I want brown hair, why is this so hard?

[prolificwillybreeder]

I would like brown hair. My natural colour is dark mousy I guess.
I currently have a semi nice and easy medium natural brown. It turned out a bit red. I have no idea why.

I want a more real brown IYSWIM? More milk chocolate. No red, no orange just nice and English Rose brown.

I'm asking too much aren't I?

[spiderslegs]

Whenever I've home-coloured it seems to turn out a bit red, even if I go for the mid-brown dyes, I use mine to cover grey & it's very difficult to get a match for my natural colour at home.

Hairdresser always gets it spot on, if money's an issue, get it done at the salon less frequently & use a semi every 8 weeks to touch up your roots.

[chipstick10]

even when i get it coloured at the hairdressers, when the colour starts to fade it always goes red.

[spout]

you need something with an ash tone

[Thehusbandsatcricketagain]

I concur with spout,you need an ash toned one like I have to use or else it eaves red tones which are just not a good look on me

[spiderslegs]

Ahh - that's what I was thinking spout but my brain would only come up with blonde-ish - you're quite the colourist today!

[SunnilyEnough]

Same thing happens to me. As the others have said, you need an ash-toned colour.

[scartette]

Try 'castings' in -chocolate brown. I find it brilliant with no red undertones.

[prolificwillybreeder]

Ash tones... I see. So Ash brown? It won't leave my hair a flat colour? I'm sure I've had a bad experience before leaving my hair a funny colour. I worry about flat colour. Can you tell I have no idea about hair dye!
I'll look at nice and easy colour chart now.

I'll have a look at castings thanks scartette :)

[prolificwillybreeder]

Scartette- I don't suppose you know the number? I'm lost, iced chocolate? Chocolate truffle? You think they could make their names simplier!

[prolificwillybreeder]

Simpler* not simplier! Blardy iPhone!

[moragbellingham]

Iced chocolate....sounds so good, but turned out dreadful on me. A sort of orangey marmalade colour and I had to go over it with something equally bad.
I ended up at the hairdresser who had to give me a very dak brown to cover it up (and you could still see the red in it).

[Jonnyfan]

I use the "Medium Brown" which has no red in it.
Avoid "chocolate brownie" which is very red on me!

[TattyDevine]

CAREFUL - you will go too dark with some of those castings specially if you slap them over the top. Chocolate Brownie for instance is a number 400 or a 450 if I recall and that is really a shade up from black or darkest brown. Slap that over an existing brown and you will be nearly black. And they have the most peroxide of the brands, as they have no ammonia. So black straw if you are not careful.

It sounds like you need an ashier tone or at least a "natural" instead of a warm.

But not too dark! Particularly as you are already brown (having done the one that came out too red). I'd be tempted to whack a dark ash blonde over the top (assuming you have absolutely no regrowth/virgin hair at the roots) to tone it and then use the Light Ash Brown when your regrowth grows in.

(Clairol Nice n Easy, we are talking, brand wise)...

[Thehusbandsatcricketagain]

I have used garnier nutrisse in dark brown,nice colour but don't try clairol perfect 10 in number 4 dark brown espresso unless you want to be almost black (tried this less than 2 weeks before my wedding :-( )

[prolificwillybreeder]

Thank you Tatty!
Do I just pop the ash blonde over the dye on my hair now?
I don't hate the colour so could wait. The semi is 24 washes when would I be safe to start again?
I have virgin roots.
So light ash brown, you think is the way to go?

Thank you everyone for your advice. I didn't think brown would be so difficult!