Removing permanent hair dye

[chilliwitch]

hi,
I've been dyeing my hair black now for about 20 years.I've just turned 30 something and think I need to stop before my hair starts going thin and straggly!!My natural hair colour is auburn and I was hoping one of you very clued up ABers could suggest a good hair dye remover which will get me back(or as close to)my natural hair colour.Thanks

[chinadog]

Either let the colour grow out or have it removed by a hairdresser chilli. Head n shoulders helps fade colour though.

[evedawn]

yup head and shouldes WILL help! for definate! or you could have it professionally removed . to save money you could ring up your local college. I always have my hair cut and coloured at the college - the students do a great job for a fraction of the price.

[chazza]

I would go to the hairdresser and see what she says but I don't know if it is possible to remove permanent colour (hence the name!)

Head and Shoulders used to work when it was the medicated, blue formula, but it has been remade, the format is much more gentle, the shampoo and conditioner is a white colour, more like the other off the shelf brands than the medicated mixture it used to be. I'm not sure if it is still harsh enough to remove colour

[vesperalley]

Where do I start. I have been a hair stylist for 10 years but this is just my opinion:

Basically when you use permanent hair colour on you hair the colour disturbs your natural pigment, regardless of your original colour. Most hair colour is mixed with a developer in your case I'm guessing that it will have been mixed with either 3% or 6% [strength], either way, it will have disturbed your natural pigment.

So what does that mean for you?

Well, if you try to remove the colour that is on your hair at the moment the colour will firstly be hard to lighten because of the depth of the colour. Secondly the end result will be very warm and artificial looking.

This is a job for a well educated stylist to carry out, and even then its not a guarantee that the colour will lift out even. Once enough of the colour has been removed you will then have to have either a toner or another colour applied or a combination of both.

Its very hard to explain this process to someone who has not got the background knowledge to support the process {I mean that in a non-patronising} way.

But basically there is no miracle solution. The cost of this process could be anywhere from �60-�200 depending on the rank of stylist that works on your hair, the length of your hair and the desired end result.

I hope this help, if you need any more advice just message me. [email protected]

One other option would be to switch to a semi-permanent {and by this i mean a TRUE sem-permanent like L'Oreal Symbio}. This will mean that you can grow the colour out without it looking ghastly.

p.s I would strongly advise not do try this process at home. I wouldn't do it away from the salon and I'm a stylist.

Good Luck

[chilliwitch]

Thank you all for your advice.I've been using T-Gel for a couple of weeks and i'm sure it's fading a bit!!!After reading your post Vesper I think I may take a trip to the hairdressers rather than attempting it myself u make it sound scary!!!(and I didn't think you were patronising)I really appreciate your response.
Thank you all