DIY Highlight hell

[Peckarollover]

I have natural dark blonde hair that I have always coloured blonde/highlighted. Last two colours I had done (by hairdresser) have been brown with the odd bit of blond. My hairdresser isnt well so, sick of roots i got a friend to DIY highlight it yesterday - thought it was ok when we first did it but now Im thinking I definitely look better brown and its a bit brassy.

Dare I put a brown home colour over the top?

I think it's OK to do so, unless the first colour was henna or other herbal ones (unlikely if it was blonde). I had a colouring disaster when my hair turned carrot red and I used a brown on top and had it cut too, for good measure. Maybe if you give it a couple of days you'll get used to the new colour. I always pine after a perfect red tone for me although I know that I look best with brown or black hair.

If the highlights are very blonde, you're supposedd to replace the red first, otherwise if you just whack a brown or dark blonde over it, it could go greeny. What I've done in the past with these sort of brassy highlight situations is just buy a semi, (like Shaders, I think), or a wash-in wash-out darker colour (a warm brown with a bit of red in it) then using my fingers, carefully pick out the brassy bits and run the colour just through those. Leave it for a while (any time is ok I found for a non-permanent) then shampoo as normal, either your whole head or just the highlights. Then dry. I used to find this worked really well and in a week or so the highlights had really settled down. Colour you put on might wash out a bit, but it definitely takes the brassyness off

Same happened to me last year - my mum gave be some horrendous brassy streaks and I did rush out to Tescos late that night to buy another colour. It worked well, covered all the brass and suited me much more.

peckarollover, just make sure you get a chestnut/auburn any brown with red in it, DONT get a natural or ash brown, as it will go green for sure (i am a hairdresser, i know!!)

Ooops not sure if I have bought the right thing then - I have bought dark golden brown. Will that be ok? It is a feria colour - I havent done it yet, bit scared but Im now totally determined to get rid of this colour - its looking yellower by the hour!

Would it be easy to change it tomorrow? They should do it straight away if you have the receipt. Otherwise, squeeze a tiny bit out onto your finger or a bit of white paper to see if you think it's reddish at all. If it is it should be ok.....then do just one highlighted bit and have a good look at it in the daylight and see what you think? Might be difficult to tell though with just a few strands.

Ive pulled a chunk (!) of the highlighted bit out and Im doing a strand test.

I dont like red tones in my hair - is that the only way its going to work?

The red's just so it doesn't go green. It shouldn't actually look red, you've just got to experiment really. I highlight my own hair (only about twice a year these days as I'm growing it out - it's very long), and always have done so accumulated quite a few toners for emergencies (I found those Harmony ones in the triangular box did the job). They do settle down though, honest. Good luck!

Its on!!! and looking very dark

how's it looking?

I like it :D It is wayyyyy better than the highlighted mess but maybe not as nice as when my hairdresser does it nice and brown with a few highlights in.

Thanks for the help!

Oh I'm relieved! I bet you end up really liking it after you've washed it a few times!