Removing permanent hair dye.. I know.. I've talked before :)

[Anordinarymum]

So I have long hair which has not been cut for ages.

I have been using permanent dyes for years and my hair is normally in good condition but not of late. I know it's the dye drying it out and I know it won't improve, plus I'm fed up of doing the roots.

I now have about an inch of undyed hair which looks bad. I have been looking at ways to remove the old dye so I can decide what I want to do.

I have read all the advice, and eventually bought a bottle of Head and Shoulders ( the apple one) which I was going to mix with soda crystals.

Reading all the online advice I hesitated and so I have just been using the shampoo.

Tonight I washed my hair and left the shampoo in. I put a shower cap on and waited for about an hour and then I rinsed my hair and conditioned it.

When I rinsed my hair the water was brown. This was with using the Head and Shoulders on it's own ! Oh deep joy !

So I have decided to carry on for as long as I can stand looking like a twat and try to remove the dye in this way.

Just needed to share in case anyone else is thinking of doing the same

I used head and shoulders to get my hair back from brown to blonde, works amazing. Also I read about crushing vitamin c tablets and mixing with the shampoo, I did this and it got a lot more colour out. Does dry out hair tho, use a good condition and hair mask couple of times a week. When it got light enough I was able to dye it blonde, no bleaching like I've had to do before.

I read using vitamin c tabs was really damaging. It scared me:(

What I forgot to mention was I am over 60 and my hair which was once thick and luxurious is a little thinner now. hence the reason for being hesitant to use something which may be more damaging than the dye.

If i get the courage I will post a pic. I am not very technical but tomorrow when the hair is dry I may have a go.

The vit c tablets or vinegar make it like straw !!

@earsup

The vit c tablets or vinegar make it like straw !!

Yes this is what I read.

I'm now 6 months in. I was using Vosene to fade the dye but it's actually fading naturally over time. It feels so much softer and I think it's in much better condition but I do miss being a brunette!

@CoolYourBeansMySon

I'm now 6 months in. I was using Vosene to fade the dye but it's actually fading naturally over time. It feels so much softer and I think it's in much better condition but I do miss being a brunette!

So what is your colour now and what are you thinking of doing ? Are you just going to leave it if your colour is nice or are you going to go blonde or grey?

I am waiting to see what my real colour is and how it looks against my skin. As it is now it looks bloody awful :( When i get a better picture I am thinking silver grey, but it all depends on how I look (if it ages me)

Update.

I decided to hasten the process and today I mixed Head and Shoulders with baking soda. I washed my hair in it like they said and left it on for 20 minutes exactly and then rinsed and deep conditioned it and allowed it to dry naturally

My lovely hair is like straw. I am going to have to work very hard to repair the damage I caused.

My family are cross with me but not half as cross as I am with my stupid self

I’m aiming for the same thing. I have dyed dark brown hair, natural auburn hair. I have about an inch of root growth so looks quite light against dyed hair. Just getting fed up of dying hair now & i’m not so good at it!

I’ve done the vitamin c wash twice, which removed some of the darkness & i’ve been washing my hair in h&s. My hair is a bit dry now so I’m trying to look after it as I’m trying to grow it! I know another vitamin c wash will be useless so I’m not going to bother with another one & i’ve tried using washing up liquid & it didn’t really do much.

I asked my hairdresser & i’ve a few options. Obviously they involve bleach, there’s no getting away from that if I want to go back to natural colour NOW. Highlights, so there’s no obvious line where the roots are & bleach bath. Or I can just grow it out, which will look crap. I don’t want to knacker my hair any more but equally i don’t want my hair to look crap! My only reluctance about getting highlights is that I’ve had them done in the past & they’ve always ended up looking bloody yellow just that strange shade where they haven’t lifted properly & the hairdresser says they can’t lift the hair any further so you’re stuck with canary yellow highlights which they call ‘caramel’.

I like the dark brown, but I’m getting near 50 & I think it’s ageing me a bit. I think i’ll wait another month, if I can, see more of my natural colour come through & decide then.

I didn’t do anything while in lockdown so my hair had several months of growing out - I’ve decided to carry on, but in the meantime my hairdresser has put in some highlights and blurred the line where the old dye was - it’s not a full head of highlights so there is a fair amount of my grey Showing, which I quite like. Will keep going with the grow out - can always dye it again if ultimately I don’t like it!

My family are cross with me

Why on earth are your family cross with you?

Have you thought to go to the hairdressers for a consultation?

They are cross because I spoiled my hair. I should have gone to a hairdresser they say.

Today I cut an inch off the length using a YouTube manual. It is fine. I've done it many times before. However, the hair I cut off is like a brillo pad.
If I go to a hairdresser I know they will remove the hair dye using bleach and this is what I wanted to avoid.

Today my hair looks and feels like crap (sorry) so I am going to give it a conditioning treatment.

I will not use baking soda again, No way. Maybe it works for some people but it did not work for my hair. A lesson learned.

I'd be very careful about doing any of this.

in the summer when lockdown eased I went to a hair salon asked for a full head of blonde highlights - showed a picture etc - and ended up coming out with bright platinum blonde block colour - luckily not on the roots - I think I thought the stylist was just going to put a base colour on and highlight after as I've got grey sides etc and someone did this before. To say I was incandescent with rage was another story and after having an expensive hair cut which I didn't have at the time and a 'tint' I've now had a semi permanent darker (my natural colour but slightly darker) put on it instead. No way on earth would I try anything else! Be careful!

if I go to a hairdresser I know they will remove the hair dye using bleach and this is what I wanted to avoid.

Not necessarily! They might use a colour stripper, they might use the opposite tone, they might suggest a few highlights to transition your natural hair to the coloured mids and ends, they might suggest an all over semi permanent colour that will wash out as your hair grows.
They might also suggest a treatment to help get your hair back from its straw like state.
And certainly you can go for a free consultation without them getting the bleach out! Go to a professional, ask their skilled and experienced opinion and then decide what to do.

I mean, after all, you’re willing to take the advice of a load of randoms on the Internet - why not ask an actual hairdresser?

Well awsomer, the advice on here (mumsnet) and on the web came for nothing :)