Tatty troubleshoot me please!

[skyebluepink]

I bought a copper colour l'oreal ferria. So it's made my dark brown hair a nice coppery colour but the roots are golden and totally different from the rest. I was reckless as I'm dying over various things but the rest of my hair is fine just the weird glowing roots. I havent done anything else for about 2 months.

How can I get the rest of my hair to match? The dye I've just used was permanent.

Thank you!

Do you want your roots to match the rest or the other way round?

What colour is your natural colour (i.e what was growing through at the roots, your "virgin hair")?

It will be possible to match your roots to the rest, you will need to dye your roots a very warm brown, though it might take a bit of trial and error.

So yes, what colour is your natural? And what were you dyed to before you put the copper over it? Obviously a dark brown but do you have a brand name or was it done at the hairdresser?

Just to add, what you are experiencing is a common side-effect of a colour change and is known as "root glow". Even hairdressers do it to you sometimes! Its when the new virgin hair growing through has less artificial pigment and natural pigment and is more responsive to the peroxide and basically has less layers of colour so appears lighter after peroxide is applied even if the colour you have put is a darkish tone. Usually it presents itself as a bit gingery. It can be fixed or at least improved so once you've come back to me with those details I'll see what we can try!

You're great Tatty - haven't needed advice from you (yet!) But think its really kind of you to explain these things and offer your professional advice.

Disclaimer - I am NOT a professional, and should probably make that more clear in my posts. But I do have a LOT of experience in home dying and have a sponge like brain for things that interest me and should probably get a more worthwhile hobby! I love hair, and dye, and makeup, and crap like that. There are a lot of photos on my profile showing my hair changes and I do know what I am doing in that I understand the capabilities of the producuts I am using, know their risks and pitfalls, know what the can't do, etc so I can manage expectations and give advice on how to get it right and what not to do, and if nothing else, how to strand test and what a product can or definitely cannot achieve.

But thanks - I just feel a woman can spend a LOT of money in salons in a lifetime and that money can be spent on other things if she is willing to stain spend time in her bathroom once a month.

Tatty
thank you

I want my roots to match the rest of my hair colour so browny ginger (its nicer than it sounds!)

my virgin hair was dark brown with bits of grey

the rest of my hair was a hotch potch of semis and (whispers) henna. But don't get cross or run away. It was few months ago and I know henna is the kiss of death but it wasn't on the roots...( do you hate me now?!)

I know you are not a professional but you have a real knowledge and ability to manage expectations and you seem to be much more authoritative than any hairdresser I have encountered who I try and discuss dying with

Do you think I should dye just my roots a warm brown with a semi?

thank you again

It sounds like your roots need more "brown" and "depth" to match. Worth trying to get it right if you like the overall shade.

Tricky, as strand test not an option.

Would you describe the overall effect as dark copper brown, or a mahogany? I suspect even just dying your roots a warm brown like medium golden brown or even 550 Mahogany (casting creme gloss) will possibly do it (that might be too red)

Let me get back to you in the morning, had a bad night last night so going for an early one, will look at the colour chart tomorrow and get back to you with some options and you can tell me which ones "sing" to you.

Glad you find me helpful. Am not professional but do know my dyes and have an eye for colour, I think, and the way they form layers on top of each other x

Amazing thank you.

It's more copper than red. I'm not a huge fan of mahogany. It's the first one you said mid copper brown

Anyway I hope you get a good sleep in xx

Morning! Had a lovely sleep thanks.

Right, I suggest Clairol Nice n Easy 118B Natural Medium Caramel Brown for your roots. Its quite a copper brown shade - not mahogany, but enough brown in it to help match up, and enough warmth in it (hopefully, its a very warm shade) to blend with the body of your hair. I know the roots are already warm but lack depth.

If you do that and it still doesn't match, i.e not enough depth or not red enough, you could try the 120B Natural Dark Caramel brown, but that's quite a dark shade. Start lighter, you can always add "more colour" later but you canne taketh away!

Whilst a strand test is not an option, you could do a "patch test" on your roots - mix a teaspoon out of each bottle in the box together, and choose an inconspicuous spot to the side, halfway between your ear and the top of your head, paint on the dye to your roots only (do it one morning half an hour before you were going to wash your hair anyway), and once your hair is dry, find the spot and observe the colour match. If its good, then you can mix up the rest of the colour and do your roots only - I suggest you buy a cheapie foundation brush and use that as you don't want to be dying over the rest of your hair if possible - you will get colour build up and overprocess it.

If the patch test is all wrong, we can think again!

Glad you got some sleep. I'm having trouble finding 118b. I know clairol is your speciality though. I wonder if I Should wait and order online or try a Loreal shade in Hazel nut. A mid copper brown it's described as.
Tried 4 boots supedrug so far

Thank you so so much for this xx

I strand tested Hazlenut yesterday and it went really really dark but not that warm. It was weird.

I personally think those Clairol shades would be the ones. Have you tried Tesco? Some big Tesco's have the shades that Boots et al don't stock...

OK so I tried everywhere to get the clairol one but there are no big tescos near me...

In the end I searched high and low for something with 'caramel' in title and found nothing so I got a colour called true aubern from Loreal feria or whatever it is called again. It has sort of blended it all through but I don't know what I was thinking because I ended up in the last ten mins running it all the way through the rest of my hair. So all my hair is a tad darker and copperish but perhaps bordering on mahogany.. I will see what it looks like in the morning light. Also I realised afterwards I had left out the colour booster ( which is a bright orange colour). God knows what difference that would have made - why do they piss around like that?! And what is with all the mousses? was 30 mins really so long to wait? I feel like the hair dye companies are ostensibly making it easier and faster but actually it reallly confuses us. ( prob so we buy 3 hair dyes a pop and then some of that colour remover!)

Your advice has been invaluable and it is a shame I am too much of an impatient impetuous fool to take it properly!

Arghrrrrrrr.

Hmmm - let me know how it looks in the morning light. But my advice is essentially the same. If its easier to get Loreal Recital Preference of something like that I can try and give you a colour that will dull down your roots if needs be but their shades are less "predictable" than Clairol. Ideally you'd buy online and just wait a day or two for it to arrive but I do understand how you just want it sorted, I am as impatient as they come!

I don't rate mousees or 10 minute this or that and the like. I like bog standard liquid/cream dyes that take 30-45 minutes to develop.

Guess what I found not a minute from my house in a dusty old chemists!!
Such a pretty colour too.

Today my hair Is better though a tad dark. Might leave it for a bit and get 118 caramel for roots...

I was originally inspired by this
http://www.youtube.com/user/pixiwoo#p/u/7/55SRquktFT4
avon 6.56

do you think clairol have a similar one? not nec for me now but whilst I have your attention. I promise to leave you alone now!