Years of box hair dye

[Sarosh27]

Hi, really hoping someone can help me with my dilemma. So I have been dying my hair using box dye for years, to the point where its practically black. I have been to 2 of the top hairdressers in the area to ask if I could have it dyed to a very dark brown (I have realistic expectations that the colour will not lift.) Both hairdressers refused without doing a strand test or even touching my hair. (Also fine as I understand they know the colour cannot be achieved/worried about breakage.) My hair has never been bleached/stripped. My question is I’m wanting to at least move to buying professional hair colour to cause less damage as know box dyes are harsh. I’m thinking of the Wella Koleston dye but have no idea which colour/developer I would need. I have greys and want to avoid colour banding so don’t mind staying darkest black/brown, Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you in advance

Why would you even want to attempt this yourself?

You have said you have dyed it repeatedly for years. Of course the hairdressers will want to do a test before putting products on hair that's been dyed with at home products repeatedly.

Pay the professionals and let them do the tests or do it at home but don't blame anyone if you end up in a complete mess.

I've had the same problem - my hair takes dye very strongly. So to get a medium brown they might use a dark blonde.

I think they managed to strip some of the very dark colour out of my hair at one point after lockdown. Now they are very careful not to end up in the same situation.

I've come to believe that once the grey sets in, you are better off going lighter, so that's the current plan. Semi perm dye to blend the greys then once the darker dye has grown out, I will dye the whole lot lighter.

I had exactly the same thing. I had dyed my hair for so about 30 years, so there was a massive build-up of black dye. I went to 5 hairdressers, but not one would touch it.

I bought B4 (or colour B4) from Amazon. * *It took 2 boxes of it to get rid of the black dye. My hair turned orange after the 1st box of stuff had been applied. After the 2nd box, I used a blonde dye. My hair was really very dry, so I used LOADS of conditioner. That was 2 years ago and I'm still blonde, I still do my roots myself, and my hair is in good condition.

I think it's normal practice to get a strand test when you go to a new hairdresser? I had to do that when I went to a different hairdresser at my same salon after a year of lockdown.

Could you start growing it out first?

I'm taking your post to mean the hairdressers declined to do a strand test at all - presumably because they could see your hair wouldn't withstand a dye-strip.

If 2 different pros said that, you're wise to listen.

You're also wise to step back from box dye & buy professional hair colour.

Try a volume 10 DEVELOPER- the lowest strength for most hair that will permanently deposit colour and cover greys. The higher the number, the stronger the developer, the more damage it does & the more careful you need to be. Typical volumes sold are 5/10/20/30. Pick a well known brand when starting out, this is just as important as the brand of the colour.

As for which COLOUR to get - look at actual colour samples, preferably in person (e.g. at Sally's shop) but could be online.
Choose one called 'very dark brown' or similar, it will probably start with the number 2. If it has numbers after the "." they refer to the undertones (e.g. violet or blue).

Don't put the new colour on already dyed hair, it can"t lighten the black dye & that hair will just grab more dye - making the build up worse.

So try to minimise overlap with the already dyed hair. You can put conditioner on the mid-lengths & ends before starting the colouring process to block some of the absorption.

This will also help protect your hair from damage, so in time as new hair has grown in & been treated gently like this, it might be strong enough to be highlighted (eg lighter browns) a bit to help blend the colours- & therefore blend greys - even more.

Good luck!

As I mentioned they have point blank refused to even test my hair never mind dye it hence asking for advice.

@Concerned3 Thank you so much for the thorough explanation and advice. My first time on here and I didn’t explain myself properly. Yes, both hairdressers declined to do a strand test and I was willing to pay whatever it cost to try to get back to a somewhat lighter colour 👍🏼😊

@DreamloverTealover Yes, Sorry I didn’t explain properly. They both refused the strand test so was just trying to see if I could use other products that might be better for the health of my hair. Thinks it too long to try and grow ig out but thanks for your reply

@silentpool Well I’m ‘Rooting’ for you! Pun intended! Unfortunately they wont touch mine so lesson learnt the hard way. Hope your hair goes to plan. Good Luck

@TalkingToMyselfAgain So glad it worked for you. Thanks for sharing your experience and advice 👍🏼

@Sarosh27 so sorry for not understanding your question properly. I've been back to dyeing myself for the past year because I can't afford salon prices! I fear they might say the same to me when I go back 😕

@confused@confused

Was trying to tag @Concerned3 and can't get rid of those two confused tags 😂🙈 sorry!!

@Concerned3 that's really interesting! I'm going to keep your advice in mind as well.

Use jobaz max colour remover or colour b4.

I was the same, dark box colour, hairdresser wanted to bleach bath the colour out but I'd had that done before and it ruined my hair.
I bought a box of "Colourless" hair colour remover from Superdrug £6.99 & it really works, it doesn't ruin your hair and leaves it really soft, takes about 3/4 hr to do the treatment, my hair was a yellow colour afterwards.
Then I did a lighter box dye, my tip is to go a shade lighter than you really want as the dye seems darker / to grab more after a treatment I'm not sure if that's because your hair is more porous or because your hair is so light after treatment.
Anyhoo I'd definitely recommend Colourless, I've since used it a few times and so have my friends

Here's a coincidence, a fb memory just popped up where I shared the photo of the colourless box 6 yrs ago! 😂

@Sarosh27 you're v welcome, glad it was helpful.

@DreamloverTealover glad it's helpful for you too.

Hair colour doesn't always work the way we think colours should!

Be aware, anything that lifts colour , including at-home colour remover type products, cause some damage.

Sometimes hair is strong enough to be ok after that, but not always. So that process is always a risk to some extent. If you're going to try that

1. Always do a strand test first - with every step of the process needed to get to your target colour

1. Be aware that lifting out dye can leave the hair with unwanted tones (e.g. too orange, too green!) that might be longer term issues - can't always be fixed with one permanent colour. Then you're looking at faffing around with toners on a regular basis. You might be happy to do so - just know what you might be getting into.

@Zoeslatesttrope Thank you for the advice 😊👍🏼

@Campervangirl Oh wow thats good. I’m just worried about banding…did yours come out all one colour?

@Concerned3 Thanks again. You are very knowledgable and have great advice. I definitely want to avoid stripping my hair as I am not a professional and don't want my hair melting /snapping.
In the meantime (last night) I’ve ordered root touch up spray so will try to go longer between dyeing and Olaplex repair kit to help strengthen it.
Will go to Sallys and see what they have. Anything I use though will take your advice of doing a largish strand test first- good shout.

@Sarosh27
Hi, great plan, including the Olaplex. Other 'bond builders' are available - ask at Sally's, or Pureplex "Hair Repair" kit at Superdrug/ Boots (the Pureplex shampoo & conditioner are fine but not wow).

As you're looking at Olaplex / bond builders to improve hair health, remember hair also needs protein and moisturising too.

Good luck with it all!

Pretty much even colour all over, greys were lighter, got a bit of a shock how much grey hair I've got 😂
I'd definitely recommend it

Honestly, give it a go yourself with colour b4 - just don't be put off by the smell or the bright orange colour it might go!.

My hair has been every colour under the sun, chilli red, pink, blonde, black, all from box dyes. I used colour b4, deep conditioned it and then - most importantly - re dye with a SEMI permanent colour, that is a good bit lighter than you actually want to be. The colour in mine oxidised over a few days and got a fair bit darker, so say I wanted to be light brown, I put in a medium ash blonde. Good luck!

Hi everyone so if this is a bit naïve, why would hairdressers refuse to touch box-dyed hair?

What is the best quality box hair dye to cover greys? Is there anything particular to do keep hair healthiest when dying it at home to cover greys?

I had the same issue. I used Colour B4 extra strength then used Nice N Easy Medium Ash Blonde Semi Permanent after a few days to cancel out the orange tones. My hair is naturally dark brown so it didn't go bright orange more like dark brown with orange tones. That was a year ago and I can now cover the greys using Light Ash Brown and my hair looks dark brown. The key is to use loads of conditioner (I used the Garnier Banana Hair Food) and don't re dye using anything that has red tones in it as it'll oxidise on your hair and go black again.

@polka6
To answer your second question... it really depends on your individual hair.

It's not so much about the "quality' of the product, as what's the gentlest developer strength that gives you what you want. The stronger the developer the more damage.

Peoples hair is vastly different e.g. some people have more layers to each hair strand than other.

Usually, a weaker strength product will work on fine hair to get into the strands & permanently deposit colour & cover grey, but a stronger developer will be needed on thicker hair.

As explained above, boxes tend to have stronger developers , so if you can instead colour your hair at home using pro products (e.g. from Sally's or hairdressing sites) that you mix yourself, that's best. As you can control the strength of developer, so its just enough, rather than too strong & doing unnecessary damage.

Very fine hair can sometimes get complete grey coverage from 5 vol developer, whereas most hair needs vol 10, at least.

If you really want to use a box, be aware they often dont state what strength developer they contain.

But L'oreal Age Perfect (& I'm talking only about their Age Perfect line, not their others) has a gentler developer... that is why it doesn't 'lift' the dark hairs much & why the coverage of grey hairs is more of a transparent blend effect than an opaque effect the same as the rest of the hair. Works v well for some people's hair, has little effect on others. Worth trying in case it works for you.

Pureplex permanent colours (except the super lightening blonding ones) also have gentler than most developer. I think its 5 vol. Its definitely less than 10. I really rate it as box colours go, but be warned they tend to come out a level or 2 darker than the box suggests.
So if you're after a mid brown, try a dark blonde first.You can always colour hair darker on the next attempt you cant 'colour' it lighter, so start light.

I've heard really excellent things about "Daniel Field water colours" - there are threads on here about how to make sure you're buying from the genuine company.
If that works as well as people say, it would be the best option for minimising damage as its super gentle.

Good luck!

@Concerned3 Thank you that was a great explanation.

I have naturally black (Indian) hair that I have box dyed red for years (Schwarzkopf) but on my naturally dark hair it comes out like a dark red/black tinge. Enjoyed this for years but now have more greys coming through which are dyed a brighter red. What would you recommend for me? I mainly dye my hair now to cover the greys (I'm early 30s so not loads of greys but more than most for my age I'd say). Any shampoo/conditioner recommendations too for coloured hair but curl enhancing?