I ruined my hair..help

[themostsilly]

So last night I gave in and colored my hair using Naturtint. I have since last November gave up chemical dyes in a quest to obtain healthy long, natural colored hair. I threw that all away last night. I have been frustrated with the color of my hair and have been seeking a way to darken it with minimal damage. Well it's definetly darker now-nearly black, which is not what I wanted. It looks so dark and artificial, the color it self seems to have little varition so it just looks like dyed hair. I would have at this point kept my natural color with all its natural highlights and beauty then have nice dark hair that looks fake.
So now what do I do. This was a permanent dye, I should have known better but I did it anyway. How do I go about fixing this...I have seen products like Colorfix, but am not sure how those work, or even how safe they are. Should I just wait it out? I am also wondering about honey lightening, which seems to be the most natural alternative, and maybe the most gentle?
My hair does seem drier, but that was expected, I just should have been stronger. My hair was finally so healthy. I wasn't getting hardly any splits, its was thicker, and I actually had my natural color. What's wrong with me...
Please any advice at all is appreciated, or any similar experiences...
I guess I will be doing some research on the honey thread for awhile, hopefully there is a pretty gentle solution.
It's just hair I know, but I am absolutely sick to my stomach with what I did, and how it looks.
I'm sorry hair. I didn't mean to hurt you...

[FrannyG]

I really recommend that you don't do anything drastic like using Colorfix or anything else just yet.

First of all, since the colour is still so new, you can often get a fair bit of lightening by using a clarifying shampoo and leaving it in for about three minutes.


Additionally, you will find that honey will help to fade out that colour, safely and naturally. I recommend that you check out the Honey Thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=148) for recipes.

Honey lightening helped me on the road back to blonde after almost a year of having dark brown hair. With your colour being so fresh, it will work even better, I'm sure.

The honey recipes have even improved significantly since I did my fade last March.

Ktani is extremely knowledgable in the subject of honey and will answer any questions you might have. She's really wonderful with that.

Good luck, and don't panic. :blossom:


ETA: Your hair will forgive you. :)

[aisling]

Oil is also known to fade colour. Drench your hair in some kind of oil, coconut oil or olive oil for example and then wash out with the clarifying shampoo Franny recommended.

[lora410]

color opps worked great for lightening my hair.

[Katze]

In my experience honey, oil, heavy shampooing will *fade* color but not make it go away. In other words, these things might take some of the excess color off your hair, but will not bleach it.

Having had a LOT of color mistakes, I learned the hard way the only way you can get rid of bad color is to bleach it. Even my last "dye dark to get rid of old orangey length" faded after normal treatment and left me with...orange again.

At least your hair is dark enough that the demarcation line won't be horrible, right?

And now you've learned - right? don't worry, most of us have been there...

:flower:

[JessTheMess]

The color will also fade on its own in a couple of weeks. I dyed my hair before LHC soft black to match my roots. It matched exactly, but it ended up fading into a dark reddish brown, which is what I have now. Don't jump to any decisions just yet. As Frannie said, honey is a popular choice around here to fade color. Just don't do too much to it at once, you don't want to damage it anymore than what it could be.

[Ohio Sky]

Baby shampoo is highly recommended to remove some color immediately after coloring. Try that, then do an SMT with lots of honey and leave it on forever. (well, not really, but you know.)

[themostsilly]

My natural color is actually closer to a dark medium brown than dark brown, so since its basically black brown now, it will probably be noticable. I wish I would have not done it, I was leary for so long to use permanent, and I had nice healthy natural hair. I was growing it out for my wedding. I should have just left it alone till a couple of months before the wedding, so if I still didn't like the color then, I could have changed it then, and it would still be considerably healthy. Now I feel like I damaged it half way through the process. Ugh. I am going to try clarifying and oil, and honey soon too. And I will be conditioning ALOT for awhile to make it happier agian. Honestly if it was one shade lighter, I would be happy with it, and it would blend in when new growth comes in.
I guess I will just have to see how it goes.
I am afriad to use Color Oops of Colorfix, b/c I dont know how those work, but it seems like that would be pretty damaging...I don't know...
Thanks for the support.

[FrannyG]

Don't be so hard on yourself. Many of us on this board have done the same, including me.

The thing about honey lightening is that it really doesn't cause any damage. As you see if you study The Honey Thread, it has properties that counteract any possible damage done by its lightening powers.

Using a chemical colour stripper or bleach will only cause further damage.

You'll be okay, you'll see. :)

[Tai Shan Fan]

Plan
1) Don't panic
2) Try gentle methods suggested in this thread first
3) Don't panic

Even if the gentle methods such as oiling, honey, clarifying shampoo or even regular shampoo (which fades commercial dyes on me) don't get you to the exact colour you want long term, they might just fade it enough to blend with your natural hair tone without wreaking your hair.

If you panic about your situation you're more likely to do something drastic to externalise what you're feeling inside and might not be the best option for you.

Take a deep breath and follow what has been suggested.
I hope you soon get a hair colour you are happy with :flower:

[gallows_gallery]

I bleached my hair from five years of permanent black (as seen in my display picture) to dark brown a month ago. Luckily the colour you picked is a brown - even if it came out really dark, it's still a brown...why is this important? Black is purple-based. Brown is red based. Red base is WAAAAAAAAAAAAY easier to lighten and get out.

If your hair is still in good condition after the dye (which I imagine it would be, going darker and having healthy hair before) DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU GET REGROWTH! This means that when it is time for you to redye or bleach it or whatever, you will have two different colours, and end up with hideous gradient hair like me (not pictured in my display picture! See "Millions of broken hairs" post...there's a photo of my two tone hair.) I hope that makes sense?

I bleached mine with an inch or two of regrowth, and much to my horror, I now have hair that goes orange-red-brown-darkbrown.

Here is my advice (and I know it's contrary to many other members...but I'm not a devoted natural product user...I wish I was):

Go to a hairdresser ASAP. Ask for a quick colour strip. Take a photo of the colour you want. I can almost guarantee that the brown will lift off in 15 minutes (it's new, it's brown and it's only one layer) and you will get the colour you wanted, relatively evenly through out the hair. I had FIVE YEARS of PERMANENT BLACK on mine and it lifted in 30 minutes. My hair is still just as soft and shiny as ever. I noticed NO more damage or knots or breakage. My only problem is the colour gradient.

I can't stress enough NOT to wait for regrowth. You just end up with endless problems trying to even it out after that. It's been the story of my life for the past month :( Go and get a quick strip done ("strip" sounds so harsh..."colour lift") and treat your hair to a good few moisture masks the week after.

Yvette

[CopperHead]

I have used Naturtint before and it faded very quickly. When I first used it, my color was very dark, but it changed in a week or two. Wash often with sulfates and maybe use some honey treatments and it will fade very fast. That stuff was the worst color I have ever used and it still has chemicals and PPD, so it isn't all that natural. Your hair will be just fine. :)

[jojo]

Years ago I put a medium brown on my hair, it turned out black and horribly artificial looking, so i rang the helpline on the back of the box they recommended me to saturate my hair in warm olive oil and leave it overnight.

Although it didn't remove all the colour, it did lift it to a more acceptable shade. Head and shoulders shampoo also helps fade colour too.

So what I suggest is do the olive oil and wash your hair in head and shoulders for a month or so.

Hope I am helping, been there and know the horrible sickening feeling you get. Hope this works for you. x

[arylkin]

themostsilly- I'm so sorry! My only encouragement is to say that it is probably WAY more noticeable to you than other people and that it will probably fade a bit in a week or so.

[manderly]

I just used Naturtint about a month ago and it's faded tremendously!

Don't worry, just wash your hair a little more than normal, follow with lots of condish, and it will fade very rapidly.

[Kirin]

Nutratint is notorious for two things, giving unrealistic color, and for fading very quickly. I wouldn't panic if I were you.

To help the fade out, get Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo. Do -not- get a generic baby shampoo, most are just regular shampoo, you want the alkalinity of the Johnsons. In a cup, mix some shampoo with about a quarter teaspoon of baking soda, then wash your hair with it. Be sure to use conditioner after this.

You'll likely see "bleed off" in the rinsewater. Don't wait too long though, the faster you get to working on getting the color out when its fresh, the better.

The shampoo baking soda mix will make your hair feel a bit strawlike if you do not use an ACV rinse afterward and a good conditioner. After the first time, wash daily for about a week with the baby shampoo, and you should see a major lift of the color. At that point you will have removed enough of the color to decide what to do next.

[SeaPhoenix]

I am so glad I saw this thread! I was considering using naturtint hair dye, based on a ton of reviews online about how natural the colors come out, and that it doesn't set off chemical sensitivity the way other dyes do - which is part of why I originally switched to henna years ago - the chemical sensitivity I developed using regular hair dyes ... (I love red hair, just not so much the dark reds I got with henna, plus the impossibility of lightening it up, so thought about doing dyes, so I could at least change it if I decided I wanted to later).
Now I'm wondering about the chance of doing a diff version of a 2 step henna treatment... maybe find a way to lighten my hair first, then do cassia/henna over it, and just repeat this with the roots... the idea being to get a dark strawberryish blondish color, as opposed to deep reds and burgundies (I like copper tones, not red-red tones in my hair - plus this seems like it would keep the hair relatively healthier than commercial lightening to strawberry blondes would)
I don't know though... But, I'm very glad I saw this thread - or I might have gone the way of naturtint too, now that most of my hair left is free of the old henna.

I really hope you're able to get your hair back to a color and condition you're happy with!

[Unnamed]

First, don't panic! I don't know much about the dye you used, but...the fresher the more you can get it to fade, generally. Also, most dyes do fade a bit in the first few washes/first week or so.

Olive oil is acidic and can help pull out that dye. Put in on your hair and leave it for a while (4+ hours). If you shampoo it out real well after (ie, with something that could be harsh or drying), do an SMT after.

And, yep, the honey, although I've not really tried this, unless it's what's lightening the ends of my hair (still--I have old black dye).

FWIW I didn't notice any damage from colorfix--but I'd really wait on anything like that until you've done the above several times and waited a little while, as it might not be needed.

[Tap Dancer]

Your hair will lighten a little bit after a few washes. I bet you'll be happier with it soon. In the meantime, wash with dandruff shampoo to speed up the process. :flower:

[AmselJoey]

I feel so you themostsilly! :(

I, too, dyed my hair on a whim back in June and was unhappy with the color. Unfortunately I used henna, which is nearly impossible to get out. Permanent dye can be dyed over or bleached out! IMO I agree with those who say just go to a salon and ask them to fix it for you. I wish getting rid of the orange in my hair was that easy.

You will get through this and you will be beautiful for your wedding.:)

[Nat242]

It'll be alright! :flower:

When you clarify, try a baking soda wash. Baking soda is alkaline, and it sort of "opens" the hair up, which might help you wash away some of that dye.

Remember to follow with a diluted vinegar rinse right at the end. Best of luck!

[ccmuffingirl]

I know that baking soda, honey, and lemon juice can lighten hair, so maybe you could try rinsing your hair with one of these items. Over a period of time it can help the color to fade into something that looks more natural, perhaps. I was also frustrated with my hair because it was developing red sun-streaks (I like black hair) due to sun exposure. But I did a hendigo treatment (henna mixed with indigo leaves) and it got rid of those red streaks and made my hair black again, but not that heavy, artificial black look. So after you fade this color out of your hair you might want to try henna. I use rainbow henna that I buy at whole foods, and they make henna colors ranging from blonde to ebony using henna mixed with other natural things to make it varying colors.

[ladyshannonanne]

I bet the pigment will settle a lot lighter than it looks right now. Also, like others have suggested, you might want to use a sulfate shampoo and try to remove some of the dye from your hair. Give it a week, and it might be quite close to the color you were expecting. Good luck. That is really frustrating.

[VanillaTresses]

I have been in the exact situation you are in now, and I would recommend that you STOP, relax... don't panic... and definitely DO NOT do anything drastic to your hair right now (may only cause more regret). With time I would be willing to bet that it will fade and that with proper care and conditioning the condition will be much better as well. :)

Cheer up! :sun:

[TennesseeGirl]

I had a similar thing happen a few months back and I used color opps. It did damage my hair a little I have lots of little breaks that I did not have before. BUT my hair had been heavily highlighted for yrs, then I dyed it missed a few spots, dyed it AGAIN and got the way too dark color waited a few days couldn't stand it any longer and used the color oops. I am guessing if your hair was only dyed the one time it would be safe. I started with overly chemical treated hair and in all honestly I was expecting way worse results. The color oops did work well though.
I have been told that using Dawn dish washing soap will help to strip the color fast as well. I used sunlight dish soap in my hair once when I was a teen because we ran out of shampoo and it lightened my dyed hair alot as well

[themostsilly]

So much thanks to everyone-
It's growing on me, and I am beginning to feel more optimistic about it.
My game plan for tonight:
-Wash with Johnson's baby shampoo-leave on 3 minutes(does everyone feel this is the best clarifying?)
-Soak in warm olive oil-for several hours
-Wash agian
-SMT -heavy on the honey-overnight
-Wash with regular shampoo if needed in morning
Go from there...
If I can't pull all this off tonight, it will carry over to tomorrow. If needed I will also use the honey lightening method. I am feeling like its not too bad, but I know its a little fake and harsh looking. I think I should be able to tone it down naturally enough to my satisfaction.
Thanks agian, for all the support and advice.

[themostsilly]

I just washed with a VO5 clarifying poo,I saw some tint to the shampoo suds coming out of my hair, so thats positive... should I put the olive oil on while its wet, or dry?
I may just do a SMT since its wet, sans the AVG.

[themostsilly]

I just rinsed the concoction (conditioner, honey, olive oil) out of my hair, and there was alot of brown coming out!!! I am excited to see it when it's dry. Also it feels very soft again! yea...I made extra so I think I will do again tomorrow if the results are pretty good.

[manderly]

Just don't overdo it......it's not necessary ;) It will fade really quickly on it's own.

[sky]

Just wait it out and let Nature take care of it.

Hopefully, your own colour is not a whole lot lighter?

Condition the heck out of it, trim the ends frequently and you'll be back to "GO" before long.

Some of the colour will fade, and that will help.

sky

[wintersun99]

.............

[dawnandxavier]

this is great stuff to know. I'm going to try not to dye for this year.

[Fufu]

Don't worry about the artificial colour, with shampooing, the colours will definitely fade.

Just don't use any colour shampoo or conditioner.

[dropinthebucket]

This happened to me the first time I tried to dye my box blonde hair back to a medium brown, so I could grow out my own colour. The medium brown dye I used took really, really dark, and came out almost black. I panicked, and called the L'Oreal colour hotline - they were very calming, and very sweet. I was told to wash with a dandruff shampoo - they recommended Head and Shoulders - three or four times within a couple of days, leaving the shampoo on for a few minutes each time. They called this "a shampoo cap," and said it would lift some of the colour. It did! Lightened almost a full shade. Normal fading over the next few months left me with light brown hair. Good luck with it!

[yellowflower]

Dont have any advice although i did the exact same, had been growing bleach out for 8 months then wnet and dyed it even had it done professionally and it was BLACK, not nice black you could tell was a dyed fake black. I went and stupidly bleached the hell out of it becuase i wanted blonde hair again, now im back to square one growing out.