How to Fix a Bad Hair Dye Job: Tried and Tested

This year I had a bit of a bad hair situation. Since I have my roots done on a regular basis, my hair stylist suggested that from time to time I should have full head hair colour to even out the colour from roots to ends, which normally get lighter, and give it extra shine. Usually, she would apply semi-permanent colour that would come out darker than my natural colour but after a couple of weeks, it would wash out leaving my hair looking healthy and shiny. However, this time things have gone somehow wrong. My hair was very dark and as the time went by, it wasn’t getting any lighter. I hated almost back jet colour that aged me and looked unnatural.

After two months of having Mrs Addams hair, I got in touch with my stylist to get her advice. By then she changed salons and was no longer working at the branch I usually go to. She was surprised to hear that the colour hasn’t lightened and suggested salon-based ‘Gentle Cleanse’ service which gently strips the colour without damaging the hair. However, I would have to pay again – £25 to get it done. ‘That’s not acceptable! Why do I have to pay twice for the same service that wasn’t done properly to begin with?!’- I thought to myself and decided to find a way to do it myself at home.

After some researching on the internet, I found few simple methods to fix a hair dye job that turned out too dark. These are two methods that I have tested myself. Depending on how badly your hair is affected, you may just need fist method.

Method 1:

Switch your colour protective shampoo and conditioner to good old Head & Shoulders! Since it’s famous for deep cleansing, H&S slowly strips the colour off your hair. You can wash it more often to speed up the process. In my case it was working but very slowly so I opted for method 2, that is a bit more drastic but it worked!

Method 2:

I read somewhere that adding a bit of washing up liquid to your shampoo helps remove wanted hair dye. Instead of just using any washing up liquid, I opted for Ecover washing up liquid that is made out of fewer chemicals, is gentle on the skin and is environmentally friendly. Every time I washed my hair, I mixed 3/4 of H&S shampoo with 1/4 of Ecover liquid. Leather the mix into your hair, working it well and spreading evenly from roots to ends.

Since having any washing up liquid on your hair will strip off hair dye together with hair oils and dry your hair out, it’s CRITICAL that you replenish moisture with deep conditioning after each wash.

For that, in addition to a regular conditioner, I used Kerastase Elxir Ultime Masque to nourish my hair and make it smooth and shiny every time. However, you don’t need to splurge and can get cheaper masque at the local pharmacy, such as L’Oreal Elvive hair masque. Just leave it in for few minutes and then rinse it out.