Remove Brown Color from Blonde Hair

by Cortney
(Houston, TX USA)

I have light blonde hair and decided to have my hair dresser dye it brown with a temporary dye. It was too light with the first color application, so I asked for a darker shade which she applied immediately after.

That was on October 3rd and my hair color on Jan 27th has faded some, but is still brownish and my roots are coming in light blonde. Is there any possible reason for this other than that my hair dresser used a permanent dye rather than a temporary dye?

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I doubt she got the two types of color mixed up, or at least I hope not. There is a reason for this phenomena.

Blonde hair is very porous. That means that it's thirsty for anything you put on it. Sometimes even using a purple shampoo, like Shimmer Lights, will be absorbed into the hair strands of blonde hair. (Shimmer Lights is a tone correcting shampoo made for gray and blonde hair.)

For that reason, your hairdresser should have done a moisturizing treatment on your hair first, or used what's called 'a filler'. Fillers and deep conditioners 'fill in' the hair shaft so colors don't grab as much.

Unfortunately, as long as the color is in your hair, using a lighter temporary color just won't cover or help it.

You might try applying 40 volume peroxide (straight) onto your hair for 10-15 minutes, covered with a cap. That may help pull out some or all of the color. (Peroxide helps open the hair shaft and activates the lifting power of hair color.) Afterward, be sure to do a conditioning treatment on your hair. Its also going to be messy:0(

There are hair color removers on the market too, (many have very mixed reviews), that help remove unwanted hair colors. You might try using one of these products. Its worth a shot anyway.

You can also correct your hair color by using a permanent color in your natural blonde color level/shade mixed with up to a 40 volume peroxide to correct it, depending on how dark your hair is and how comfortable you are with mixing your own colors.

One thing I am curious about. Did you call the salon and complain? I would seriously consider doing this if you haven't yet. They may offer to fix it for free. You never know until you ask! (The worst they can do is refuse to fix it for free.)

If you had decided straight away (after you had your hair colored) that you didn't like it, using a stronger shampoo like regular Prell or Dawn dishwashing soap can sometimes help remove brown color from blonde hair. Unfortunately, its been way too long now, so it won't work. The brown color is 'stuck' in your hair shaft and it'll take other measures to correct it.