How to Dye Blonde Hair Back to Brown

Personally, I like to switch up my looks by frequently changing hairstyles and going from one extreme to the other. Dying bleach or platinum blonde hair to brown can be scary because it seems like you never know what color you're going to get. Follow the steps as well as tips in this article and you will be fine!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hair Dye
• Developer
• Mixing Bowl
• Gloves
• Hair paint brush
• Shampoo
• Conditioner

1. 

   The first step in the "Blonde to Brown" hair dying process is to choose your dye. There are a TON of different types of brown, so choose the one that you prefer. Reading hair dye labels can be a bit confusing..."Miss Clairol" has an amazing line that works great! If you want a red tone to your brown, pick a dye with a red base. If you want a golden tone to your hair, choose a dye with a neutral base. If you want a light and "pure" natural brown, choose a violet base. Hold the color swatches up to your face to make sure that the color blends well with your features AND skin tone.

2. 

   The next thing that you will need is a developer. A developer provides the chemical reaction needed in the hair to help it process. When dying hair blonde to brown, use a level 20, 30 or 40. For each 2 ounces of dye, you will it with 4 ounces of developer.

3. 

   Gather all of your materials together. You should have your dye, developer, a mixing bowl for the dye, a hair paint brush to apply dye to hair, gloves to protect your skin, towels, shampoo and conditioner.

4. 

   Even for long and thick hair, 2 ounces of dye and 4 ounces of developer should be plenty. However, it is a good idea to have extra available just in case. In your mixing bowl, mix together the 2 ounces of dye and 4 ounces of developer.

5. 

   Now its time to dye! Apply hair dye to your roots LAST because they will develop faster than the rest of your hair. Put gloves on to protect your skin and begin applying the dye to your hair. Make sure you do not miss any spots are you will get multi-colored streaks. (If you cant reach every area of your scalp, have someone help you!) Lastly, apply the dye to your roots.

6. 

   It should take about 40 minutes to an hour for your dye to fully develop. If hair looks too dark, dont panic! Hair with dye in it always looks much darker than it is and recently colored hair always fades within the first few washes.

7. 

   After you are satisfied with the color (Your hair should look a few shades darker than your preferred color while there is still dye in it, wash it out completely with shampoo. Wash shampoo out and apply a generous amount of conditioner. Leave on for over 3 minutes and eventually wash out.

8. 

   Dry hair and style to your preference.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have never used a particular type of hair dye, make sure that you test it on your skin prior to dying hair so that you will be able to identify if your skin will react negatively to the chemicals.
• Remember that every hair type is different. These tips work for me and many others, but some hair types can differ.

[ljbinkop]

on 10/1/2009 Thanks for the beauty tip! 5* article!

[waters]

on 9/27/2009 Good tips on how to dye hair. 5* and recommended