How do I Go From Dyed Hair to Natural If the Color Is Gray?

Natural gray hair may flatter your features better than unnatural color.

Remove unwanted hair color and transform your tresses back to gray with a color corrector. Whether your hair was done professionally or you dyed it yourself at home, sometimes the look is too unnatural and unflattering. Avoid waiting for the shade to grow out by purchasing a color corrector and doing the job yourself. If you have never done a color removal before, do not worry. The process is as easy as an at-home dye job but with natural results.

Things You'll Need

• Hairbrush
• Color corrector application
• Old towel

Instructions

1. Brush hair thoroughly to remove any knots or tangles. Unlike traditional at-home dye, your hair can be freshly washed; however, it needs to be completely dry and preferably free of styling products. Hair that was dyed within the past 72 hours will have better results that long-term color.

2. Open the product and read through the directions thoroughly. Each set of directions is slightly different depending on the manufacturer. Pull the safety gloves on and wrap a towel around your shoulders. Mix the color corrector according to the directions.

3. Apply the color corrector around the perimeter of your hairline. Part your hair down the center of your head. Separate your hair into four sections: right top, left top, right nape and left nape. Apply the color corrector down the center of your part. Massage the corrector into your scalp and hair until the hair is saturated at least 1 inch upwards from the scalp. Move to the left 1 inch and part your hair. Repeat the process until the entire left side of your head is complete. Repeat the same steps for the right top, left nape and right nape of the head.

4. Massage the color corrector into the rest of your strands once your scalp is complete. The strands should be saturated from root to tip at this point.

5. Wait the allotted time recommended by the manufacturer.

6. Rinse the hair with warm water until the water runs clear. Apply the conditioning treatment that is included with the color corrector. Dry and style your hair to your preference.

Tips & Warnings

• Darker hair may need to be lightened several times before the gray color returns.

• Apply a deep conditioning treatment to your hair once it has returned to your natural color.

• Avoid using a color stripper because this will strip your hair of all color and you will have to wait for gray hair to grow back.

References

• Hair Boutique; Hair Color Disasters: How to Recover; Karen Marie Shelton; May 3, 2011
• Free Beauty Tips: Bad Hair Dye Job: Fix Wrong Color Results with These Tips
• Home Remedy Central: Hair Color Removal