I dyed my hair and it went wrong, what do i do?

So you thought you'd look good as a brunette, huh? A blond? Whatever your mistake is, I can help you fix it. From botching your light brown attempt to a gothic black mess to removing your orange streaks when you tried to go blond, there are simple solutions that can help you from looking like a helpless freak of nature- I promise. So listen up, and I'll try to get you back to your beautiful self.

First off, there is one VERY important rule to remember. If your hair is too dark due to a color overload, placing a lighter shade of dye over your dark locks will NOT assist your problem. COLOR CANNOT LIFT COLOR. What's that mean? You can't remove black hair dye with light brown, blond, or any other lighter shade of hair color. You need special products to remove the color from your hair before it can be recolored. Purchasing other dyes is a simple waste of time.

Problem #1: "I tried to dye my light hair dark, but it came out a lot darker than I wanted. Help! I look like a member of The Addam's Family!"

Depending on the texture of your hair and what kinds of chemicals you've put on it in the past, some hair is more (or less) responsive to oxidative (permanent) dyes. The most common problem is that your attempt at a rich brunette shade turned ghastly black. Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so. OK, so here are your options. Hair color removers prepare your hair for recolor. (Try Revlon Hair Color Remover, $10 at drugstores) They will NOT return your hair to it's original shade, but instead get you down to a funky orange-brown color that you will cringe at. Don't worry, it's not going to stay that way. These products use bleaching agents to remove hair color from the hair follicle, leaving it ready for another round of dye. These "remover" products work great if your hair is in excellent physical condition, minus the botched color. Color "removers" should not be used on extremely dry, damaged hair. Since "removers" contain bleaching agents, they can be somewhat damaging to the hair follicle, especially if your hair is already damaged. If you are lucky enough to have supple hair, go ahead and remove the dye with a remover kit.

If you have damaged hair, there are other options to assist you in the removal of your color gone wrong. One excellent product, which I found at Sally Beauty Supply, is called "Color Corrector" by Salon Care Professional. It'll run you about fifteen bucks, but it's worth every penny. A gentle, non-bleach blend of chemicals that oxidize permanent dyes, this stuff is truly a miracle for over-processed hair. The kit comes with two one-fluid-ounce bottles of product, which cannot be mixed until they are ready to be used. You choose one of two options- a complete color change, or a light color correction. Use the color change option if you dyed your hair and completely despise the hue itself, and want to go to a totally different color (i.e. brown to red).

To do this, you'll need to create a 50/50 concoction of the stuff, saturate your damp hair with it, and leave it to develop for fifteen minutes or so. Wash it out in the shower with shampoo. It will, like the remover, turn your hair an orange-brown tone, which will leave you ready for another round of (correct) color. The other option is to "correct" your color a couple of shades. This is great if your target color was 2-3 shades lighter than what you ended up with. To choose this option, mix 1 ounce of pH balanced shampoo, and half an ounce of each bottle in the kit. Mix, and apply to damp hair and work into a lather. Leave on for two to fifteen minutes, or until your hair looks like it has lightened to an acceptable shade. Rinse the hair and condition well. Once hair is almost dry, examine it and choose if you want to recolor with a lighter dye or if the results are satisfactory. You can repeat these processes until you get the results you want. The best part about the Color Corrector kit is that it does NOT damage hair and will leave your hair in the same condition that you had before you applied the product.

Problem #2: "I bleached my hair, or tried to dye it light blond, but it looks orange! HELP!"

When hair is bleached or lightened, it goes through an array of colors until, ultimately, it is supposed to turn white. Bleaching brown hair will cause a color pattern that looks somewhat like this: Brown, red, orange, yellow, white. These stages are normal, and occur as the bleaching agent strips your hair of it's natural color. If you had dye on your hair when the bleaching or lightening agent was applied, you are more prone to what I call "Pumpkin Head", or the halting of lightening at the orange or yellow stage. It is often very difficult to lift color out of hair past the orange stage. It can be done with repeated treatments, but many people are horrified to find that their hair has become so damaged in the process that they are too afraid to continue the treatments.

There are a couple of options if this situation fits your

dye it again