Lift Low Lights

Hair with low lights — Photo: Y Photo Studio/Shutterstock

Q: What's a good (at home) solution to lift temporary hair color low lights off of hair? My hair is highlighted to a blonde pale golden color.

My stylist added low lights that look red to me and have given my hair an overall golden reddish hue that I detest. Please help me get this off of my hair with minimal damage.

A: I presume by "temporary hair color" that you are actually referring to demi- or semi-permanent color. Temporary hair color is color that only lasts until the next shampoo, while demi- and semi-permanent colors last 6-12 shampoos and fade gradually.

Your best option in this situation is to simply shampoo the hair as frequently as you can. You may also want to use a clarifying shampoo as well, but be sure to follow it up with a really good moisturizing conditioner.

Clarifying shampoos are designed to strip away residues and build-up left behind by styling products, and are very stringent to the hair. Over-use of this shampoo type can damage the hair's cuticle layer. I would suggest using it perhaps every third shampoo rather than each time you shampoo.

You can also help to speed up the fading by shampooing the hair with water as warm as you can tolerate it. This helps to expand the cuticle and maximize the amount of color that is washed away. Just, again, be sure to condition well to avoid stripping out too much moisture.

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See also:

Hair coloring

Temporary hair color