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Bad Dye Job :(


earthyfamily
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So on Tuesday I decided to dye my hair.  I have medium-dark brown hair naturally and I was going for a darkish gingery red colour.  The roots ended up a bright coppery red and the length pretty much stayed the same as my natural colour, maybe a little lighter with red hints.  I also had a lovely allergic reaction to the dye (even though I did the 48 hour allergy test).  So dying it again is not an option.  What about colour shampoos or glazes?  Anyone have any experience with these?  Also tips on how to grow my hair out quicker would be amazing. *sigh*  This is going to be interesting.

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What about a henna rinse? I think those are more gentle than the more chemical stuff. Sorry you had a bad dye reaction! :-(

 

You're the second person to mention a henna rinse.  I'm going to have to look into that.  I thought henna was only for redheads...but I guess I'm wrong.

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I don't think the henna will cover over the dye. Maybe shift a shade or two but not that dramatic. My understanding is that glazes tend to be color free. A toner might help to cut the red out but you might react even more strongly to that than the dye.

 

Can you get thee to a professional?

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I'm not sure about Henna going over dye either.  

 

Sally's Beauty Supply would be a great place to look for help to find out what your options are.  I believe there is something called Oops that removes the dye, but please find someone other than me as your guide.

 

I'm sure it will work out.  You might also call a local salon and see what they suggest.

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So on Tuesday I decided to dye my hair.  I have medium-dark brown hair naturally and I was going for a darkish gingery red colour.  The roots ended up a bright coppery red and the length pretty much stayed the same as my natural colour, maybe a little lighter with red hints.  I also had a lovely allergic reaction to the dye (even though I did the 48 hour allergy test).  So dying it again is not an option.  What about colour shampoos or glazes?  Anyone have any experience with these?  Also tips on how to grow my hair out quicker would be amazing. *sigh*  This is going to be interesting.

 

Licensed cosmetologist here... wish I had good news and an easy fix for you...

 

The most likely reason your roots ended up lighter is more 'lift' or color change sue to body heat.

 

What kind of allergic reaction did you have? This will make fixing this tricky- if you have heightened sensitivity almost anything you put on could cause a similar, or even worse, reaction.

 

A color remover like Uncolor http://www.folica.com/reviews/hair-color/hair-color-correction/clairol-the-uncolor-system-haircolor-removerwill NOT fix this completely. Once a permanent dye has been applied it will take corrective color. The dye you used has removed some of your natural color and replaced it with chemical color, so removing some of the chemical color will not restore your natural color.

 

Sally Beauty may or may not be much help. At my local one all they are useful for is telling me which aisle something is in, and sometimes not even that. :glare:

 

Henna could help even out your haircolor. Buy it at a natural foods store. Some darker hennas are not true hennas and have dyes added to them and you'll be back where you started, or worse. Also, be very cautious about getting henna tattoos with "black henna" (usually beach/vacation things) in the future because those are notorious for causing bad reactions, esp. to people who are sensitive.

 

Save the bottles/boxes from anything you use (even if you're CERTAIN you'll remember what it was) and bring them to a salon if you decide to try corrective color.  And this applies until every inch of the hair you have right now is gorwn out/cut off... even if it feels healthy and is back to your natural color via dyes/color, the 'old' dye is still there and it can affect how new color, bleach/highlights, or perms will take on your hair. I once did a strand test for a perm on someone who inisted her hair was her natural color, even when I specifically asked about ANY dyes in the past 3 years. She REALLY wanted that perm, but changed her mind after the hair sample started smoking and dissolved in the perm solution. :svengo:

 

Anyway, back to you: How long is your hair, and what did you use on it?

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Licensed cosmetologist here... wish I had good news and an easy fix for you...

 

The most likely reason your roots ended up lighter is more 'lift' or color change sue to body heat.

 

What kind of allergic reaction did you have? This will make fixing this tricky- if you have heightened sensitivity almost anything you put on could cause a similar, or even worse, reaction.

 

A color remover like Uncolor http://www.folica.com/reviews/hair-color/hair-color-correction/clairol-the-uncolor-system-haircolor-removerwill NOT fix this completely. Once a permanent dye has been applied it will take corrective color. The dye you used has removed some of your natural color and replaced it with chemical color, so removing some of the chemical color will not restore your natural color.

 

Sally Beauty may or may not be much help. At my local one all they are useful for is telling me which aisle something is in, and sometimes not even that. :glare:

 

Henna could help even out your haircolor. Buy it at a natural foods store. Some darker hennas are not true hennas and have dyes added to them and you'll be back where you started, or worse. Also, be very cautious about getting henna tattoos with "black henna" (usually beach/vacation things) in the future because those are notorious for causing bad reactions, esp. to people who are sensitive.

 

Save the bottles/boxes from anything you use (even if you're CERTAIN you'll remember what it was) and bring them to a salon if you decide to try corrective color.  And this applies until every inch of the hair you have right now is gorwn out/cut off... even if it feels healthy and is back to your natural color via dyes/color, the 'old' dye is still there and it can affect how new color, bleach/highlights, or perms will take on your hair. I once did a strand test for a perm on someone who inisted her hair was her natural color, even when I specifically asked about ANY dyes in the past 3 years. She REALLY wanted that perm, but changed her mind after the hair sample started smoking and dissolved in the perm solution. :svengo:

 

Anyway, back to you: How long is your hair, and what did you use on it?

 

My scalp got numb, red, itchy and tingly/burning.  It's still a bit itchy, but is not as sensitive to the touch as it was.  My hair is pretty long...about to the middle of my back, maybe a bit longer, and I used Revlon's coloursilk.  I know I can't be around ammonia, so that seemed like a good option.

I'm hoping it will grow out quickly-ish...I coloured it Tuesday evening and started to see root growth Wednesday morning...strange I think.

I was hoping I might be able to grow it out a bit and then colour it all to match the new growth (natural hair), without having to touch the scalp.

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Is this the first time your hair had been dyed? It sounds like you didn't bleach it. So that's a plus! I would wash my hair a lot and use a deep conditioner. Red color usually comes out a bit with lots of washings. Then I would just dye over the whole thing. If your hair is crazy red then a light brown probably won't cover it. I'd pick a darker brown. If you are worried about a bad scalp reaction I would have it done professionally. They can do you hair easier and quicker than you.

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Is this the first time your hair had been dyed? It sounds like you didn't bleach it. So that's a plus! I would wash my hair a lot and use a deep conditioner. Red color usually comes out a bit with lots of washings. Then I would just dye over the whole thing. If your hair is crazy red then a light brown probably won't cover it. I'd pick a darker brown. If you are worried about a bad scalp reaction I would have it done professionally. They can do you hair easier and quicker than you.

 

I dyed my hair once about 18 years ago.  I didn't bleach it but we did mix a blonde dye with red dye to get it to lift the colour of my natural hair a bit. So I'm guessing it had peroxide in it, which is just as bad. :( The texture of my hair is just awful now.  I'm going to pick up some Aussie 3 minute miracle tomorrow and hope that helps.  I know this sounds silly, but we have a major family event planned for next year (about April/May) and I can't bare the thought of looking this awful.

 

Oh and the glaze I was thinking about was John Frieda's Brilliant Brunette glaze.  I was also looking at Aveda's clove conditioner.  I'm really just hoping for something to help all of this mess blend out a bit, once the red fades some.

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My scalp got numb, red, itchy and tingly/burning.  It's still a bit itchy, but is not as sensitive to the touch as it was.  My hair is pretty long...about to the middle of my back, maybe a bit longer, and I used Revlon's coloursilk.  I know I can't be around ammonia, so that seemed like a good option.

I'm hoping it will grow out quickly-ish...I coloured it Tuesday evening and started to see root growth Wednesday morning...strange I think.

I was hoping I might be able to grow it out a bit and then colour it all to match the new growth (natural hair), without having to touch the scalp.

 

well, hair only grows about 1/2 inch per month. mid-back will take 1-2 years to grow out.

 

the coloursilk is a permanent dye, which means it would have "lifted" or lightened your natural haircolor, even if it re-dyed it back to a darker shade. The "lift" is what gets the hair to a lighter stage to get a more accurate deposit of color, and is also why it is often recommended for "virgin" or never-dyed hair to begin the application 1/2"-1" away from the scalp, then after applying to mid-lengths and ends it is applied to the scalp (or roots) because the color has begun to develop, and the body heat will "catch it up" to the midlengths/ends, which will make it process evenly.

 

Demi-permanent or semi-permanent colors only deposit color, so those will fade out gradually. I highly reccommend you use this type of product if you are going to try to fix this at home.  And start a shade or two lighter than you want it to be- it is easier to go darker than to remove the color.

 

So, if you like the color your mid/ends is, you might consider only applying it to the part that is currently your "roots" (the brighter/lighter parts as it grows out)

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well, hair only grows about 1/2 inch per month. mid-back will take 1-2 years to grow out.

 

the coloursilk is a permanent dye, which means it would have "lifted" or lightened your natural haircolor, even if it re-dyed it back to a darker shade. The "lift" is what gets the hair to a lighter stage to get a more accurate deposit of color, and is also why it is often recommended for "virgin" or never-dyed hair to begin the application 1/2"-1" away from the scalp, then after applying to mid-lengths and ends it is applied to the scalp (or roots) because the color has begun to develop, and the body heat will "catch it up" to the midlengths/ends, which will make it process evenly.

 

Demi-permanent or semi-permanent colors only deposit color, so those will fade out gradually. I highly reccommend you use this type of product if you are going to try to fix this at home.  And start a shade or two lighter than you want it to be- it is easier to go darker than to remove the color.

 

So, if you like the color your mid/ends is, you might consider only applying it to the part that is currently your "roots" (the brighter/lighter parts as it grows out)

 

Seems like it would take longer to get that long than just 1-2 years.  I will more than likely do a demi/semi once it grows out quite a bit to try to match the roots.  It's so damaged right now though that I'm afraid to do anything to it.

Unfortunately I thought that the friend I had doing the colouring for me was a bit more experienced than she apparently was.  She's been colouring her own hair for many, many years....many, many different colours. 

 

Dawn dish soap to help remove the dye, but use lots of conditioner afterward. (And if you use lots of cheap conditioner that should help strip the dye too.)

 

Yup, I heard that dawn helps a lot...might try that once it doesn't seem quite so fragile and damaged.

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Sorry. :/ A terrible perm in fifth grade convinced me never to try perms or dyes again. But in your shoes, I'd chop it to chin length and keep cutting it, so the dye would be gone by Christmas, and then start growing it out again so it should be about shoulder length before your special event.

 

Best wishes.

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Seems like it would take longer to get that long than just 1-2 years.  I will more than likely do a demi/semi once it grows out quite a bit to try to match the roots.  It's so damaged right now though that I'm afraid to do anything to it.

Unfortunately I thought that the friend I had doing the colouring for me was a bit more experienced than she apparently was.  She's been colouring her own hair for many, many years....many, many different colours. 

 

 

Yup, I heard that dawn helps a lot...might try that once it doesn't seem quite so fragile and damaged.

 

She may be experienced at applying the color, and most likely always got lucky with the results either due to her natural color or the colors she chose. The color on the box is not necessarily the color you end up with. I have level 3 (dark brown, in some sytems it would be considered "light black") natural hair color with 25% grey. An "light ash blonde" applied to my hair would turn it a brassy orange, because it cannot lighten my natural color far enough to match the color on the box. But my grey hairs would be "light ash blonde" but would likely fade after two weeks due to being more resistant to color.

 

Results vary based on natural color of the hair, tone of the hair (golden, ash, red) combined with the tone of the color chosen, condition of the hair, timing/speed of application, lift of the color chosen -even dark colors "lift" or remove color from the hair before depositing dye- some only one level, some 4-6, depending on developer.

 

1-2 years would be a minimum for your hair to grow out- depnding on style.  Layers might be your friend. If your hair is cut straight across the botom, then the hair at the crown of your head has to be 6-8 inches longer than the hair at the nape of your neck, so layers will get the ends off of that hair sooner than growing it all down to mid-back.

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She may be experienced at applying the color, and most likely always got lucky with the results either due to her natural color or the colors she chose. The color on the box is not necessarily the color you end up with. I have level 3 (dark brown, in some sytems it would be considered "light black") natural hair color with 25% grey. An "light ash blonde" applied to my hair would turn it a brassy orange, because it cannot lighten my natural color far enough to match the color on the box. But my grey hairs would be "light ash blonde" but would likely fade after two weeks due to being more resistant to color.

 

Results vary based on natural color of the hair, tone of the hair (golden, ash, red) combined with the tone of the color chosen, condition of the hair, timing/speed of application, lift of the color chosen -even dark colors "lift" or remove color from the hair before depositing dye- some only one level, some 4-6, depending on developer.

 

1-2 years would be a minimum for your hair to grow out- depnding on style.  Layers might be your friend. If your hair is cut straight across the botom, then the hair at the crown of your head has to be 6-8 inches longer than the hair at the nape of your neck, so layers will get the ends off of that hair sooner than growing it all down to mid-back.

 

She and I have nearly the same natural colour hair and the dye we used was the same boxes that she uses to do her when she wants Irish red. :(  So we thought it would turn out the same I guess.  I guess I need to start looking into some cute short layered styles.

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I've had luck with a John Frieda brilliant bruenette glaze. Walgreen's has it. It stains everything it touches so I apply in the shower with gloves. You simply rub it into the hair, sit for a few minutes, then rinse. Good luck.

 

What colour hair do you cover it with? (Not saying what's your natural colour, because I don't know if you are covering coloured hair heh).  Thanks!

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The Aussie Three Minute Miracle is truly a miracle! My hair feels wonderful again...yay!  Not just got to figure out what to do about this colour.  I think I'll end up having to grow it out and then colour to match the roots....if that's possible.  I just need to make sure dye doesn't touch my scalp again. :/

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I dye my hair red, my natural color is nearly espresso brown, and I have suffered from hot pink roots a time or two as I didn't understand the lift that has to happen on virgin roots.  For future reference, this is what my stylist taught me to do when I do it myself:

 

Once you pick a red color to dye your hair, find another color one  or two shades darker red than your hair will be.  Mix 1/2 oz of the darker red with 1/2 oz of the red you want your hair to be.  You will mix with developer and apply that to your roots and it will keep them from getting bright.  You leave that on 45 minutes.  At the 15 minute mark, apply the original red you want to the rest of your hair and wait 30 minutes.  Wash hair.

 

So at Sallys, I use a 6R as my main color.  I get a 4R (2 shades darker red) and mix equal parts of the 4R with 6R and the combo makes around a 5R, ..or around 1 shade darker than my main hair color.  Once I apply the new mix to my roots, then apply the original color (4R) to the rest of my hair, and wash.... i can't even tell i have used 2 different colors.  It all looks the same and no scare of bright pink roots.  I'm super happy with these results.  I have to re-do my hair about every 4 wks because of the fade and in the summer I wear hats outside to make it last a touch longer.

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I dye my hair red, my natural color is nearly espresso brown, and I have suffered from hot pink roots a time or two as I didn't understand the lift that has to happen on virgin roots.  For future reference, this is what my stylist taught me to do when I do it myself:

 

Once you pick a red color to dye your hair, find another color one  or two shades darker red than your hair will be.  Mix 1/2 oz of the darker red with 1/2 oz of the red you want your hair to be.  You will mix with developer and apply that to your roots and it will keep them from getting bright.  You leave that on 45 minutes.  At the 15 minute mark, apply the original red you want to the rest of your hair and wait 30 minutes.  Wash hair.

 

So at Sallys, I use a 6R as my main color.  I get a 4R (2 shades darker red) and mix equal parts of the 4R with 6R and the combo makes around a 5R, ..or around 1 shade darker than my main hair color.  Once I apply the new mix to my roots, then apply the original color (4R) to the rest of my hair, and wash.... i can't even tell i have used 2 different colors.  It all looks the same and no scare of bright pink roots.  I'm super happy with these results.  I have to re-do my hair about every 4 wks because of the fade and in the summer I wear hats outside to make it last a touch longer.

 

I'm guessing this is where we went terribly wrong.  We used a dye lighter than my roots by a lot, all over for the entire time. :(  My kids have said that this story will be told to future generations of our family in order to deter hair colouring mishaps....I was apparently the guinea pig for the entire earthyfamily clan yet to come.

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Don't use Color Oops to try and remove the color.  I used that once and lost a lot of hair because of it and it took a good year for the remaining hair to recover from the damage.

 

Thanks Twiggy!  I've read so many bad reviews about colour oops that I was sure not to make that an option. :)

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Thanks Twiggy!  I've read so many bad reviews about colour oops that I was sure not to make that an option. :)

 

Yes, had I read reviews first I would have steered clear.  But I panicked, ran to the store, and let the Walgreens lady talk me into it.   :ohmy:

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I dye my hair red, my natural color is nearly espresso brown, and I have suffered from hot pink roots a time or two as I didn't understand the lift that has to happen on virgin roots. For future reference, this is what my stylist taught me to do when I do it myself:

 

Once you pick a red color to dye your hair, find another color one or two shades darker red than your hair will be. Mix 1/2 oz of the darker red with 1/2 oz of the red you want your hair to be. You will mix with developer and apply that to your roots and it will keep them from getting bright. You leave that on 45 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, apply the original red you want to the rest of your hair and wait 30 minutes. Wash hair.

 

So at Sallys, I use a 6R as my main color. I get a 4R (2 shades darker red) and mix equal parts of the 4R with 6R and the combo makes around a 5R, ..or around 1 shade darker than my main hair color. Once I apply the new mix to my roots, then apply the original color (4R) to the rest of my hair, and wash.... i can't even tell i have used 2 different colors. It all looks the same and no scare of bright pink roots. I'm super happy with these results. I have to re-do my hair about every 4 wks because of the fade and in the summer I wear hats outside to make it last a touch longer.

I'm confused-- you put the lighter color on your roots or the other way around?

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I'm confused-- you put the lighter color on your roots or the other way around?

 

On my roots, I put the two colors mixed together.   I picked a color 2 shades darker than my overall hair color.  Mix a little of the darker red with the all over red hair color to make a mid-color.  It's about a shade darker than the all over color once mixed.  Apply to roots.  The darker color doesn't lift the virgin roots as much, therefore avoiding too much lift..and hot roots.

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