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Original poster

HELP! Home hair dye disaster - too dark!

44 replies

MoonMagic · 08/05/2010 19:38

I have just coloured my hair (Nice & Easy) with a shade identical to my natural shade - on the packet it says Medium Ash Brown.

It is so much darker than I'd expected, and now I look like a Goth!

What can I do? Will it fade? It's my own fault for not doing a strand test....

Has anyone else found their hairdye doesn't come out the expected shade?

OP posts:
Original poster
MoonMagic · 08/05/2010 19:48

Does Vosene shampoo, or baking soda, or any other things strip hair dye?

OP posts:
M32song · 08/05/2010 19:54

panic not - it will calm down a bit.

give it a couple of washes with head and shoulders original - that takes it out faster than other shampoos.

captainpig · 08/05/2010 22:07

I second head & shoulders, although I didn't initially have any when the panic set in and I washed it with fairy washing up liquid and then plenty of conditioner, loads of the colour came out.

muggglewump · 08/05/2010 22:11

I did this not that long back, though it went a tad orange. Head and Shoulders worked and fwiw, home dyes are far darker than they say.

I wanted a very light brown/dark blonde (natural light brown/dull/mouse/going grey) and finally got it using a light blonde shade. I vary depending what's on offer!.

dearprudence · 08/05/2010 22:12

The colour will fade the more you wash it. A clarifying shampoo is good as it strips the hair.

cocolepew · 08/05/2010 22:14

get this in no 4 they're dead easy to use and will take the gohy look of it. You don't end up wih stripey hai like the picture btw.

AnnieBeansMum · 08/05/2010 22:14

My hair colourist sister in law swears by washing up liquid. You need to put loads of it on so you get a huge amount of lather. Scrub for a couple of minutes and then rinse and wash with your normal shampoo and conditioner.

Original poster
MoonMagic · 08/05/2010 22:16

Thanks for your replies! I am off to Tesco now to buy Head and Shoulders.

I look like Elvira or Morticia Addams or something - a total ghoul!

I'll give it a few lathers....

Any advice for next time? I really should have strand tested... Am I likely to get the correct shade at a hairdresser? Or is it pot luck whether you do it yourself or get a professional?

I was worried about going any lighter colourwise because my hair always goes gingery, even when I use an ash shade (had "ash" highlights at the hairdressers, which have gone gingery...)

OP posts:
thehillsarealive · 08/05/2010 22:20

moon - you need to tell your hairdresser that your colour has a tendency towards red when it fades, they can mix colour to tone it down.

That is what i do now, i have 2 colours mixed together and some scattered highlights in caramel and honey underneath my parting, so much more natural looking and avoids the horrid roots regrowth thing.

piratecat · 08/05/2010 22:23

sympathies, i have dyed my hair for yrs and the last few times i have tried the shades are so mcuh darker. I thought wel ma ybe it's co smy hair is more porous now? yet i bought a colour a shade lighter then the usua; one hoping to just fade my grey rooots into the rest, and it was so so dark!

I now have to avoid resd too, as my roots go bright red (greyest) whereas before, well a few yrs back a permanent would do equal grey coverage.

I 2nd the fairy liquid thing, i had ot d otis abuot 10 yrs back when i ended up with black hair. It's rotten to your hair but workd, I washed mine about 4 times in one day, but it was ok in the end and with good conditioner it made alot of difference.

muggglewump · 08/05/2010 22:26

Well I carried on experimenting until I got the shade I was happy with because I just can't afford a hairdresser colour. (I was quoted £50 last time I asked, I pay around £4 to do it at home)
I find most light blondes are fine, just not ultra light or such, and I tend to use the cheaper ones but go for offers in Semichem or Boots.
I do mine every 4 weeks which it needs really as the grey is getting more pronounced and though I could get a lovely hairdresser one, O couldn't keep it up so it seems pointless.

I'm going to try a home highlight kit soon and see what that does as I'd quite like some lighter bits for summer.

Original poster
MoonMagic · 08/05/2010 22:33

Hair colour is so expensive to get done professionally. My highlights were professional, but they went ginger - so I just thought a home kit would be just as good... and it would have been if I'd got the shade right!

Tomorrow I will scrub my hair with Fairy liquid and Head and Shoulders. I hope for inky black water to rinse it away....!

How can I combat gingeriness of hair even when using ash shades of, say, light brown? I do like lighter shades of brown, but it's just that my hair will go coppery and it's not really me.

OP posts:
muggglewump · 08/05/2010 22:49

I was worried about using ash shades, as years ago I'd had them go blondy grey, kinda like a bird had shit in my hair but I find them OK now.
I really don't have good advice, as I said professional is not affordable for me, I mean it is as a one of treat but seems so pointless to have a great colour when the roots will still be bad after a month and I'd be only able to get it done professionally maybe every 9 months or so.
For that reason I was willing to keep trying until I got what I liked from home kits, and as the condition of my hair is still good, and I'd be happy to spend more on products keeping it so, it seemed worth it.
The worst that could happen is that I'd go a slight shade darker for a while to hide mistakes.

KillerCleavage · 08/05/2010 22:53

Get yourself some Timotei or another shampoo for blonde hair. Shampoo for blondes strips colour out as it is designed to keep blonde hair blonde. So my colour expert hairdresser tells me - and I'm blonde.

If you're going to do the fairy liquid thing please invest in a good conditioner. You will really need it. I recommend Aussie Miracle Damaged Hair. It's like a magic potion and smells fab.

MarineIguana · 08/05/2010 22:55

Oooh I've been there - it's amazing what too-dark hair can make you look like. I have very pale skin and when I dyed my hair too dark I just looked sooo white. Even worse I looked like my mum! (I then realised that she's been dying her hair too dark for years - they say as you get older you need to go lighter.)

I didn't know about the washing-up liquid thing but it sounds good. I just washed mine a lot and it was a bit better in a few days.

IME though, salon hair colour can also be unpredictable and go wrong - might as well DIY. Last time I tried Excellence and it was v good and no nasty surprises.

Original poster
MoonMagic · 09/05/2010 01:20

I returned home from Tesco at 1am! I have a bottle of Head and Shoulders (didn't see the post about Timotei Blonde shampoo - good idea tho, I will try it!)

My hair already has professional highlights, they're not good (but were cheap...!) so I'm undecided as whether to get another home dye or go to a hairdresser. I always mump and moan after hairdresser visits....

How do you get hair dye to be even all over? Does the dye take more to the ends because hair is more porous there? My ends are blackish, roots have reddish tint (although I used a cool ash brown dye )

OP posts:
kickassangel · 09/05/2010 01:36

if you tend to go red, don't try those 'blonde' shampoos, you may end up gingery. hair will take differently depending on the condition of it - ends tend to be dryer so take more, and will be harder to wash out.

you may need to go to a salon to get it looking really good. i once tried a reddish tint (wash in, wash out)on natural blonde hair. after washing it seven times, i still had pink streaks through my hair. cost me 70 quid (10 years ago) to go back to my natural colour - eek!

Original poster
MoonMagic · 09/05/2010 02:18

Why is hair sooooooooooooo pricey! It's mad isn't it?

OP posts:
BritFish · 09/05/2010 03:06

ive had this problem with what sounds like the exact same dye! head and shoulders is a good one, dont try washing up liquid unless your hair is in really good thick condition!

there is a dye stripper on sale in Boots atm. Scott Cornwall. its very, very good.
oh and hair dye is v. hard to get even all over if you change colour i find. best option would be to buy a root touch up kit and try and get the shades closer, then dye it.

Original poster
MoonMagic · 09/05/2010 13:54

I've just phoned my local Boots - they have the dye remover in stock.

Washed hair 4 times with Head & Shoulders, it's made a tiny difference, but I still look like a vampire!

Next time I'll go to the hairdresser....

OP posts:
lucykate · 09/05/2010 14:07

i have always had bad experiences with nice & easy, i find all the blonde shades to be far too light, but if you go to the light brown shades, they are too dark. i used their natural light ash brown once and it was really dark, had to wash it straight away with head & shoulders to strip it a bit.

lucykate · 09/05/2010 14:15

i have just started a home hair dye review thread here if anyone wants to post on it for future reference/warnings to any potential home dyers!

Original poster
MoonMagic · 09/05/2010 21:57

I used the hair dye remover from Boots - hair now is auburn, far better than black gothic vampire mess it was!

The dye remover is easy to use, hasn't particularly messed up my hair - didn't singe my eyes and nose with noxious fumes either.

I think a home dye thread is an excellent idea - wish I'd posted here first for advice before messing up my hair

OP posts:
nipersvest · 06/05/2013 09:53

that was easier to find than i thought it would be!, thread is here

nipersvest · 06/05/2013 09:59

after i had dd i went a bit mad and dyed my hair a dark reddy brown. i don't think i used colout b4 to strip it out when i went blonde again, think i just used a box of pre-lightener, it went a kind of gingery baby blonde!! looked awful, and i went into work like that as i decided to leave it a few days between dye jobs.

i've been home dyeing for about 15 years, and have a loads of disasters (nice n easy light brown gave me black streaks, and boots botanics dark blonde made me look like i'd henna'd it!) but have also had a few successes. one time i'd just done it with the l'oreal ash blonde one, and the hairdresser (not my usual one tho as she was on holiday) was shocked when i said it was dyed, she said it looked really natural.