Bleaching and dyeing back to natural color

[chelsmae7]

There was another today about going from red to brown but that was going from red to a dark brown. I also want to go from a red/purple color but to a dark blonde/light brown. I have mistreated my hair for years! For about two years my hair wouldn't gain any length because it would just break off. I finally got it cut last february and I actually have gotten the longest part of my hair to my bra strap. It stopped gaining length again for a few months but I've recently started drinking water and just becoming healthier in general and I trimmed the ends and I'm getting a little more length now. I really don't want to have to dye my hair anymore because I don't want to damage it further but I know that I will have to put my hair through one more terrible experience to get to the point where I won't have to dye it.

I have enough of my roots grown in now to match a dye to my natural color which is a very dark blonde/light brown. My hair is currently a slightly faded vidal sasson london lilac. I only wash my hair about 2 times per week and I seem to only own color protecting products so it hasn't faded as much as I would have liked at this point. I know the only way to get rid of this color is going to be to bleach it.. I just don't see any other way to do it. I'm wondering if there is any way to minimize the damage that bleach will do to my hair? I know in the past when I have bleached my hair, I've done it multiple times in a short amount of time to get rid of the orange color that is left behind. Is there a different way to get the brassy orange out that doesn't involve bleaching multiple times? Any suggestions on before/after care to help my hair not fall out after all of this!? Sorry for the extremely long post but I just want to make sure that I do it right and minimize the damage to my hair as much as possible (:

[Nightshade]

I think a good first step is to use ColorOops or Color B4. These products will remove the old dye from your hair without damage, and should lighten it up a considerable amount, meaning you'll have to bleach less, possibly if at all, before depositing a color close to your natural one :)

The safest route is probably to go to a professional, but if you want to give it a go at home try the ColorOops/Colorb4 and see where that gets you. Then treat your hair with coconut oil before you do any bleaching/dying a lighter color. There's a big thread around here somewhere about using coconut oil pre-color treatment as a hair protectant, but I'm not having luck finding it :(

ETAx2: HAHA here it is (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=10495). :)

ETA: I just noticed that's your first post! Welcome to LHC! :flowers:

[chelsmae7]

I think a good first step is to use ColorOops or Color B4. These products will remove the old dye from your hair without damage, and should lighten it up a considerable amount, meaning you'll have to bleach less, possibly if at all, before depositing a color close to your natural one :)

The safest route is probably to go to a professional, but if you want to give it a go at home try the ColorOops/Colorb4 and see where that gets you. Then treat your hair with coconut oil before you do any bleaching/dying a lighter color. There's a big thread around here somewhere about using coconut oil pre-color treatment as a hair protectant, but I'm not having luck finding it :(

ETA: I just noticed that's your first post! Welcome to LHC! :flowers:


I've browsed around for a year now without posting lol I have learned a lot of useful things which have helped my hair a ton! I was actually reading about the coconut oil but I'll have to look for it again. I considered using ColorOops before but ended up getting a little nervous after reading reviews online, I suppose everyone has different experiences though depending on the condition/color of their hair. I may give that a try though because at this point I think my hair is in much better condition to handle something like that and if I can avoid bleach that would be amazing!

I only went to a professional one time and it was a disaster. The color wasn't great and they quoted me a price and it ended up being $100 more than they quoted me and that was at the cheapest place in my itty bitty town. Since then I've stopped using box dyes (except this last time) and always go to sallys so they can give me a little advice and help me choose the best options for my hair. I'm so excited to get back to natural and not have to dye it at all anymore! I've already cut out straightening except for once every few months for special occasions but I barely even have to do that now! Can't wait for happy natural hair!! Thanks for your reply (:

[spidermom]

The ad says the London Lilac is supposed to last for about 8 weeks. Warm oil treatments might help it fade out a little faster. With a little patience, you may be able to skip the color-removing part of going back to your natural color.

I know hair sometimes grabs color and doesn't want to let go. Last August I got a temporary copper done on a whim for my daughter's wedding, and it's still there, but faded. I'm just letting my own silvery color grow out and don't plan to do anything about the copper. I like two- and more-toned hair; it has dimension!

[chelsmae7]

The ad says the London Lilac is supposed to last for about 8 weeks. Warm oil treatments might help it fade out a little faster. With a little patience, you may be able to skip the color-removing part of going back to your natural color.

I know hair sometimes grabs color and doesn't want to let go. Last August I got a temporary copper done on a whim for my daughter's wedding, and it's still there, but faded. I'm just letting my own silvery color grow out and don't plan to do anything about the copper. I like two- and more-toned hair; it has dimension!

It has definitely been over 8 weeks lol I think the fact that I don't wash it very often is a big reason that it hasn't faded a lot. I have never had any sort of red dye last this long and usually I would be happy about that but once I finally wish that it would fade, it just wont at all. I looked into some natural lightening things like honey but I'm not a very patient person. I actually had bleached my hair once and dyed it a medium blonde over the brassy color and it turned out surprisingly good. I think it almost gave it a more natural look but I'm not sure if it would be the same over the dark blonde.

I'm a little worried that the dark blonde will look sort of dull and plain though. I have been dying my hair different shades of red for over a year now so while I'm excited to get to a natural color, I'm nervous that I'll get bored with it if it looks really flat. I do remember seeing a dye at sallys that is supposed to give a multi dimensional color but I'm not sure how well it really works. I'm not sure if I should go for a permanent since I don't plan to dye it again or go with a demi permanent like I usually do. The demi permanent leaves my hair in good condition but I've never tried a blonde/brown demi permanent dye.