Hair Color Correction
She says that the hair must grow and then she'll cut out the green. I don't want to cut my hair, but I'd like some nice highlights for the summer. Is continuing to rinse my hair black or cutting out the hair my only options?
What surprises me is that your stylist hasn't discussed a formal color correction service with you. If she has experience with color theory, she should know that green is easily neutralized by applying a red-based toning filler. The green likely happened because gray hair lacks natural warm pigments; when you applied the home dye, the hair grabbed onto the cool, greenish base tones instead.
However, there is a major wrinkle here that your stylist should have warned you about: the black color rinse. Because she has been layering a black rinse over your hair for months, that dark pigment has built up. Even though it is called a "rinse," black pigment is incredibly stubborn. You cannot simply put summer highlights over black-rinsed hair; the bleach will struggle to cut through the buildup, often leaving you with a brassy, uneven orange or severe damage.
I recommend you speak with your stylist about her reasons for simply covering up the problem rather than correcting it. If she cannot give you a reasonable explanation - such as severe concern over your hair's current structural integrity and potential damage - I strongly advise you to seek a second opinion from a certified color correction specialist.
If you do see a new stylist, the correct course of action is actually the reverse of what you might think: they will first need to safely lift or extract that accumulated black rinse buildup, neutralize the underlying green with the proper warm tones, and then strategically map out your summer highlights. Trying to do the highlights before stripping away that black buildup would be a recipe for disaster.
Be aware, however, that if your hair has been compromised by the home dye and the constant layering of dark rinses, you may have to forgo highlighting this summer to prevent severe breakage. In addition, if you are ever tempted to try another home coloring process, be sure to read our articles on hair coloring so that you can hopefully avoid having such problems in the future.
©Hairfinder.com
See also:
Things that can go wrong when coloring hair
How to get back to your natural hair color