Hair Color Fixes

Hair color gone wrong
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Most women who color their own hair (usually the first few times they try to do it themselves) have faced this situation once or twice: You've colored your hair, and now it's far too dark. It looked much lighter on the package/swatch at the store/beauty supply, but it just didn't turn out that way for you.
 
The question becomes what can you do to fix it? Well, you CAN fix it, but how you go about it depends on the type of hair color you used. Since there are three basic types of hair color, we’ll divide the discussion into these three categories and go from there. There’s temporary, semi- or demi-permanent, and permanent color.
 
Temporary Hair Color Fixes
 
We'll start with temporary color, which most people will know is hair color that is designed to last only until the next shampooing of the hair. If this is the hair color you used, then you can simply shampoo the hair and start over.
 
This time, you can try diluting the temporary color a little with either a lighter shade of the temporary color, or simply a little plain old water.
 
Semi- and Demi-Permanent Hair Color Fixes
 
The next category is semi- and demi-permanent hair colors, which are designed to last through six to twelve shampoos (typically). For simplicity, whenever we use the term semi-permanent, it refers to both semi- and demi-permanent formulas. Their longevity depends on several factors, like the hair’s porosity and the types of products used on the hair.
 
If your semi-permanent color turns out too dark, you can usually lighten it simply by shampooing it once or twice. In some cases, simply giving a freshly applied semi-permanent color an additional, very thorough rinse will make a world of difference.
 
Product to fix hair color that went wrong
Photo: Mikhail Sedov/Getty Images via Canva
Permanent Hair Color Fixes
 
Finally, we have the hair color formula that most people have trouble with when it turns out too dark. Permanent color is intended to be just that. It is meant to last until it grows out and the colored portions are cut off. If your permanent color is too dark, you have to use another chemical process to fix it.
 
The easiest of these is called a soap cap. The name is a bit misleading because while it is shampoo-based, it also contains hydrogen peroxide and is designed to gently lighten the color. If your hair color is significantly darker than desired, you can also add a little bit of hair bleaching agent to add more lightening power to the soap cap.
 
Aside from these two differences, you simply need to treat it like a shampoo process. Apply the mixture, massage to form lather, and then let the lather sit on the hair for five to ten minutes and rinse it thoroughly. If your hair is resistant, you may wish to use a plastic cap to retain the warmth of your scalp.
 
Additionally, if you have longer hair, be aware that the warmth of your scalp can speed the lightening process. Therefore, you should apply the mixture to your hair starting two inches from your scalp and let it sit for five minutes, then massage the mixture into the scalp area for the last five minutes. This will prevent over-lightening the scalp ends of the hair, giving you a skunk-like appearance.
 
Just WRONG Color Results
 
If your hair color isn't just too dark, but is all wrong, you can use a hair color remover. The fact of which you have to be aware is that the result of a hair color remover isn't restoring the color back to the natural base.
 
Hair color removers instead strip away the color, and in most cases, the result is something along the lines of pale beige. Because of this, after using a color remover kit, you'll want to recolor your hair to the shade desired.
 
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