Had hair dyed - don't like it

[BrightenMyNorthernSky]

I went to the hairdressers (same hairdresser that I have ben going to for about 10 years) yesterday, and for the first time had my hair dyed. I've been getting a few greys, and so wanted to cover these as well as fancying a (little) bit of a change.

My hair is naturally a lightish red/brown colour. I showed the hairdresser a picture of Amy Adams (a nice, bright, light chestnut) and said that I'd like something similar - really just a little redder (coppery red) than my natural colour, and a bit brighter. I stressed that I did NOT want to go darker, and was a little nervous about dying my hair at all.

Well, I look slightly like a goth. My hair is a really unnatural (hints of burgundy / purple) dark red colour, a good few shades darker than my natural colour. It completely drains me (I have celtic-pale skin). It didn't look so bad under the lights in the hairdressers, it was only when I got home that I realised how much I hated it.

It's a "permanent" colour, but I've washed it loads with Head & Shoulders (about 8 times since yesterday morning!) and the purple-ness of it is starting to fade - it's still far too dark though. Worse, the colour is really coming out of my greys, which are now far more obvious than pre-dyeing as the rest of my hair is much darker.

Will the colour keep fading? Is there anything which I can do to speed this up? Could I go back and ask for some highlights to be put through it to soften it? Am slightly nervous about going anywhere near a hairdresser again!

Head and shoulders will strip the colour out, so that will be why your greys are lightening. There really isn't anything I ca suggest up other than dying it again.

There are hair colour correctors out there but ive never used them and you will will have to redye it.

Your hairdresser could strip it back and put the copper tone you wanted back through it.

Thanks Glaikit - so if I just keep going with the Head & Shoulders it should keep getting lighter? If so I might do that for a couple of weeks then get some highlights (greys are still at the pluckable stage, really just a few, so not a disaster).

I would go back and insist she corrects the mistake - as it is a mistake. She should do this for you.

I was in your position when I went for extremely expensive blonde highlights and they dyed my hair brown... musrky brown. (did highlights then a 'toner' whish was brown )

They re-id it for me (still wasn't happy but was better) I understand that you are nervous about going back (I certainly would) but I would, I really would. It sounds like it could be quite easy to sort out.

PS meant to say poor you - it is really upsetting when this happens.

I should say this was the result when I went for a copper red, so it really isn't as bad as it could be! s1171.photobucket.com/albums/r547/glaikitfizzog/?action=view&current=photo-20.jpg

If you don't want to go back you can get something like colour b4, Superdrug do their own version now as well, it will take the dye out completely. It's a bit if a faff and you have to follow the instructions to the letter, lots of rinsing, but it does work.

Since it's your first application colorb4 should work well.

If you want to brighten it up Amber by castings should give you the tone you are after. It will look redder initially but will wash out to a lighter copper. Do leave time inbetween using colourb4 and a semi or it will return back too being too dark.

Thanks everyone, really helpful. Re Colour b4, I had seen this mentioned when I panic googled last night, but lots of people seemed to be suggesting that it had wrecked their hair - do you think it would be OK? My hair is in really good condition so can probably withstand a bit! (From memory I think another complaint was that it left hair looking gingery, but that would be OK, it's naturally gingery).

calypso yes, am really quite upset - probably a big overreacting but I HATE looking in the mirror today.

Glaikit - hmm, nothing copper red about that!! Maybe it's a hard colour to get right?! Mine has hints of that kind of colour, although not as "vibrant" for want of a better word...

Queenie, thanks for the recommendation re Amber. I will have a look at that in about 3 years when I'm feeling brave enough to contemplate hair dye again.

Do you wear make up? I find after a hair colour change I have to wear different make up. You sound of similar colouring to me (Celtic) and if your hair has gone a "colder" shade, whack on some bronzer to counteract the draining.

Thanks Glaikit. I do wear a little bit of makeup - I think half my problem with this hair colour is that I need to wear a lot more make-up to avoid looking washed out. I have slapped it on by the trowel load today - eyeliner / eyeshadow / blusher / lippy, and it does help (eyebrows still too light, though, and pencil alone won't sort that), but I can't be bothered with that faff every morning before the school run. The more I look at my hair the more I see that the colour (post lots of Head & Shoulders!) could be nice on someone else (with darker skin) but it's never going to be good for me (although maybe I should keep it for Halloween ). In the words of DS1 (4): "Mummy, what mistake has actually happened to your head?".

I think it trashes the hair of people whose hair is already trashed through multiple dye applications.

Permanent hair colour does lighten the hair slightly because it uses peroxide to fix the colour but it really shouldn't be noticeable from one application on already warm toned hair.

Go for it.

I love Nick Drake too by the way

You are the first person to have picked up on my username, Queenie (although it's a recent namechange). I love him so much that just typing this in makes me happy every time I mumsnet .

Right-oh, Colour b4 it is, Dh is going to pick some up on his way home so wish me luck for this evening! I'll report back...

Thank you thank you thank you to all who recommended Colour b4! It has worked really well. My hair is very slightly more gingery than my natural colour, but this is pretty much what I asked the hairdresser for in the first place. Delighted to be back to me!

Yay! Glad it worked

Excellent!