Nooo! Brown dye turned jet black - opinions?

[LemonLadybird]

Arghhhh!!! My roots were horrendous and I'm expecting a baby very soon, I can't afford to keep getting my roots done now I'm on mat pay and I wanted an easy colour to maintain for the first 6 months as I'll be so busy. I was a lovely silver grey to start, then I had a crisis of confidence so stupidly dumped a light brown on which made my hair like straw. Then my black roots started growing and looked bloody awful against the brown so I thought I'd try a semi permanent dark brown (28 shampoos) and match the roots a bit more - total disaster! It looks like a black wig, and it's so matte It's so so dark.

My confidence is completely gone and I've not used a box dye in years as I know they never really work so I feel v stupid for being so spontaneous. I should've done a strand test but Im an idiot. The black has flecks of purple in which look awful. What do I do I just wanted to feel nice and confident before my baby arrives but it's done the total opposite! Any way to either fade it or go to an actual brown colour? The problem is I can't afford to strip it etc etc as I just wanted an easy colour I didn't have to think about! Sorry for the rant, and thank you for any help.

A bottle of good old head and shoulders on dry hair and massaged in, then washed off stripped some of mine out. I used a brand, can't remember which one but it was a posher name, anyway their number 4 dark brown made my naturally dark brown hair go almost black. The shampoo helped enormously.

Wash it. Anti-dandruff shampoo like Vosene or a cheap shampoo will do. Apply shampoo two or three times. If your hair has already been coloured, the colour will linger, but it will go quite quickly.

In the pics you’ve posted your hair actually looks loads better in the after photo where it’s dark - it looks really healthy whereas it looks dried out in the before pic. Are you sure it doesn’t just need a bit of getting used to?

Johnson's baby shampoo, for something that advertises as gentle it does a bloody good job of stripping hair dye.

don't panic , it will lessen in darkness in a week or so
it probably looks worse to you than others
I had same experience except salon dye
I used Head and shoulders for a week every day and it was fine.

I think it looks nice but if you don't get some head and shoulders on it.

you can buy colour stripping stuff in boots if you're desperate

I also think it looks a million times better in the after photo 👍🏼

I agree it looks nice in the picture.

I think it looks lovely. But if you don’t like it I second the head and shoulders advice.

I prefer your new colour too

Ah you lovely people, thank you for saying it looks nicer now that's so kind! I just feel so ugly! It was extremely dry before and the roots looked terrible - I looked so unkempt! My roots are black and I've not been my natural colour for years so the fact it's gothic black rather than "natural" has freaked me out! The picture is more flattering than real life. I'll try using head and shoulders to make it a little less harsh, but is there anything I can do to tone down the "purpleness?" Got a horrid feeling I'll be left with that kind of reddish tone which took years to get rid of. You live and learn!!

Thank you again

I think it looks great. You're young and gorgeous enough to carry off any colour.

That said, I've gone too dark before and felt like you. I just felt like the colour swallowed me up! What helped massively was darkening my eyebrows and wearing darker eye make up and a bit of bronzer just to balance it out. Try wearing bolder colours as well

It will fade quickly, use a decent clarifying shampoo or Head and Shoulders as recommended.
Once it's faded any redness can be neutralised with a blue toner. If you can stretch to it, try Charles Worthington Colour Plex toning blue shampoo for brunettes; gets rid of red orange tones giving an more a shy brown and also repairs damage.

In future if home dying opt for dark ash blonde. Dark blonde is essentially light brown and the ash will avoid red tones.

Don’t use colour stripper, it will go orange and then when you recolour it will go a lot darker anyway, ime. I think it looks good.

I like the after colour too. It looks absolutely fine.

I also like the colour, sometimes going dark can seem like a shock, but don't use colour stripper, it may will go orange.

crushed vitamin c tablets and andi dandruff mixed and leave on. see you tube for how long. it does work.

Seriously, it looks a million times better darker. It suits your skin tone better and looks healthy and shiny

I like it better darker too.

At least it’s one colour all over and I promise it looks far better than the other colour even if you feel it’s a bit too dark!

I would do... nothing. Don’t try & strip it (at least not with anything harsher than head & shoulders or baby shampoo). Just leave it, it’ll fade a lot in a fortnight. Concentrate on conditioning as improving the shine will help.

For the future, I have found anything that says medium brown is dark brown in reality, light brown is medium brown etc etc. I’m a light brunette but use a dark blonde colour as that turns out light brown, Iyswim.

But the new colour looks great on you and actually I’m quite jel as I’d love to be a proper dark brown. It looks a bit like Michelle Keegan’s hair in your pic!

I Think it looks nice! It's a lot better than the 'before' pic. Don't worry OP it's just a bit of a shock, keep washing it, the harshness of the dark will fade.

And...it'll be far easier to manage with a new baby, if your roots are black anyway.

Pure vitamin c powder (not effervescent) mixed with Vosene, put on dry hair, and massage in well, cover with a plastic bag and leave on for an hour. Then wash out and use more of the same on wet hair. Lather up and leave for 20/30 mins with a shower cap on without rinsing. Again rinse though all colour will have gone.

I much prefer it darker from those photos but it’s hard to tell if it suits your particular face and colouring without seeing your actual face. I wouldn’t worry though I’m sure it looks good

It looks goid. Just wash it over and over to soften the colour a bit. It’ll fade pretty quick, it’s only a semipermanent.