It’s the season to stay indoors and avoid going out so as not to catch Covid-19. And I’m sure many of you have gone to great lengths to stay entertained.
We are sure that you have even made some changes to your house and you are even thinking about changing your look if you haven’t already done it.
You’re probably sick of looking the same in the mirror, and your current hair color is fading, and your roots are back to their natural color.
It’s time for a touch-up or, better yet, why not go back to your natural shade?
They say that natural beauty is the best and for sure this change of look will not only flatter you but also make you look amazing.
That’s why we have chosen the best tips to make this task as easy as possible for you and to tell you: yes, it is possible, you can go back to your natural hair color with these simple steps.
The best part? You won’t damage your hair too much, and with proper care, you can achieve an amazing result.
One of the things specialists tell us when we bleach our hair is that it will surely weaken and breakage will occur during the process.
However, recovering it is very simple and the best thing is that you can do it at home.
However, it is important to note that these recommendations can work for you, but before you do any procedure you need to consult a hair color expert to guide you on the steps to follow and adapt them to your needs.
Remember: every mane is different and, therefore, the results and steps will vary according to the conditions of your hair.
Process
Also, don’t forget that removing permanent hair dye is about subtracting pigments, so going from grey to platinum blonde is a chemical process that “bleaches” the hair and there is no reversal as such.
To solve this, you should start pigmenting with dark dyes and use repairing masks to avoid damaging the hair.
Many experts recommend dark highlights to make the color look uniform, however, the best thing to do is to call your specialist and see your case.
One thing is for sure: recovering from blonde to brown is not a complicated task, especially if you do it gradually and do not dye your hair in one even tone, since in the long run it will fall out and that will cause it to look uneven.
The same is true if your hair is blonder and you want to take it back from brunette to light.
The best option is to start coloring it with highlights up to three times lighter than the shade.
The abrupt change will not only damage your hair, but will also weaken it.
Don’t forget to apply repairing masks such as an avocado and olive oil mask.
We know it’s a long process, but who said beauty doesn’t cost? These recommendations are, without a doubt, an escape route, because sometimes it is better to wait and gradually change the look than to do it all at once with disastrous results.
Now, if you’re not a fan of highlights, why not go for gradients? Sometimes, the root zone is the healthiest, so you can start playing with the tones and darken or lighten as appropriate.
Balayage is a perfect option to disguise this change of tone, only yes, this procedure should be done by your stylist, because not many of us are lucky enough to have the ability to achieve stunning results.
Obviously, if you’re not patient and you’ve come this far saying Damn, and I thought there was a hair color remover product!
Well today is your lucky day, because yes, there are indeed special products that remove hair color, i.e. they are depigmented.
While these only work on dark hair that wants to go back to lighter tones, they are more aggressive and, yes, they may remove it quickly but the hair could weaken and lose its shine.
If you want to do this, we recommend accompanying this procedure with an intensive repair treatment so that the damage is not so noticeable.
You can even resort to home remedies, but since they are not 100% proven, it is better to consult a specialist.
For example, many people will tell you that using baking soda is ideal to hide gray hair, but we have already shown you that this is not the case.
By using home remedies you may benefit from other aspects, such as hydration, but it is not known if they really have a cleansing effect.
To color your hair is a decision that implies many things: your hair color will be modified, there will be visible roots (if the color is far from your base color), the hair will deteriorate if it is an oxidation coloring…
And above all, although we tend to forget it, it is still our natural color that often highlights us the most, because the colorimetry of the hair is adapted to our complexion!
6 Methods To Remove Permanent Hair Dye From Grey Hair
- Stripping or scrubbing the hair
- Bleaching the color
- Recoloring the hair
- Clarifying shampoo
- Let your hair grow back
- Cutting hair
1. Scrubbing to remove pigments
This method, also called scrubbing or stripping, is one of the most appropriate ways to remove artificial grey pigments.
It will remove the color that is attached to the hair, while using a less aggressive method than bleaching.
Be careful, I am not saying that it is without effect on the hair. Like any method, it weakens it a little, but to a lesser extent than bleaching.
Anyway, I think it’s a great alternative to bleaching to get your hair color back!
Bleeding your color back to its original shade
If your grey hair color is chemical with oxidation, I’ll stop you right there: it’s impossible to bleed it.
To find out if this is the case, ask yourself if you’ve lightened it by one or more shades, or if it was a permanent stain containing an oxidant.
An oxidation dye penetrates your hair to change your natural pigments to the shade you’ve chosen.
While it may fade, dull or lighten a little, your color will never be completely removed unless you bleach.
2. Bleaching a color
For chemical colorations, bleaching only concerns dyes without oxidation (tone on tone, semi-permanent, fugitive…).
In this case, the coconut milk mask helps to bleed the color while nourishing the hair fiber and helping hair growth.
For vegetal or henna colorations, disgorging can work provided that the color has been done recently and that there are not too many layers, otherwise it is just as stubborn as chemical coloring.
To fully bleach henna, it takes many, many clay masks and many months of patience…
3. Recolor with a color close to your natural shade
If your natural shade is lighter than your color, for example if you have a black color, you can use a semi-permanent color or direct root coloring for the transition.
This way, the roots will be less visible, and you can let your hair grow back while cutting as you go. This only works if your current color is lighter than your natural shade.
You can do it every month or two while your hair grows back, and thus preserve your natural color while avoiding the root effect.
This type of color lasts quite a long time (about a month without fading too much, little by little) and above all does not alter your natural color!
Removing Hair Color Highlights
If your hair is dark, in this case, the disadvantage is that you will have to use an oxidation dye, unless your natural color is jet black, in which case you can use katam and indigo.
You can eventually go and bleach / strip them a good bit, for the last time, and then leave them alone and continue the care.
It’s not the best solution, but it is if you don’t want to cut or be two-toned during the regrowth.
4. Clarifying shampoo to remove color residue
The clarifying shampoo will act as a stripping shampoo to remove the dirt that clings to our hair and scalp, and thus also restore shine.
It contains sulfate which acts as a surfactant and foaming agent, removing grease from your hair.
The stripping side can dry out the hair, so use episodically.
You’ll find that your hair will look a little rougher right after shampooing, which is normal!
Clarifying shampoo
In the case of hair coloring, this helps to remove stubborn grey color but also to prepare the hair just before a new dye. The clarifying shampoo will make the color fade more quickly or remove highlights that we don’t like.
In addition to removing color residue, clarifying shampoo will dissolve impurities in your hair.
Clarifying shampoo will not lighten your hair!
Clarifying shampoo does not act as an oxidizer, so do not use it to lighten your hair! Your hair can only lighten in case you have darker pigments.
You can also use baking soda to remove stubborn pigments.
5. Let your hair grow back to regain its color
You have to put up with two-tone hair for a very long time. This method is the simplest but it requires a lot of patience, rigor and above all, care, regular cuts…
If your hair is darker at the root, it will give a shadow root effect that can be pretty.
On the other hand, if your hair is lighter at the roots, the result is not as nice, especially if there is a big difference between your color and your natural shade…
The radical solution: cut everything off to get back to your color
6. Cutting your hair
Cutting everything and starting from scratch is the most radical and effective solution, but the least easy!
Even if it is the most difficult, I find that objectively, it is the best because it has a lot of advantages: the hair grows back completely healthy, stronger, younger and really more beautiful.
Normal, we start from the extra short! The application of the care becomes very fast.
Removing hair color
The disadvantage is obviously the big loss of length, the slow and painful regrowth…
But in one year, you can already achieve a correct length that allows you to make more beautiful and original hairstyles, all on new and healthy hair! Preferably use a clipper, after having cut your hair beforehand.
In any case, you now have the keys in hand to make up for an accident or a bad color.
You have just colored your hair but you are not satisfied with the result and you want to remove it properly? No problem! Get The Look has a few solutions to propose to you to change it all in no time.
But first of all, it is important to specify that not all colorations can be removed without the intervention of a professional.
We are thinking in particular of permanent hair coloring, which, as its name indicates, is permanent, and of light hair such as blond hair, which can only be removed by coloring over it.
How Do I Remove Temporary Hair Color?
It’s very simple: with water and shampoo. How simple is that? Ephemeral or temporary hair color is not meant to last.
Why not? Because the pigments are only deposited on the fiber but do not penetrate it, which makes it ephemeral and even without any risk for the fiber.
To remove it, you just need to have access to a water point with a shampoo and wash them.
Note, however, that some lines are a little more resistant than others and that it will probably take several washes to be completely rid of them.
1. Let the color bleed
You’ve just colored your hair but find it too greyish and don’t know how to make up for it? No problem! The objective is to reduce the shade, so as to make it bleed.
To do this, you just need to shampoo your hair every day – at first, and then gradually reduce the frequency.
Note, however, that since you will be washing your hair quite often, it is recommended that you use a gentle, moisturizing shampoo to avoid damaging the hair fiber.
The purpose of these intensive washes is to prevent the pigments from soaking into the fiber. Stop when you get the color you want.
2. Use lemon juice
Did you know that your fridge, and more specifically the crisper, can save your life and especially your hair? In a bowl, squeeze one or two lemons to get the natural juice.
Then, head for the shower or any other water source and as usual, wash your hair with a shampoo, preferably a mild one, and leave it on your hair for 5 minutes.
Apply the lemon juice on top of it, massage it into the hair, and wait for 3 to 5 minutes.
Then rinse thoroughly and use a conditioner to moisturize your hair.
Since this technique is natural, you can repeat the operation until you obtain the desired color.
Also note that in addition to changing a semi-permanent color, lemon juice also works on a permanent color.
3. Go for the American shampoo
What is an American shampoo? It’s a gentle lightning formula made with bleaching oil, colored hair shampoo, and oxidizer.
To change your color via this process, you’ll need to go to a salon.
This is a technique done in a professional’s home unless you want to play the apothecary and do it yourself.
An ideal method to get rid of your grey color and get a nice lightening.
With all these tips, you will surely be able to remove your grey hair color properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How is a hair color number constructed?
A hair color number is usually made up of numbers. Often you have one digit before the dot or stripe, and one or two digits behind the dot or stripe.
The first digit before the dot or dash indicates the color height.
A color height is an indication of how dark or how light the hair color is.
The color heights in hair coloring are often indicated between 1 and 10, where 1 is black and 10 is very light blonde. The numbers after the dot or stripe indicate color shades (warmth/depth).
The first digit after the dot or stripe indicates 60% of the depth of the color.
The second digit indicates 40% of the depth of the color.
This has everything to do with the pigments added to the coloring (the characters and pigments vary by brand).
2. What color depth does my hair have?
Before choosing a color number to dye your hair you must first determine what color height your hair has. If these are different color heights always start from the darkest/warmest part.
Or start from the color of your outgrowth. This is best viewed in dry hair and in daylight.
3. What is the mixing ratio of my hair dye?
Hair dye always needs to be mixed with a hydrogen peroxide to develop the color. The mixing ratio is always indicated on the tube or the box of the hair dye.
The mixing ratio is indicated by numbers such as 1:1, which means 1 to 1, and means that you need the same amount of dye as hydrogen peroxide.
For example, if it says 1:2 (usually with toners, rinses and semi colorings) it means you need twice as much hydrogen peroxide.
You can see the colon as a multiplication sign.
For example 1:2; 40cc of hair dye (times 2) with 80cc of hydrogen peroxide. For example 1:1.5; 40cc of hair dye (times 1.5) with 60cc of hydrogen peroxide.
4. How do I dye my gray hair that is opaque?
To color your hair 100% gray opaque you need (almost) always for 50% natural tint in your color recipe. If you have very fine hair you can choose to try without a natural tint.
A gray-covering color recipe consists of a natural tone and a fashion tone mixed with hydrogen peroxide 6% for example:
20cc 6.0/6N 20cc 6.3/6G 40cc 6%
However, it is true that with most hair colors, up to color level 8 you can create 100% gray coverage and when you want to go lighter you give in on the saturation of the color.
It is important to apply the paint thickly on the hair and a penetration time of preferably 40 minutes.
5. What if my hair has been dyed before and I want a different color?
When you have colored your hair and you want a different color or color height you can really only color darker than the color you currently have.
Do you want a lighter color? Then it will have to be decolorized with a blonder.
This is best done by a professional.
6. How do I know if I am allergic to hair dye?
If you are not sure whether an allergic reaction will occur when coloring your hair, I recommend an allergy test at least 4 days in advance.
An allergy test can be done in various ways.
The most common test involves applying a little of the hair dye mixed with hydrogen peroxide to the inside of your arm and covering it with a bandage.
After about 72 hours, you remove the patch and can see how the skin has reacted. If there is an allergic reaction, the area becomes red and swollen and a blister may even have formed.
As soon as that happens, I advise against dyeing your hair. Does nothing happen? Then feel free to apply your chosen color to the hair!
7. How frequently can I dye my hair?
The time between color treatments depends on the condition of your hair. In principle, you may re-color your hair every 5 to 8 weeks.
With the exception of blond hair. Blond hair has often suffered damage which makes the recovery process take longer. In that case, you may re-color your hair every 12 to 15 weeks.