Please help, I dyed my hair and it's messed up!!!!!!

[Olivia23]

My hair is a dark brown, and I started getting a few gray hairs on top (I'm only 33!). Anyway I bought some lighter brown hair dye with warm tones. I have dyed my hair lighter and darker colors before with no problems, but this morning before I took my son to school, my hair was looking greasy on top, so I just added some baby powder and brushed it through. It really helped with the greasiness.

Well when I got home, I decided to go ahead and dye it. Now that my hair is drying, the top looks almost strawberry red, and the rest is a lot darker!!! Did the powder cause this!!! I have to got to work tomorrow, and I don't have any money (was out of work for 3 months from back surgery) until the end of the month, but I need something done now! Is there some cheap alternative I can use? Please help ASAP!!!!

[wintersun99]

Can you wear a cute hat or headband to work for a little while, until you have time to have a professional fix this?

[rymorg2]

My hair is a dark brown, and I started getting a few gray hairs on top (I'm only 33!). Anyway I bought some lighter brown hair dye with warm tones. I have dyed my hair lighter and darker colors before with no problems, but this morning before I took my son to school, my hair was looking greasy on top, so I just added some baby powder and brushed it through. It really helped with the greasiness.

Well when I got home, I decided to go ahead and dye it. Now that my hair is drying, the top looks almost strawberry red, and the rest is a lot darker!!! Did the powder cause this!!! I have to got to work tomorrow, and I don't have any money (was out of work for 3 months from back surgery) until the end of the month, but I need something done now! Is there some cheap alternative I can use? Please help ASAP!!!!

By top do you mean just the roots, and are all the roots this way? Or is it all through the top of your hair, even the length?

[jenny'sdreaming]

You said you've dyed before with no trouble. How recently? My first thoughts are that the greys on top didn't pick up as much dye since greys are naturally resistant and that the ends picked up too much since repeated dyeing will prevent the cuticle from completely closing over time. Whatever you do, don't try to fix this yourself by just re-dying again. I know from experience you will only make it worse and toast your hair in the process.

Some people have used a product called color-oops or color-fix to lift the dye but be aware that the dye you used will most likely have removed some of your natural color before depositing the new color so simply removing the dye will not leave your natural color underneath it. It will most likely be some sort of blondish orangish tone. You will still have to dye again to make it a natural looking color. Again, been there done that. That is why I have decided to embrace my greys. It's been too much headache and heartache trying to cover them and they started in my late 20's. Plus I'd rather let them grow in naturally than to have a serious demarkation line in later years if I go natural which I will since I for myself don't like the obviously dyed look on older women. Just my :twocents:

Good luck and hugs because I know your pain. :flowers:

[Olivia23]

Last time I dyed my hair was in September. I know the box says to wait 3 months before dying again. It is just the top of the roots that look so much lighter than the rest of my hair. I wish I had looked into more natural dying alternatives, but I had the box already, and I did not know of any local stores that have henna.

[Rohele]

My hair stylist told me that "dye can't lift dye" (I understood it to mean if you've dyed dark you can't go ahead later and dye it lighter). I'm wondering if you had darker brown dyed hair on your ends, and natural hair near your scalp, if the new dye reacted differently with the dark brown ends?

I'm sorry I have no suggestions for a fix though other than to visit a salon and see if they can correct it.:(

I've done ugly and unintentional things to my hair too, I know how it feels to want to fix it right away.

[Demetrue]

The peroxide in the lightbrown color may have turned your hair brassy. Can you afford a dark brown hair rinse like Fanci-full to use until payday? Or use a Natural instincts-type temporary color in dark brown, that will wash out in several weeks?

[~GypsyCurls~]

I think you should hide it with either hair accessories, or buy an inexpensive rinse-out dye like Jazzing or Fanci-ful. I know this sucks, but if you don't know exactly how to fix it and try to, you run the risk of ruining your hair. Go to a consultation at a salon, they will know the best route to take from there.

[Addy]

My hair stylist told me that "dye can't lift dye" (I understood it to mean if you've dyed dark you can't go ahead later and dye it lighter). I'm wondering if you had darker brown dyed hair on your ends, and natural hair near your scalp, if the new dye reacted differently with the dark brown ends?

You are correct! Dye won't lift dye!

If your hair color was darker than what you were trying to acheive then this is what you got... lighter where the natural growth is grown out and virtually no color change on the darker.

If you were dying lighter and then darker then there's no problem. The *problem* occurs when you dye darker and try to go lighter with just dye. It doesn't happen. :(

I will go with everyone else and suggest a color correction from a color specialist. Good Luck.

[Katahdin]

The only super-quick solution I can think of that won't possibly cause more damage/bad color is using a temporary, peroxide-free dye, like Manic Panic or Punky. I think Loreal has a line of 3-week hair colours too.

That should let you go to work and look good for a while. Once you're paid, I'd highly suggest seeing a profession to get it fixed properly.

[Willow]

If you can live with the the darker ends, then just color your roots to match and chalk it up to experience. :)

[serabelle]

What brand of dye was this? Permanent, semi permanent? The rule of thumb with boxed color is that you should stay within your own natural hair color level (darkness, lightness) for best results. Using too light of a shade will make your roots look pronounced since they're a bit lighter than the rest of your hair.

I suggest buying another boxed color that is *exactly* the shade of your hair, and put it on your roots only.

In the meantime, if you have an eyeshadow that's close to your hair color, break up a little bit of it and add it with a tiny bit of baby powder. You can dust that on your roots and brush it in a bit to make you feel more comfortable.

Best of luck!

[Demetrue]

sally's sells something like a mascara wand that you can use to temporarily cover over your roots till the next shampoo. Then there kits at the store for root touch-ups (the color is permanant) - they're like $7. choose one in a shade in between the dark brown and the light brown to touch up your roots until pay day.

[Demetrue]

Like this:
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?id=prod1313711&CATID=100846&skuid=sku1313701&V=G&ec=frgl_667265&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=sku1313701

[Unnamed]

I, too, have the question of was the dye you last used the dark brown...and was the lighter hair about the amount your hair has grown since September (so 2-3" of the light stuff, perhaps?). As others have said, (a lighter) dye won't lift (a darker) dye.

So my guess is what happened is the light dye lifted your natural colour just as it should (more or less), but didn't at all budge the rest since it was dyed (the darker brown)?

And I have pretty much the same suggestions as the others: Get a dye in your natural colour that'll match the ends (whether it be a wash out, semi, or permanent). The wash out would be the least damaging. If you want it all the lighter colour, it'll be a trip to a salon as that'd be a bit trickier--and would likely involve some sort of colour remover or bleach.

If there's no time, a simple scarf might cover up the worst of it, if your work allows them.

[Demetrue]

One important note - wash & condition your hair at least 3 times before attempting to redye it, otherwise it's just going to be a waste of time/money.