Q&A for How to Get Red Hair to Blonde/Platinum

Yes, you will have a problem achieving dark blonde if you attempt to put the color on your already colored hair, because color doesn't lift color. You will need to use a color remover/bleach kit to get rid of the purple/red color that is currently on your hair. After that color has been lifted, your hair should be light enough to proceed with the dark blonde toner.

It would be a process to dye your hair 3 different shades. First, determine the level of your natural hair color. If you are between a level 6-7, you can keep your hair as the dark blonde shade, and then purchase 2 dyes that are a lighter and medium shade of blonde.

You only need to strip your hair if you've dyed your hair red previously. If you're a natural red head, you don't need to strip it first.

You don't need to strip it again. Go ahead and start the bleaching process.

It depends on the brand and the amount included in the package. See the package instructions for more details. If you don't have any package instructions, 1:1 is a common ratio for this.

You won't be able to achieve platinum blonde hair that way. You have to bleach your hair to get a platinum shade.

You can bleach it and use a toner to correct the red tones.

Mine used to do that when I used a golden blonde hair dye. Use platinum blonde or the lightest pale blonde shades. Those will lighten your hair and don't contain any visible color.

The color stripper can be purchased at most normal stores. However, it doesn't work well on unnatural colors (blue, green, purple, etc.), so only use it if you're in the natural range (brown, red, blond). The powdered bleach would have to be purchased from a place like Sally's, unless you use something like Feria's Absolute Platinums Hair Color, which has a lightening solution in it.

In the Warnings section of the article, it says to wait at least a day in between steps due to the damage that the hair stripper and bleach can cause to your hair.

Let your hair heal for a while to prevent it from breaking before you do any additional chemical changes to your hair. Apply an ash blonde hair color throughout the hair to neutralize the red tones.

Bleach it again, then add an anti-brassing agent before dying it again.

Yes you can. However there is always going to be some color left from the previous dye.

Depending on how red your hair is, probably golden blonde but with a hint of orange.

It depends how light you want to go. A blond dye should lighten your hair 2-3 shades without bleaching.

You can either let it grow out, or bleach it. Henna is notoriously difficult to remove, although you could try using a color remover.

Yes, but you need to it properly to avoid ending up with orange-colored hair. You'll start by bleaching your hair. Mix together hair bleach and a developer. You can purchase hair bleach powder from most beauty supply stores. The bleach and developer containers will have instructions for how much of each you should mix together. Mix them together until they have a yogurt-like consistency. Gently brush the bleach onto your hair at your part, getting as close to the roots as possible and continuing down to the ends. Once you’ve applied bleach to your whole head, let it sit for between 30 and 45 minutes. Once your hair has turned a bright yellow color, you’ll you can rinse out the bleach with lukewarm water. Then, you'll need to mix toner and developer according to the directions on the packaging and apply it to your hair just like you applied the bleach. Leave the toner in your hair for up to 30 minutes, then rinse it out. Using toner to raise your blonde from brassy yellow to your color of choice can still damage your hair. If you want a gentler option, wash your hair with purple shampoo. Wash your hair with it and then leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes.

You can use different hair dye colors to enhance and cancel out other colors. Green hair dye cancels out red on hair that's been lifted to a brown or light brown color. Blue cancels out orange on hair that's been lifted to a dark blonde color. Violet cancels out yellow on hair that's been lifted to blonde. You can use the principles to get your hair to be exactly the color you want it to be. However, if you're unsure or you're worried about damaging your hair, make an appointment with a professional stylist. They'll be able to cancel out any unwanted colors in your hair.

If your red hair is just too bright or over the top, you can dial it back a bit by using the right toner. For red hair that's too brassy, use a purple or blue toning shampoo. Wash your hair with it and then leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes. That should take out any brassiness and tone down your hair color. Use the purple or blue toning shampoo every other time you wash your hair until you've reached the color tone you want. Then, stop using it or you could continue to dull your hair color.