How to Fix a Hair Color Disaster

Ugh! What did I do??

You decided to save a few bucks and you bought store "box" color. Now you've got a head full of "oh my god I can't go out like this." What to do?

These steps will show you how to get through your hair disaster as well as give you some tips from preventing it in the future.

Things You'll Need

• Generic shampoo
• Good conditioner
• New stylist!

Instructions

1. Color always fades. Even on natural (virgin) hair. Once you have chemically processed your hair, it happens even quicker. If you LOVE your color then don't wash for 2-3 days and then use shampoo and conditioner for chemical treated hair.

   If you HATE your hair, wash it two or three times. Use Pert or generic shampoo. Those are high in alkalinity and more likely to strip the color out. Be sure to condition afterwards. This will lighten your hair into a shade that you might be able to live with.

2. If you can't live with the resulting color, it's time for color correction. This is rarely achieved on your own. Why?

   Stylists understand the science behind color correction. They can add red to counteract an ashy tone, they can use a toner to bring down orange. They can fix the roots while leaving the rest. Part of it is skill and education, but some of it is because they have access to better product.

   Word to the wise: the box color you buy in the store is just garbage. It's really just metallic dyes that sit on the outside of your hair, staining it. Tint that a professional uses actually opens the cuticle and changes the color pigment. The results are long lasting and far more gentle.

3. 

   A few rules of thumb when tinting your hair. Hair color is identified like a movie rating, it has a 1-10 scale. One is black, 10 is very light blond. The first step is identify what your natural color is (if you've never colored). If you have, then identify what level you're at now.

   For most people, lifting their hair (removing color) and keeping it looking right for your skin tone, means no more than 2 levels. So if you're a 6, you can get to an 8. The same is true for depositing (darkening or changing tone), no more than two levels.

4. 

   Once you have a look you're happy with then it's just maintenance. If you have regrowth, just tint your roots, not the entire hair. If you have a highlight/lowlight weave, just have them do the regrowth. Use good products for color treated hair to maintain your investment in time and money.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can't afford a professional stylist: try a beauty school or see if there is a Sally's Beauty or something like that near you where you can buy professional color.

• Color correction usually costs a bit more than having it done the right way the first time. Think long and hard before you pick up the store "box" color, can you afford to fix it if it's awful?