Fix Too Dark Dyed Hair

Different hair shades — Photo: Tmon/Shutterstock

Q: My mother dyed her hair, and it's too dark. It's almost a medium brown and she wanted a dark blonde/light brown color. Is there any way to fix hers without dying it? If not what else could she do?

A: The only solution is going to be to lighten the hair. She could use a peroxide cap where she combines 40-volume hydrogen peroxide in equal parts with her favorite hair conditioner and applies the mixture to her hair and leaves it in place under a plastic cap for 20 minutes. This will be a gentler means of lightening the hair than bleaching the hair outright.

If she has access to a bonnet hair-dryer, she should sit under the hair dryer on low heat setting while the conditioner-peroxide mix is on the hair. If she has no bonnet dryer, you can use a hand-held dryer with a diffuser, or towels warmed in the clothes dryer to keep the hair warm while processing. Simply wrap the heated towels around the plastic cap in turban fashion.

Another option is to combine equal parts of 40-volume peroxide with shampoo and use this when shampooing the hair (be EXTREMELY careful to avoid getting it in the eyes). Leave the shampoo/peroxide mix on the hair for 5 minutes each shampooing before rinse and condition the hair well afterward. This will result in more gradual color removal, but should "fade the color more rapidly than with regular shampooing".

Both processes may require multiple uses (the shampoo/peroxide combination will certainly need multiple applications) but you should experience a gradual lifting of the too-dark color to a more pleasing color.

I'm afraid the only other option is to lighten and recolor the hair with standard processes, or to simply let the color grow out.

©Hairfinder.com

See also:

How to color hair

How long should you leave a soap cap in your hair?

Formula to mix peroxide