Question about coloring my hair

I have naturally dark brown hair. I had never dyed my hair before, but last year decided to try it once. So I bought some shade of red and dyed it. It looked great, and when the red started to fade out, I thought I'd try black. So I dyed my hair black and that was about 4-5 months ago. The black has faded away at the top of my head but the rest of the hair is still jet black. I'd really like to try a lighter hair color (light brown-dark blonde), but it's obviously going to be impossible since my hair is so black. We actually bought a box of the dye yesterday and it was a shade of medium brown... slightly lighter than my natural color... we put it in last night. I left it in for 30 minutes (5 minutes longer than the recommended time). The top part looks GREAT, and I love the color, but the rest of my hair is still jet black. Does anyone have any suggestions for me to try, or do I just need to wait until all the black goes away eventually?

I'm not sure about this, but don't some people bleach their hair to get it to be a lighter color? If you could do that then dye it the color you want, maybe that would work. I'm not an expert in this area, though, so it might not work at all (it's just a thought).

Black is the hardest color to get rid of.You either need to have the color stripped from your hair at the salon or wait for it to grow out.Might be faster just to go to a salon and have them do it
Good luck

if i were you, i would hit a salon, or someplace like Sally beauty supply. THey can give you a kit that can strip the black out of your hair, then i would condition it for a few days or so, THEN recolor to the color you want.

Red is a great color, but fades FAST. I was red for so long, then i got tired of keeping up, so i went back to blonde,lol

pm me anytime

Never correct color on your own, this is very important to be quite honest (I am a licensed barber/cosmetologist)... Color is very complex, it envolves alot of chemistry, theory, and full knowledge of the color wheel, porosity, density, etc.... Color does not remove color, the only way you will get to a lighter brown is by lifitng the black first (please note that hair will lift funky due to previous colors exisiting in the underlying pigment) using a bleach or a highlift and a 40 volume (to lift to the level you are looking to acheive)... Then color will have to either be filled to avoid a greenish cast or even toned to a natural looking state. If you want a dramtic change (anything within 3-4 levels of lift is dramatic in my mind) I would highly recommend seeing a professional, corrective color is quite a challenge (or a tint back)... When you go to lift the black out of your hair the red will be your underlying pigment (causing a brassy and redish tonality)... Sometimes this works in your favor (meaning that a greenish cast wont pull and other times it causes more issues and thought when formulating)... If you are at a black stage (which is anywhere between a level 1-3 being the darkest) and want to reach a light brown (between a 5-7) that is roughly2-6 levels you need to lift your hair... Meaning a high peroxide will be required. In all honestly please see a licensed professional so this is done right...

It is also very important to tell your stylist what color line you used each time... Alot of over the counter dyes are metallic and in combination with professional color lines it will cause a chemical reaction in the lifting process (metallics and alkalines cause a strong, damaging, and nasty reaction). Color remover is very damaging and usually more than one application is required (I almost lost all my hair using a color remover when I worked at a high end salon... I needed to applications to remove the red to a brassy orange stage... It is extremely high on the ph scale, just as bleach is)... Very high on the ph scale!!!!

BTW Red is the hardest color to get rid of not black... This is due to its molecular size... It is the hardest color to keep yet the hardest color to remove (hence the fact that red is your underlying pigment beneath the black this should be left to the pro's)...

A real professional should never recommend color alternatives or formulations to customers, its inadvisable and Im sure the state board would not be thrilled for those reasons... A customer could report the bad outcome (after the hairstylist made such a recommendation) to the state board committee and his/her license could be revoked... There are so many rules when you have your license... It is actually illegal to perform services in your own home (even charging a small fee) without an establishment license... It is finable and terms for revocation... That is why I suggest leave it to the pro's... My strong point is color and if I decided to tint back I will go to a salon most likely (eventhough i can get my hands on anything ) they have any emergency remedy available....

Originally Posted by trixie23

BTW Red is the hardest color to get rid of not black... This is due to its molecular size... It is the hardest color to keep yet the hardest color to remove (hence the fact that red is your underlying pigment beneath the black this should be left to the pro's)...

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I can attest to that

I'm naturally dark ash-blonde. For years I dyed my hair red. Early last year I decided to go from my red hair to my natural color. I have dyed it using the L'Oreal Natural Match, but that didn't touch it at all. To this day I still have red in my hair. My roots are about 2 inches long

If you did this all yourself and mixed the colors, then you might have to pay a professional to fix it to what color you really want.

I'm blonde (natural) and just in the past year I've gotten it colored (professionally) to red - right now I just let the red fade till is goes natural blonde for awhile, then recolor it red (same shade). So I get it changed every few months.

Originally Posted by lunasmom

I can attest to that

I'm naturally dark ash-blonde. For years I dyed my hair red. Early last year I decided to go from my red hair to my natural color. I have dyed it using the L'Oreal Natural Match, but that didn't touch it at all. To this day I still have red in my hair. My roots are about 2 inches long

Click to expand...

Even when red does rade its pigment still remains in some form (permanent especially)... I did red for so long and then went brown, and now black... I dont tempt to lighten my hair at this point, because they day I do will be stressful day, and very damaging to my hair... I still have brown and red underlying pigment in the coldshaft of my hair... That is going to take alot of steps to tint back to natural (yuck which is dark ash blonde)... I had red removed from my hair once... I had blonde and red highlights... I had to use a color remover twice, then fill my hair, then apply permanent color from root to end, and then my former trainer toned that and added highlights (so my hair would look natural)... My hair was very damaged and mushy for a long time... Just because of that I think I will stick with the black for awhile and pay someone else to handle my stress when I want to tint back!