I inadvertently dyed my hair red. Can I put ash brown over it?

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I couldn't bear my brassy grown out highlights much longer and decided to dye my hair my natural colour before Christmas.

Taking the advice that my highlights would go khaki coloured if I went straight to a brown dye, I opted for a reddy brown colour, with the idea that once the blonde was filled in with some red tones, I could dye brown over the top.

Well, the colour was 2 shades darker than I ought to have done. And it's very red/mahogany rather than brown. It's ageing and just horrible with the length of hair I have. I tried dyeing brown over the top and it made no difference, but again, it was a warm brown and might have had red tones in it.

I have an Ash brown dye in my drawer, s it even worth trying that? It's a lighter shade than the original dye.

Also, the original dye is one due to last 24 washes. I read that they are not truly semi-permanent. As it washes out, what will be revealed first, my root colour or the colour on the highlights?

Hair b4... Works great. Strips all dye off first for a fresh start!! From Asda /Tesco.

I think I used something like that when I was a teen and ended up with hair the colour and texture of straw

I’m not a hairdresser but I’m growing out bleach by having my hair dresser use a semi perm to blend my roots and create some interest colour wise. Counter intuitively for me the colour comes out of the bleached hair first and (to give you hope) my colour fades far quicker than I would like.
Also, I’ve had a bad semi perm applied in the past and used head and shoulders to tone it down quite successfully and relatively kindly to my hair.
I am fairly certain a light dye won’t do anything for now so in your shoes I’d go head and shoulders for a bit and then when it’s lighter try the ashy brown.
Good luck

Did you use the final serum ams rinse for the correct time? After the initial rinse I looked like Worzel. Rinse for about 20 mins I think. The long rinse is vital. After that and the serum it was absolutely more than fine. Went from black to long forgotten blonde hair!!

Use a shampoo that will strip out the colour. I might be wrong, but I think something like an anti-dandruff shampoo might help.

An ash brown over the top might work but it's a lot for your hair to take at once. Red dye fades quickest. What does it feel like now? I would leave it a few days and put the ash brown on.

I had brown over bleached hair and it does fade pretty fast. Don't colour b4 it. On bleached hair? Absolutely not.

Thank you. I must have washed it about 10 times since the dye and last 5 washes I've used clarifying shampoo. I will try head and shoulders

If the highlighted hair starts to show through first, c that would be okay. It needs breaking up and some interest even if the top remains dark red. Do you think it would be OK to do brown over the top in about another 10 washes? Or will I be back to square 1 with the blonde bits going khaki green?

I'm so annoyed with myself for not getting a hair appt in October. I just didn't find time. Then we had lockdown, then I didn't feel good about going to the hairdresser in December.

Ahhh. Sorry to be a downer but I think you may have f’ed up as warm tones are difficult to remove from dyed brown hair. Even if you dye over it, it will wash out to the same red colour and will look really prominent in the sun.

I think leave it for now and let your hairdresser correct it post lockdown. I highly recommend blue shampoo, it’s a toning shampoo for brassy brunette hair

Lemon and conditioner - I know it sounds a bit odd but trust me it's saved me a few times throughout the years, google it! Juice a fresh lemon and mix it in with conditoner , slather your hair in it and leave on for an hour under cling film or a shower cap. Then shampoo and condition as nkrmale. Apparently this can also be done with washing up liquid but I've never fancied that.

Thank you. You've given me some how. I will certainly Google it.

I was once in the same situation!

Similar to the last post, you can use bicarb of soda in a paste in your hair, wrap with cling film and leave as long as you dare. This in a combo with Head & Shoulders bought me back from disaster.

And the purple shampoo is good if it's still brassy!

www.healthline.com/health/can-you-use-baking-soda-to-lighten-your-hair

Also - I was advised by a hairdresser friend not to use those stripping kits - apparently they really do destroy your hair. Used the methods above & good conditioning masks, my hair came out of pretty well unscathed.

Apparently washing your hair in fairy liquid strips out the colour fast. I read it on style and beauty a few years ago.

@Luckingfovely

I was once in the same situation!

Similar to the last post, you can use bicarb of soda in a paste in your hair, wrap with cling film and leave as long as you dare. This in a combo with Head & Shoulders bought me back from disaster.

And the purple shampoo is good if it's still brassy!

yes this works....!!....left my hair very very dry tho but it worked well.

Ah op
I did this mistake in the first lockdown I couldn't handle my huge blonde roots so I just changed to a drastic red
Since been the hair dressers and they did a brown.... still washed back to the red !
My dad did a box colour for me last week and I did a "light blond" went a medium brown ish so better then I started but I'm about 7 months from that first box
Box dies are lethal and I used to work in a salon!!!! Last reorts arent the best

I would just do a bleach wash leave it on for half the time then start fresh with a new colour. Just get the red straight out
Hope you sort it xx

What is a bleach wash?

I mixed bicarb and lemon juice together yesterday and washed my hair. It has lightened slightly. Next time I will leave it on for a period of time. Its very soft and shiny now though

It's literally a box bleach die. Stick it on. Your hair will go an awful colour but that is only thing that'll take the red pigment out then once you've done the bleach put another die on an should work. May take a few to get it all 1 colour tho. Usually looks like high lights in places at first xx