Eek - hairdye disaster - please tell me what to do

[Devora]

I've been dying my hair out of a box for the last 30 years. No problems. Like a FOOL decided to (a) take it down a few shades and (b) try a new brand. 'Light golden brown' I went for. It has turned out dark mahogany. I am pale with blue eyes and it just looks awful on me - I look like a middle-aged goth.

What can I do? Stick some blonde dye on top? Keep shampooing? Are those products that strip the dye out any good, or high risk?

Have you gone light to far? If so boots sells a product that takes the due back out. Don't know if it'll come out completely but it'll take it back lighter so you can try a different less dark colour

Sorry light to dark that should say

Colour B4 worked for me when I had a home colouring disaster.

I've also used colour b4, and it does work. It smells horrible and takes ages though!

Stick a pre lightner on its less of a faff than colour b4. Check it regularly, about 15 minutes might be enough

Was it one of those 10-minute jobs? They are a bugger for this.

I used Colour B4, too.

My natural hair colour is warm mouse, my usual dye job is a few shades lighter (dark warm blonde). This is actually worse than mahogany - it's that dark aubergine colour so loved by woman of a certain (i.e. my) age.

I'm really keen to not get laughed at all day Monday back at the office, so think I'll go to Boots tomorrow for that hairstripping stuff and then maybe a very inoffensive light brown on top. Back to my beloved L'Oreal as John Frieda you are shit.

Thanks for advice, people. I have a party tomorrow but fortunately in a very dark place...

The only thing with the hairstripper is you can't use a permanent dye for a period of time after. I can't remember.how long it is though. You will probably find though that your hair is lighter than its natural colour anyway. Even if you haven't been using colours with bleach in, they all contain peroxide.
You can use a non-permanent straight after.

So is the stripper likely to leave it all strange and bleached-out looking, or relatively normal? And I can use one of those 10 minute temporary dye jobs straight after?

Trying not to panic here: I'm overdue a haircut as well, so my hair will look long and straggly and PURPLE. The shame, the shame...

Hat? At least it's cold outside! (Not terribly helpful, I know!) Maybe at least until you get something better sorted out though...

Mine looked blonder than my natural colour, a bit brassy Tbh, but I don't necessarily mind that . You can colour it straightaway with, I think, level 2 colour, which is like the old harmony hair colours if you remember those? It tells you the full details in the instructions though. I found it good because I felt like I had a lot of colour build up and it gave a clean slate so to speak.

Many thanks thestauntonlick, you have given me hope. I will be hot-footing it to Boots tomorrow.

If that fails, I'll be round to Lego's to borrow a hat.

[Weeps softly.]

It will definitely work as long as you follow the instructions exactly. The main thing is to rinse really really well. Fear not!