In an effort to cover many grays on my 33 year old head AND save money, I decided to color my own hair. It was supposed to be brown, but it is definitely more of a RED! Why is it red?? Did I leave the color on too long or something? I let it go an extra five minutes just to be sure I had good coverage, but am left wondering if that was my error. I colored it myself about 6 months ago so I don't think that was the problem. I called the salon and they recommended waiting a week before going in for another dye job. Oy vey!
Brown and red go hand in hand though my is definitely red brown. Leaving it in too long makes it black, I did that once looked like a freaking goth. :(
Anyway the red in it fades very quickly but is needed to have a rich brown.
So wait a week and it will be the right color. :)
I'm a hairstylist. One mistake with at home hair colors is that they can be unpredictable, especially on gray hair, since you don't know the exact formula you need. People tend to make the mistake of going to ashy or too gold. Ideally, you want something with a natural/neutral tone and a hint of gold to replace the red color molecules naturally found in the hair. There are some really excellent at home gray coverage colors out there though.
If the red is mostly in the scalp area, that is commonly known as hot roots, and often occurs when the product has been left on too long. If the red is throughout the head, and more of an auburn brown, the red will likely fade bit in a week or so to a more natural golden brown color, depending on the evenness of the color.
You can go to Sally's and get a non- bleaching hair color remover, they are typically extremely easy, effective and very safe to use on your hair. Removers are best used for fresh, deposit only color jobs that went horribly wrong. Since you just colored your hair, the color removal could be a safe bet, so long as it is one that isn't a bleaching method. If you are going to fix it at home, go to Sally's and get the removal, or wait the week and ask the stylist to fix it, you don't want to put another color on top and possibly crate a more difficult disaster to fix.
All medium brown hair has red in it. The color has both blue, red and yellow pigments. So the reddish tint is part of your natural color. If the reddish is only after you color your hair, it is likely because you are choosing a color with too much red or gold in it. So choosing a color with a hint of ash is okay, I would more so recommend using a color with a N/neutral base since too much ash can make your hair turn greenish or even 'muddy' looking, and can make you ends are pull too dark. If you go to Sally's you can choose a color that has natural and ash, such that will look like a 6/NA or 6/01 or something along those lines. Ask the ladies at Sally's for a color formula since they can see your hair. Use 10 or 20 volume developer depending on the color you go with, again, ask for help there.
Per the colors' timing instructions, paint the color on your scalp/roots and leave on for the duration of time, minus approx 15 minutes. Then, very slightly spritz your hair with water and comb it through. Take your excess color, and color the rest of your hair, to about the last inch or so of your ends. Leave on until the last 5 minutes, then comb that color through to your ends. It will help not get that muddy/too dark end color. The reason the ends are going too dark, is because the hair is older, has more damage and is more porous.
Or, you can go to a salon (a better choice really) and have it professionally color corrected, they can then give you tips on how to do maintenance touch-ups.
Nope....don't stress...it's just the "newness" of it. The red will fade faster and you will have a really good color going. The grays absorb the lower color - red - so they will show the most right now...
I have really dark brown hair - almost black and it's a FLAT black - urgh..so I have to go with dark brown with red highlights...you will be fine!!!
It will probably be fine after a few washings.
I've sworn mine was red before or too dark (I'm pretty much a bleach blonde) but my husband and friends always tell me it's my imagination.
We are pretty hard on ourselves in the mirror sometimes.
Wash it a few times and do some extra conditioning... I bet it will be fine.
I do know that some of the home color kits will leave you with a more red color than you want. I use Natural Instincts... I really like it and get a lot of compliments on my hair.
Hair dye takes to your hair differently, is this the same brand? In addition hair takes color on differently, esp if it is not typically processed. What color were you going from? If you have a before/after you can post or link or put as your profile some of the hair stylists on here may be able to help more as well as some of the knowledgable women who do color at home frequently.
I think there is a treatment or shampoo to reduce the red. Ask at a beauty supply store for help.
I colored my hair myself for years until it turned white. Some formulas are made for coloring grey while others aren't. And some brands have different results. I had difficulty by getting a green tint to my hair. The clerk told me to stay away from ash tones. I relied on Sally's Beauty Supply for help in getting the right shade. I never had it colored professionally.
I'm blonde but going gray so fast people have asked me if I'm getting my hair highlited.
Nope.
I just intend to ride this out naturally. It's easier to do with light blonde hair.
I'm no expert, but I believe that gray absorbs color differently and it usually doesn't hold the color as long.
Reds and auburns aren't so bad unless you absolutely hate it.
You can also use clarifying shampoo to tone it down.
Best wishes.
I have been coloring my own hair since high school...many many years...my experience is that you got the wrong color for the color your hair is. You have to compare to the color your hair is at the time you color it. The color you chose was most likely lighter than the color you had before coloring. Going slightly darker will lighten up some after several washings. Hope this helped. Good luck and God Bless.
What I have used several times (and has worked) when either the salon or myself screwed up and the end result was not as expected - go to your local drugstore (walgreens or even walmart) and buy Color Oops. Use as directed, it will safely take out the last color you put in and bring you back to your normal hair shade. Buy the one with the red label:
http://www.developlus.com/coloroopstips.html
Speaking of hair color, I figure I put this out there for those also interested in this subject.... I know many of you are aware that repeated use of hair color is carcinogenic and many also have sensitivities to it. I have found something that is safe, a plant, and can be used from blonde to black and everything in between. There is a bunch of info. below you can read about it.
http://www.hennaforhair.com/ppd/index.html
http://www.mehandi.com/shop/graybundles/index.html
