How can I lighten my hair back to my original color?
My original hair color is a beautiful dark brown, almost black. However, for the past three years I have been dying my hair blue black.
I want to go back to my original color so I don’t have to bother with dying my hair over and over again. I don’t want to just let it grow out, because I think it looks tacky when my roots are showing.
Is there anything I can do just to remove the black from my hair that doesn’t completely destroy my hair? Would dying it back to my original color actually work, being that my hair is pitch black?
I kinda want to do this myself. I hate paying people to do my hair when I can do it just as well.
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17 Answers
I suggest you pay a hair color professional.
You can start blending highlights in and tone them to your original color. Like, big slices of hair instead of tiny weaves of hair. It’ll blend and just kinda grow out.
Picture your hairs like they have big holes in them. The color fills the holes. Bleach strips it and creates a more porous follicle. If you just keep slapping dye on it’ll just get darker and be back for your hair.
I’m sure you look sexy with whatever color. You could probably shave your head bald and paint polka dots on it and I’d still lick it. Hahaha
@YARNLADY Goodness, I haven’t been to one of those in years!
@redfeather So bleaching it and then dying it to the original color is not suggested? Could I just buy some hair dye that looks like my original color and use it? Or would the black overpower that?
By the way, there shall be NO head shaving anytime soon!
You can buy boxes of hair color remover at the drugstore, @KateTheGreat.
My first suggestion would be to wash your hair with the hottest water you can tolerate to open your hair folicles, then wash your hair with a cheap shampoo (like a suave) or just use dish detergent. This will help start to lift the color out.
Next, do the kit. All of the major hair color companies have color strippers/lifters or removers.
@SpatzieLover Do you know if they are really bad for your hair or not?
Some of them are harsh.
I haven’t tried ColorOops but have heard it is much less harsh. It has no bleach or ammonia.
If you’re really concerned with your texture, I’d do a remover (a “safer” one) then dye the hair right afterwards, then do a conditioning treatment to close the folicles.
If you’re going to go @SpatzieLover‘s route then you may want to do a test run on some inconspicuous hair just in case.
@KatetheGreat, I wouldn’t bleach your whole head
From my experience black and red are really tricky to deal with. When I went red for a year I opted to cut mine off to minimize the transition but then I like short hair.
@SpatzieLover you gave great advice :-)
@tranquilsea I agree about those two colors. At least reds fade fast…but both can turn other create awful hair mishaps if left under another color.
@KateTheGreat They can be tricky even for experienced colorists. My mom’s natural color is medium auburn. More than once colorists have turned her tone brassy or green….ewww!
If you are going from a dark brown to a light or plat-blond? Very slowly and very gradually. Highlights until saturation is reached less the damage of a full head lightening is best because half way through the process, if you get sick of it, or don’t like it as much as you throught you might, given enough time, you can go either way again with little to no damage.
The entire process however takes about 6 months, but it is a gradual change and you get to keep looking different and you can stop any time you like.
Hair color does not lighten hair remember that, it doesn’t pull color out unless you use one that strips like a high lift-anything. It is damaging, you will lose inches to get it healthy again and it can be horrible if you do it wrong. You can end up with something the color of cigarette ashes
Honestly for best results you’ll have to go to a professional. Using a box dye over it will not lighten it. The only way to lighten hair is to add highlights or bleach. At a salon they can strip the colour for you and dye your hair as close to your natural colour as possible. It sucks to pay the money but if you want good results that’s your best bet.
I would use a temporary dye that is close to your natural color if it is possible to use a lighter shade on dark hair. If you want to do it yourself I really like Natural Instincts semipermanent. The side of the box tells you what the color looks like on dark hair. Even if you cannot make your hair lighter, by using semi permanent going forward you will mask the hair that is growing out lighter, eventually letting the dye completely wash out after a few months. The dye usually lasts about 6–8 weeks, so you will have to do it over a couple times.
If you have layers in your hair, even if it is long, the growing out process will be much faster.
Sorry, but I would go to a professional too. If it goes wrong, it just makes it harder to put it right if you have to go to one later.
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