Red hair dye disaster - any "cures"?

[londonmummy1966]

DD17 has dyed her hair a dark red (cherry colour) and hates it. A bit of me thinks it is the way to learn but she has spent the last 48 hours with her hair hidden under a hoodie and now has a busy week.

Any solutions for fading it out/toning it down quickly without redying as she has already dyed it twice this week?

She could try anti-dandruff or medicated shampoo - Vosene is often recommended. She needs to be careful not to ruin her hair trying lots of different things. Daily washing should make a big difference as red is the least lasting hair dye.

What's her natural hair colour and what was the first colour she put on it?

If she has long hair she could put it up in a bun to minimise it.

Head and shoulders is supposed to strip colour

Was it permanent? A couple of washes with washing up liquid will fade it faster, but if permanent the colour underneath wont be what it was.

To be honest I’d just dye it again. When I was that age I think I dyed my hair about 5 times a week… it survived! (Apart from the time I bleached it from dark brown to platinum blonde with 4 packs of bleach and then spent 5 hours in the hairdressers trying to turn it anything other than orange)!

Failing that … head and shoulders should strip some of the colour out.

Or…. A good hat.

Thanks everyone - her hair is usually a dark ginger blonde and she has now dyed it a really dark cherry red - I've suggested a daily session with washing up liquid to see what happens. If it doesn't wear down she'll have to have it redyed before she goes back to school as it needs to be a natural colour (they are very strict on uniform etc) but i am inclined not to do anything more until then.

I would use baby shampoo. Crushed vitamin c mixed with shampoo is. Supposed to work.

I've used soap powder on mine before for similar reasons 🤣 the good news. Is red. Fades very very quickly.

Yes, google Vitamin C shampoo method & it will remove hair dye.

Head and shoulders

Vitamin C tablets. Crush up into powder and mix into head and shoulders. Apply like a mask and wrap hair in a shower cap. Leave for an hour or two.

Rinse and this will significantly lighten the colour.

Perhaps do a patch test first. But it worked to get rid of box dye with my own. (I repeated the process a few times)

I remember doing this once when I was about 15-it went a funny shade of pink and I hated it. I had a couple of very nasty comments from a horrible girl at school as well.

I’d suggest daily washing with something strong and maybe a visit to the hairdresser.

The good news is red is the fastest colour to fade out, so it won't be cherry red for long! The problem is red is also a pain to remove completely, so without bleaching it or dying it very dark she will probably have red tones until it's grown out and cut off.
You could try a colour remover but she will likely be left with lots of orange tones and would need something cool or ash toned over the top.

Use something like ColourB4 to strip it. It's pretty effective although smells very eggy
If there was no bleach / lightener in the box dye it should take her pretty close to natural colour. Make sure you get enough - unless her hair is v shirt you'll probably want 2-3 boxed for full coverage.

2 x boxes of Extra Strength Colour B4.

Honestly, Vosene/Fairy liquid/Vitamin c mixes will not shift dark cherry red. Been there, done that, got the dye stained t-shirts!

Just make sure she has a deep conditioning mask or some Olaplex for afterwards as it can be drying.

I dyed mine cherry red last week and hated it at first, now I have washed it a few times it looks much better (not as vibrant). Just get her to wash it every other day and it will probably fade a little or she could attempt a dark brown on top to calm the red?

I’d just leave it. It fades really quick but is bugger to cover. Just keep washing it

She could try a darker gloss over it. It won’t damage the hair and should tone it down a bit.

Dark brown henna will darken her hair and also leave her hair in good condition. It’s messy but having been in a similar situation, it does work.

Red fades really quickly with normal washing.
I wouldn't go overboard with the vit c or Fairy liquid just normal shampoo and leave the conditioner on longer. That way she won't be battling rough hair too.

I would dye it again or embrase a beanie and dye it in a week to give hair a break. Red fades really quick but it will go ginger.

THank you - she is giving the fairy liquid a try with lots of conditioner but might also give henna a go. (I'd forgotten the mess it makes...)

Be careful with henna. It can produce a lovely result, but if it's not what she wants long term it's a nightmare to dye on top of, or even just to cover regrowth.

On what you've described I'd go with the vitamin c tablets. Red will shift pretty quickly!

My dd used a semi-permanent red dye months ago and it still hasn't come out so she has been using equal parts of white vinegar and hot water as a rinse to fade it. She ;eaves it on for 20 minutes and it has really worked to strip away the colour but non damage to her hair. A bit smelly though