Should I use a color stripper or just bleach it??

[mommy2Bxo]

My natural hair color is a golden light/medium blonde and I've been dying my hair dark brown for about 2 years and it looked almost black, eventhough I have never actually dyed it black. I have my roots grown out some and the rest of my hair has faded to more of a brown instead of black, but still some parts look black. I was wondering if I should use a hair stripper to remove the color or is it better to just bleach it and then dye it the color I want?
Thank you !!

[sunshine-locks]

I'd probably use the colour stripper if I were you, it's less damaging :)
Also, it would leave you with more of your natural colour than if you bleached the brown out.

[akilina]

I would try color oops. It is almost absolutely non damaging in my experience.
If you used permanent dye though your hair will never get back to its natural color. You could try an application of color oops then see where you were at.

If you were going to color oops though, afterwards I would wait a few washes to color your hair again. I have noticed that my hair re darkens sometimes and I heard someone mention this could have been because I did not rinse well enough.

Another option would be possibly after color oops and once you have seen where you are at: Mix up yourself a "shampoo cap" Get some powder bleach and developer. You mix those two with shampoo and wash your hair with it, and let it set in your hair for a little while.

You could also do a couple of applications of color oops after the first. It is all about the strength and condition of your hair in the present though. Use your best judgement of what your hair can handle.

[mzBANGBANG]

Please don't just bleach it! I tried this before and ended up double bleaching and ruining my hair, I was in the same position as you. If I could go back and do it all again, I would have used color oops, then toned it and let it rest for awhile.

[xoxophelia]

Please don't just bleach it! I tried this before and ended up double bleaching and ruining my hair, I was in the same position as you. If I could go back and do it all again, I would have used color oops, then toned it and let it rest for awhile.

Seconding this. If you used semipermanents I would even hold off and just let the color fade out for longer.

[Seeshami]

I really like the "Decolor time" that is a rip off of Decolour. And I didn't just dye, I have 6 months of henna, several handfuls of indigo, cassia, buxus experiments annoying the Naughty Mess. And besides smelling a little like sulfur farts he's pretty happy. I am sure he is actually stoked about the smell part, and my co-workers do not notice it but I do. I use Dove Go Fresh body mist to cover it up :D

Examples: Because I don't feel like typing YAY LAZY-PANTS!

A few weeks ago:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v190/BrokenCagedBird/6cee3b31.jpg

This is after the first time: Naughty mess's ends laughed at me and didn't change so we did a second round too.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v190/BrokenCagedBird/3fd3e540.jpg

After second:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v190/BrokenCagedBird/4e9e51c8.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v190/BrokenCagedBird/19c2ae42.jpg

In florescent lighting:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v190/BrokenCagedBird/04f40b41.jpg

My natural Naughty Mess (when he was a baby hair monster)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v190/BrokenCagedBird/b88c0b34.jpg
Aww how cute he is at Shoulder length, little baby naughty mess. BTW he says cute is not okay with him and calling him a baby is unacceptable as well. :rolleyes:

[Bunnysaur]

I think you should go with the color stripper. When I used it, I only had a little bit of damage to my ends, which needed to be trimmed anyway.



Aww how cute he is at Shoulder length, little baby naughty mess. BTW he says cute is not okay with him and calling him a baby is unacceptable as well. :rolleyes:

A bit OT, but I've always loved how your Naughty Mess has his own personality and the way you talk about him. Always gives me (at least) a chuckle :D

[jojo]

I wouldn't use a stripper or bleach they are the same thing, what you need is a colour remover, these don't stip the hair using bleach or harsh chemicals but shatter dye molecules so they can be rinsed out. I've been down this route myself and it worked for me and that was with hendigo. decolour I second as an excellent product.

[Amber_Maiden]

The colour oops.

[Seeshami]

A bit OT, but I've always loved how your Naughty Mess has his own personality and the way you talk about him. Always gives me (at least) a chuckle :D

I am glad, it amuses me too.

[pink.sara]

Having removed permanent, semi or Demi permanent, henna, indigo and direct dyes with bleach, colour strippers and De-colour removers (like colour oops and colour b4) I can honestly say 3 applications over a week of colour oops did not damage my hair, just left it a bit dry for a wash or 2.

But soap caps, strippers and even weak bleaching caused permanent damage. Please go the colour remover route first, then if you do decide to do a soap cap or weak bleach, slather your hair in virgin coconut oil for a few hours before to mitigate damage :)

[jojo]

Having removed permanent, semi or Demi permanent, henna, indigo and direct dyes with bleach, colour strippers and De-colour removers (like colour oops and colour b4) I can honestly say 3 applications over a week of colour oops did not damage my hair, just left it a bit dry for a wash or 2.

But soap caps, strippers and even weak bleaching caused permanent damage. Please go the colour remover route first, then if you do decide to do a soap cap or weak bleach, slather your hair in virgin coconut oil for a few hours before to mitigate damage :)

No not an inch of damage from colour B4 or decolour for me either but I had it stripped years ago at a salon and my hair was like straw after.

[Mrsbaybeegurl]

Im confused about this too. I have seen a handful of people on here talk about how when they used coconut oil in their hair along side of bleach that they reported no damage at All. I have also seen a handful of people claim the color oops was very damaging so it would seem to me that a heavily coconut oiled bleach session could potentially be easier on the hair. I have not yet seen (although there maybe) anyone here say bleach with coconut oil ruined their hair- on the other hand there are several posts about how color oopps and the like have destroyed hair. So this to me is a very tough question and oneI have often wondered about.

[Calaelen]

Im confused about this too. I have seen a handful of people on here talk about how when they used coconut oil in their hair along side of bleach that they reported no damage at All. I have also seen a handful of people claim the color oops was very damaging so it would seem to me that a heavily coconut oiled bleach session could potentially be easier on the hair. I have not yet seen (although there maybe) anyone here say bleach with coconut oil ruined their hair- on the other hand there are several posts about how color oopps and the like have destroyed hair. So this to me is a very tough question and oneI have often wondered about.

Speaking as a stylist, Coconut oil can lessen the damage of bleaching, but definitely doesn't eliminate it. The process makes it impossible to avoid damage.

Colour oops can be drying, but it doesn't work at all like bleach, the science behind it is totally different. It is MUCH safer to use on your own, and if rinsed properly should not lead to breakage. I feel that members who have mentioned a lot of damage after using colour oops were rough with their hair in the rinsing process.

OP, I recommend using a colour remover such as colour oops, or Decolour before anything else, as it is the least damaging to hair. You'll likely have to do two rounds of this to achieve a light enough colour. If this doesn't get all the colour out, I would then recommend going to a stylist for colour correction, because there are so many ways to go wrong with bleach.

[pink.sara]

Im confused about this too. I have seen a handful of people on here talk about how when they used coconut oil in their hair along side of bleach that they reported no damage at All. I have also seen a handful of people claim the color oops was very damaging so it would seem to me that a heavily coconut oiled bleach session could potentially be easier on the hair. I have not yet seen (although there maybe) anyone here say bleach with coconut oil ruined their hair- on the other hand there are several posts about how color oopps and the like have destroyed hair. So this to me is a very tough question and oneI have often wondered about.

The difference here for me is time.

Bleaching with coconut oil does cause less damage than bleaching alone, no doubt about it. But having done this for several years I can say that down the line there will be breakage from the bleach.
I have tough hair, I bleach and strip it relentlessly and it survives. But my bleached streak still shows damage when it gets to about 3 years old.

Colour B4, however requires you to rinse in warm water for 20 minutes, this leaves your hair feeling like crap, dry, straw like, tangled etc. That much water is not great in the short term.
However, that is just dryness which can be corrected with a good deep condition, not chemical alteration to the hair structure, or protein loss (which is an inevitable result of bleach).

So even though it feels immediately worse, in the long run, bleach, even weak and using coconut oil is worse.

Obviously YMMV, but that's my :twocents:

[blondie9912]

I've heard great things about colour oops around here. Also, some honey lightening sessions could help!

[Janja]

https://i0.wp.com/bella.in.rs/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/decolortime2.jpg?fit=600%2C706&ssl=1 Has anyone tried this to remove henna and indigo from hair?

[lapushka]

https://i0.wp.com/bella.in.rs/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/decolortime2.jpg?fit=600%2C706&ssl=1 Has anyone tried this to remove henna and indigo from hair?

People have tried, it might lighten some, but it's not going to get it out. Nothing can get henna and especially indigo out of the hair. Nothing.

I would also not use bleach because bleach + indigo = green hair.

[Janja]

O, well.. Lighten is ok, if it works in that way, excellent!

[JeniBear]

Please don’t bleach it, if you absolutely have to remove the colour then I would try colour oops as many have suggested or go and see a hair stylist for their opinion. However, there is the option to grin and bear it too! Over time it will fade, especially if you use a sulphate shampoo. Good Luck:)

[lapushka]

Please don’t bleach it, if you absolutely have to remove the colour then I would try colour oops as many have suggested or go and see a hair stylist for their opinion. However, there is the option to grin and bear it too! Over time it will fade, especially if you use a sulphate shampoo. Good Luck:)

I believe Decolor = like coloroops. :)

[Janja]

That is something like color stripper without bleach, like color oops, colour b4, ... In my country there is only FAMA, DeColor time, maybe 2 or 3 more, but I can't find them (ex. Alfaparf, AlterEgo).

[Dark40]

Please don't bleach! You will ruin your hair. Through my experience I would use color oops. Or, you can try the lightest shade of blonde, and it lightened my black dyed hair up to a nice auburn! I would gradually lighten my hair if I were you through my experience. Gradually lightening is less damaging.