Chemical hair coloring advice

[flourish]

I know chemicals aren't exactly popular around here, but you LHCers are the best when it comes to hair advice. I currently have chemically dyed soft black hair and want to try red hair. I'm looking for some advice regarding this.

First, does anyone know of good virtual makeover sites or other ways to try out hair colors? I've used Taaz and other sites before. While I like them, I feel like the hair colors either turn out fake looking or the choice of celebrity hairstyles/colors is limited. I'd love to have copper red hair ala Karen Gillan, but don't know how that would work with my natural coloring.

Here is my natural coloring (except my hair now is a soft black):
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/5962270465_7c6d8bd708_m.jpg

The shades I like (basically, google Karen Gillan and any color of her hair is gorgeous):
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llotdtsn631qby81do1_400.png http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgmw6yBXGi1qby81do1_500.jpghttp://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/imageBank/k/Karen_Gillan.jpg

What do my fellow LHCers think? Could any of these work? Furthermore, what would you recommend for haircare after coloring? I currently use the CO method with weekly deep conditioning and biweekly clarifying shampoo followed by airdrying/comb brushing for my 2c hair. I know red is a very hard color to upkeep so I'd need to add in some sort of upkeep to my routine.

[ange1ito]

I had black and it was a pain to get out. I had to have colour correction at the salon with bleach and then a semi to go back to my natural dark brown. The black may have build up at your roots and this may be difficult to strip, the hairdresser used a high volume for me as I had been dying it black for about 10yrs!!! It may be better for you to try a colour remover at home first, even this will give some damage if you are planning on growing long, but at least you won't have dried out hair with snapping ends from the bleach. The colour you are going for is really nice, hope some other users help you out with more idea's...maybe a henna would be better for the colour you are after.

[kwaniesiam]

You will need to use a color remover to get the black out. Do NOT try to bleach it out, that will result in an uneven color and fried hair. Colorfix, ColorB4, Color Zap...what ever you can get. Colorfix is my personal favorite. I've used it the most often and always have good results.

Since you want to go red, you shouldn't have to lighten much if at all after you remove the black dye. The color remover will turn your hair a brassy shade anyway, and you can just put the red over top of that.

[flourish]

Thanks for the quick reply and advice. I've bleached my hair before and it was terrible. Thanks for the info about the color remover.

[flourish]

If I use color remover to strip the black dye from my hair is it possible to use henna after that? I've always been told to not mix henna and chemical dyes.

[twilight_faerie]

If I use color remover to strip the black dye from my hair is it possible to use henna after that? I've always been told to not mix henna and chemical dyes.

You can if you use BAQ henna.

[Amraann]

I think that your skin coloring is similar to that of the woman you posted so the color would look good on you IMO

[flourish]

Thanks for the replies! Now to just deal with the pesky black eyebrows lol...

[RitaCeleste]

Leave the brows alone. They make lighteners for the brows and I suppose you could lighten to a lighter shade of brown. But I wouldn't recommend turning them a matching color. My sister went blond and decided she wanted the brows to match. Talk about a bad look on her! I'm a bit worried that red brows could create a look that could be very odd too. I leave my brows dark. Remember henna is permanent. Depending on the color of your roots, it may be harder to get them to match as your hair grows out without lightening the roots with a peroxide developer first.
I'd strip out the color with color oops, rinse really well, skip the step where you neutralize with vol 10 developer and go right into coloring it with the red chemical dye of your choice as the color would have developer in it. I'd do it this way because you can try the red without the commitment that is henna.

[flourish]

I wouldn't want light brows, just not so black ones....more a dark brown. Thanks for the henna advice too---I think I'm gonna stick with chemical dye since I have experience with it.