over a year, but this has never happened to me before... What can I do to fade it???? :confused:

Just had a hair care disaster. I DO NOT know what my stylist was thinking - I had dark brown very porous curly hair with slight highlights that were getting brassy orange-ish. I told him I wanted to go slightly darker for the season and he asked, "one step?" and I said, sure. This was totally stupid of me and I was frankly, not thinking - preoccupied with a personal situation. I should have known better than to do anything with my hair when I've been going through tough times

In any case. He dumped a bunch of dark brown on my head and now I have black hair. You know, aside from the slight highlights, my hair was totally virgin. That is the worst part. I could just die thinking about it. I don't know why he didn't even say, "Are you sure you want all over color?"

I could have also easily gone with a semi permanent. My hair is so porous, it would have clamped on to it very easily

In any case, I did the prell thing, but I did not know to leave it on for 15 min. Going to try that again - with Dawn, if I am not too afraid. My hair is pretty dry as it is. I am wondering if I should just live with this until Spring. You know, eventually it is going to snow and it will be hat time.

I don't know if I can hack that though. I simply feel miserable.

I am also afraid to go back to my stylist because I simply don't trust him anymore. I can't really see him taking the time to carefully fix this situation. ugh.

I have had the same problem. I usually dye my hair med. brown. I dyed my hair light ash brown and it came out dark brown. I had to strip the color by using Color Oops. I bought it at Walgreens. Walmart does not carry it. Color Oops does not have amonia or peroxide. You can also order it online. It turns your hair into a blond color and then you need to put another dye on. All hair dyes are not alike even using the same color. I found that out the hard way. I wound up coloring my hair four times in one week. I was lucky my hair did not fall out.

I Just dyed my hair "reddish brown" but the top turned out RED/orange (just imagine CarrotTop or Bobo the clown ) and the bottom is the reddish brown color... my natural color is a medium brown. I haven't dyed my hair in over a year, but this has never happened to me before... What can I do to fade it???? :confused:


I've answered your question.

Click on this link.

http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/beauty-skin-care/carrot-top-50164.html#post235625

Just had a hair care disaster. I DO NOT know what my stylist was thinking - I had dark brown very porous curly hair with slight highlights that were getting brassy orange-ish. I told him I wanted to go slightly darker for the season and he asked, "one step?" and I said, sure. This was totally stupid of me and I was frankly, not thinking - preoccupied with a personal situation. I should have known better than to do anything with my hair when I've been going through tough times

In any case. He dumped a bunch of dark brown on my head and now I have black hair. You know, aside from the slight highlights, my hair was totally virgin. That is the worst part. I could just die thinking about it. I don't know why he didn't even say, "Are you sure you want all over color?"

I could have also easily gone with a semi permanent. My hair is so porous, it would have clamped on to it very easily

In any case, I did the prell thing, but I did not know to leave it on for 15 min. Going to try that again - with Dawn, if I am not too afraid. My hair is pretty dry as it is. I am wondering if I should just live with this until Spring. You know, eventually it is going to snow and it will be hat time.

I don't know if I can hack that though. I simply feel miserable.

I am also afraid to go back to my stylist because I simply don't trust him anymore. I can't really see him taking the time to carefully fix this situation. ugh.


If you don't like the color, don't be afraid to go back to the salon and have to them fix your hair. Most salons don't want a bad reputation, so they will fix their clients hair free of charge. If you don't want the same hairstylist to do your hair, the manage will appoint another hairstylist to you. They will mix a formula to achieve your desired color.

I am a new user here and really appreciate all of the questions and helpful advice. Even so, unless I missed it, the question I have has not been asked. I am in my mid fifties and have been dying my hair for about ten years. It was originally a medium-dark brown. Over the past couple of years I have been using Bigen hair color, which I like a lot. It is not peroxide based, so it deposits only and is a very deep dark brown.

However, I have decided after much thought to just let my hair go gray. I don't know how best to do this without looking like a banshee for months on end. I have not dyed it in three weeks and can see that I have about a half an inch of growth. I know I can cover the roots where my part is for a while with those color sticks, but that won't last for long. I really want to be done with all of this (and hopefully look like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada!!). My hair is not long, and I actually look good with short hair, so could cut it shorter if I need to. I know it is going to be a difficult process as my hair is very dark and I now have only gray coming in, but I can't be the first woman who has gone through this process, so...HELP!

Any thoughts, advice, experience would be most welcome.

Thank you, Pretty Lady. I would most certainly do that if it weren't a one-man salon. I'm currently on the hunt for a colorist who specializes in correction!

Ms. Green

Okay - so I used the Color Oops and it is closer to brown - though very reddish near the roots. Luckily my hair is thick enough that it is not too noticible and I think I can hack it for a bit. My goal is to let some roots grow so the colorist knows what my real color is - I don't have any decent pics and finances require I wait a bit. Is this a bad idea? I am wondering if leaving the cuticle open is worse for the hair.

Would an ash toned