Removing Hair Dye?

[QueenJoey]

After much deliberation, I've decided I want my natural hair color back. About three months ago, I colored my hair for the second time with semi-permanent dye from my natural golden brown color to a blackish reddish mahogany shade. It's faded very nicely to a medium brown shade. Some of my natural highlights are starting to show through. My roots are growing in the same medium brown shade, but I'm not to worried about that because my roots have always been very dark, while my length is alot lighter (don't know why).

Is there any way to get rid of what's left of the dye in my hair? Maybe some more clarifying washes? Or a dye-removing product?

What have any of you ever done to fade the dye faster?

[HairFaerie]

Olive oil (a deep treatment) and Head and Shoulders shampoo fade color quickly. There is a product called Color Oops, but I am not sure if it's for people who bleach their hair, then dye it, then want to go back to blonde. I used that for that exact purpose and it worked! I am not sure if it will work on hair that was natural and then dyed though...

[pink.sara]

Olive oil (a deep treatment) and Head and Shoulders shampoo fade color quickly. There is a product called Color Oops, but I am not sure if it's for people who bleach their hair, then dye it, then want to go back to blonde. I used that for that exact purpose and it worked! I am not sure if it will work on hair that was natural and then dyed though...

Colour oops or colour B4 remove semi permanent and permanent colour from any hair. If it was bleached then dyed it takes it back to the bleached state. If it was virgin then dyed, back to virgin. I just used it to remove black permanent dye and go back to my natural auburn. It works and other than being a little drying because you have to rinse your hair for 15 minutes after use, it did no damage.
Be cautious of colour removers with a "3rd step" after rinsing as these usually contain peroxide. You shouldn't use the last step if you did decide to buy a colour remover.

Or perhaps a honey lightening treatment? I've heard good things about it but never tried it myself. :)

[KittyLost]

It's only your second time colouring? And it was a semi-perm? Do you have a picture of your natural colour and one of your dyed hair or a recent picture of your hair?

If it was only your second time colouring and since it's a semi and already faded to a medium brown I think you'd do more harm trying to remove it instead of leaving it. There are colour removers that do not involve bleach such as the british Scott Cornwall's Colour B4 but I don't think it will remove much more than what has already faded. You can continue to fade the colour using clarifying shampoos/dandruff shampoos/citris shampoos. You could try honey or lemon lightening. There is a trick where you crush vitamin c tablets and mix it with strong shampoo and leave it on your hair to fade dye but it leaves hair horribly dry. Sometimes oil treatments can fade colour, I noticed it with coconut and olive. If you are doing vinegar rinses that can STOP hair from fading so you might want to avoid that.

In all honesty though, if it's faded enough and blends with your roots you are better off just leaving it alone and growing it out. You may not have an obvious line of decermation which will make it easier.

[ZeppHead]

Don't make the same mistake I did and keep using treatments or dye or stripper on it to try and fix it or make it match a little better. I say let it go and and it will fade naturally through washing and water alone. Plus sunlight will help too.