hair dye trauma!

[lyonesse sióg]

Hey, everyone! I'm so glad we're back online. :]

I need help with a dilemma. I'm currently in a production of Anything Goes, and for my role, I have to dye my hair black. Originally, my director asked me to permanently dye my hair a dark brown, but I asked if I could use a spray-in dye. She agreed, and we tried it for the first time last Saturday. We only sprayed the back of my head, and my hair was in a braid, because that's the only part of my hair the audience sees.
Not only did the spray leave my hair black, but it also left it incredibly stiff and gross.
When I got home Saturday night, I spent an entire hour in the shower trying to wash my hair. I used: my bottle of shampoo, a bottle of liquid soap, a bar of soap, conditioner, and half of my bottle of deep conditioner. The color will not remove from my hair. It's also still a little stiff from the spray, despite the deep conditioning.
It's faded, thanks to the work of washing it out, but it's still streaky and very dark. I really loved the hair color I had, and I was trying to prevent destroying it, but I guess I failed at that.
Is there anything I can do to get my hair back to the color I had, without totally destroying the condition of it? Is there any way short of bleaching it that I can get it to a lighter color?
Thanks in advance for your help.

[Elfling]

Why on earth didn't your director just get you a wig?? That sounds awful hon :( Which spray-on dye did you use, by chance?

[lyonesse sióg]

The wigs were too expensive. We're on a very limited budget, as we're just a high school, and our administration doesn't like the arts programs at all. {We even have to rent a theater because they don't have one}
The spray I used was one I just picked up at a party store. Bad idea, I know, but I couldn't find any at any other store. I even went to Hot Topic and THEY didn't have any.

[Delilah]

Maybe try an SMT? Honey has been proven to lighten hair color and remove deposits such as old hair color and henna. If you do henna your hair you can always reapply once the dark color has been dealth with.

[Elfling]

I think I might go for that option and see if there's any improvement.

*hugs* I hope it clears up.

[andrea1982]

Oh no, that sucks :( *hugs* I second the SMT idea, and maybe you could try a citric acid rinse, or a chelating shampoo from a salon? Deep oilings might help too, with the colour and the dryness. Also, have you tried e-mailing or phoning the company that made the spray on colour? Maybe they have some tips. If it did this to your beautiful red colour, imagine what it would do to blondes! You can't be the first person this has happened to.

[BlndeInDisguise]

Did somebody say something about Tea Tree oil helping with lightening henna, or did I dream that? :confused:

[lora410]

What if you try clarifying? I know you said you washed to death but maybe the baking soda will really strip it all off and then you can just do a deep conditioning. p.s nightshade reccomended to me baby shampoo to lighten my dyed black hair. She said the alkaline strips it. I haven't tried this yet; so it just an idea to try.

[Anje]

If you do an SMT, don't warm it up! The lightening powers of honey are supposed to be inactivated when it's heated.

I hesitate to add it, but I've heard some people have had luck getting stuff out of their hair with dish soap. Condition REALLY REALLY well afterward if you use it.

I've seen something called "Color Pulse" at the store a few times. I'm sure it comes in black, but it's a 1-2 week washout dye. That or something like Manic Panic might be a better option if you have more performances to do. They'll take a while to fade, though, especially if you hair is porous or damaged.

P.S. Don't bleach it, that'll be worse for the condition than anything else. What detergents and honey won't fade, time and growth will.

[sapphire-o]

I have no tip on the hair color removal. Just want to mention about wigs. Real wigs are expensive, but if all you need is a braid showing you wouldn't need a real wig. Go to Wal-mart and check their section with ethnic hair care stuff. They usually have very cheap fake hair there in brown, dark brown and black. About a few dollars I think. Grab a pack of black one and make yourself a braid. Sure it's probably not gonna feel like a real one but nobody will be touching it anyway.

[Nightshade]

Try an alkaline shampoo like baby shampoo. Mix it half and half with honey, apply to wet hair and let it sit for a few minutes and rinse. This works pretty reliably for my mom when her hair picks up too much dye

[Patrycja]

I have no suggestions just a "I am so sorry" comment.Good luck and I cringed when I read this :(

[heidi w.]

How is it that a makeup/costume person hasn't heard of a black wig???? I mean, I've done plenty of theater, and we used wigs, even situations of the hat attached to the wig, or hair ornaments (such as floral arrangements) attached to the wig.

Could you share what the brand of spray in coloring is, and any info on ingredients? I am reluctant to suggest a clarify shampoo, but it might work. Depends, though, if it's laying on the cuticle or absorbed into the cortex. The latter may be a possibility.

One thought, go see a professional colorist to inquire about removal.

heidi w.

[spidermom]

I think if you keep deep conditioning it and doing clarifying washes, the color will gradually fade away. Give it a couple of weeks before you do anything else, o.k?

[chamogirl]

Try using this product - it can be found at a Salley's.

[snowbear]

Party store spray hair color! Been there, done that!

I sprayed my dark blonde/light brown hair bright fire-engine red for a Harry Potter release, and washing was difficult. I ended up rinsing like crazy, shampooing about seven times, conditioning once, rinsing like crazy, shampooing again, and then conditioning again.
Basically, rinse like crazy. Mine came out just fine, but I must have spent at least an hour in the shower.

[Anje]

I wonder how you'd do with just a couple good, long mermaid soaks? Along the lines of Snowbear's post, water's supposed to do as much or more than detergents for taking out dye, according to this Beauty Brains article (http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/02/28/the-biggest-cause-of-fading-hair-color/).

[shellblue1]

What if you try clarifying? I know you said you washed to death but maybe the baking soda will really strip it all off and then you can just do a deep conditioning. p.s nightshade reccomended to me baby shampoo to lighten my dyed black hair. She said the alkaline strips it. I haven't tried this yet; so it just an idea to try.

Baking soda definitely strips the black out of my hair! I've mixed with a clarifying shampoo before and you can actually SMELL the hair dye coming out of my hair.

[bella77]

I would try a deep oil treatment, from personal experience, oil always lifts my color out very quickly. Good luck.

[SaveTheTapirs]

Oh sweet! I was going to suggest tea tree oil, just as a hunch, because it has solvent properties. But I'm glad you got that stuff out. It's weird, I was just thinking about how I could never be an actress because of all the stuff I'd probably be asked to do to my hair, haha.

[SaveTheTapirs]

Oh sweet! I was going to suggest tea tree oil, just as a hunch, because it has solvent properties. But I'm glad you got that stuff out. It's weird, I was just thinking about how I could never be an actress because of all the stuff I'd probably be asked to do to my hair, haha.
Whoops! for some reason I thought for a second that shellblue1 was the one with the dye problem. My mistake! I would still suggest diluted TTO.

[jojo]

head and shoulder shampoo helps fade, also olive oil left over night helps lift colour too. I got told this years ago from the helpline printed on the back of a dye packet, you could always write the number down from a dye packet..discreetly!

or try this products http://www.ehow.com/how_2185845_remove-hair-dye-hair.html
i dont know how harmful it would be to your hair.
good luck xx

[ChloeDharma]

When my ex lived with me she used to use strong hairspray everyday, loads of the stuff each application and only wash once a week. This used to leave a thick hardened glue white looking coating on her hair strands by wash day. What worked for getting that off was to dampen her hair then smother it in cheap conditioner and leave it on all day then wash in the evening with a clarifying shampoo. The conditioner used to soften it up enough to remove. I don't know what this spray is like but could that kind of action work?

I also agree that the braiding extension hair would work, its really cheap in black too, under £1.

[cutastrophe]

Get a box of extra strength "Color Oops." Should take all of it right out for ya. :)

[Pegasus Marsters]

Conditioner. Put an absolute buttload of it on your hair, wrap up in a turban towel and go and sit and watch tv for a few hours. Add some oil to the conditioner if you want, it might help some. Then after a few hours go and get in the shower. Lather up with shampoo then rinse the hell outta that stuff. It really does help fade things faster. You will get it out, it'll just be difficult.

[RedButterfly]

Sending you a hug. That is horrible.

I agree with the suggestions about natural things such as baking soda, ACV, or honey. Try a deep oil treatment with extra virgen olive oil (EVOO). I found that EVOO lightens dyed hair color over time too. Don't use bleach or color strippers.

If the dye doesn't come out, consider henna to create the color you want. Just make sure it is natural henna and not a compound henna.

[lyonesse sióg]

Thank you so much, everyone, for your help!

I mixed a teensy bit of lemon juice into some dish liquid, and it got the heavy black streaks out, but my hair color is still darker. When it lightens some more, I'm going to hennalucent it again, and hopefully, I'll get my color back. And for the mean time, we're going to try to find another wash-out dye. :]

Thanks again! :flowers: