Q&A for How to Remove Permanent Hair Dye

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  • Question
    How do you remove red semi-permanent hair dye at home?
    Ambia Elms
    Master Hairstylist
    Ambia Elms is a Master Hairstylist and Owner of olive + elm Hair Salon in Gilbert. Arizona. With 27 years of industry experience, she specializes in short to medium-textured haircuts and gender-affirming hair services. Ambia and her team pride themselves on their sustainability initiatives and their status as a Certified Sustainable Salon by Green Circle Salons.
    Master Hairstylist
    Expert Answer
    You'll have to use bleach—color does not lift color, whether it's semi- or demi-permanent. You can't put a blonde color that's not bleach on a red and expect it to do anything; if you just want to get rid of the red tone, you need to counteract it by using the color wheel. If you look at the color wheel, the opposite of red is green. So, you'd want to find a green-based demi color to put over it at either the same shade or darker to just get rid of the red.
  • Question
    How do I remove dye from the skin?
    Community Answer
    Hair dye should wash off easily with soap and water, so you should be fine after taking a shower and using plenty of soap to scrub. If not, keep washing with soap in the shower for a few days and it'll eventually wash off.
  • Question
    Can you combine the dish soap method with the baking soda method (replacing the shampoo partly or completely with dish soap)?
    Community Answer
    Yes but just be aware that it could be very drying to your hair. Follow up with a deep conditioning mask and then wait a few days without washing before attempting to bleach or color again.
  • Question
    I've mixed my hair color remover with water (like the directions said). Why is it coming out thick and gel-like?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    Every hair color remover is different. Some may not be as thin as others. As long as you follow the directions carefully, your remover's consistency should work.
  • Question
    How do I get hair dye off of permed hair?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    Talk to a stylist about removing your perm first. Then, use one of the suggested methods for stripping hair color.
  • Question
    Will I lose hair if I use the lemon method?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    No. Using lemon juice to lighten your hair should not cause any significant hair loss.
  • Question
    How do I get black hair dye out?
    Finn Kobler
    Community Answer
    If your hair dye is especially dark or black, try using a color remover or mixing water with hydrogen peroxide. This should substantially lighten your hair. If you still want to go lighter, talk to a professional stylist for advice.
  • Question
    I used a lighter hair dye for blondes on my dark brown hair but it turned out ginger. Will vitamin C and anti-dandruff shampoo still work even though I took pigment away from my hair?
    Sara Bollig
    Community Answer
    I am not entirely sure why you would be using those 2 products on your hair at all. If you are trying to lighten your hair - no, those will not lighten hair, it will turn more ginger (orange). Do not use vitamin c on your hair unless you desire the orange hue. To lighten, you must apply a lightener (bleach). Not household bleach, but a hair lightening bleach. But since you have already applied the color that resulted in the ginger, I would recommend seeing a hair professional before doing anything else. Or at the very least, wait for your hair to recover from this, and before doing anything else, take a test swatch (cut a small piece from a hidden spot and try it out first).
  • Question
    I am struggling to get a band of dark reddish undertone out my hair, what is the best option?
    Sara Bollig
    Community Answer
    You need to tone the red with its opposite. The color wheel is important to keep in mind for balancing out unwanted tones. The opposite of red is green. So, you will want to tone the red with an ash in the same level of color that you desire. If you are a level 5, use a 5ASH to tone the red away. Tone is a semi permanent hair color that is simple to apply and will leave the hair feeling soft and appearing shiny.
  • Question
    I want to let my hair go to its natural grey. How can I remove the dye from the rest of the hair?
    Sara Bollig
    Community Answer
    It is possible to use a color remover to remove some of the color, but not possible to say how much without seeing the hair. I would recommend transitioning to all natural hair in a manner that will ease you into the change. Next color service you are due for, highlight in the normal color to blend with the regrown hair. After 2-3 more visits to get your hair colored, you will be back to all natural again and it will be a nice smooth transition.
  • Question
    The ends of my hair are lighter than my natural hair. What should I use to make it return to my darker natural hair colour?
    Sara Bollig
    Community Answer
    A toner would work best. This is a semi permanent hair color, it's less damaging and can be applied directly to the ends of hair. It is pretty easy to blend it seamlessly with the rest of the hair you want it to match to.
  • Question
    I have been dyeing my hair for years and would like to go natural. Will a colour remover work after years and years of colour?
    Sara Bollig
    Community Answer
    Yes and no. The color remover will remove some of the old chemicals in your hair. But depending on the process you used to color it it the first place - lifting with bleach or depositing with color, and what kind of product it was (metallic salts, organic, etc.), there will not be an end result just like you began with. You will have to get a filler, most likely. Then color the hair to match your original hair color and wait it out. Eventually all of the old colored hair will grow out, resulting in natural hair once again.
  • Question
    I dyed my hair curly hair permanent blonde highlights yesterday How would i go about removing it?
    Community Answer
    Your best bet would probably be dyeing your hair darker/back to its natural color. Though, wash your hair a few times before doing so, which could remove a tiny bit of the color. Do wait a bit before redyeing so as to not cause too much damage.
  • Question
    Which method works best if you recently dyed your hair (for example, less than a week) to remove blue black hair?
    Community Answer
    It depends. Did you use a permanent or semi permanent dye? You can try dish soap or dandruff shampoo or even crushed vitamin C tablets to remove some of the color but you will most likely have to bleach it or use a color remover to completely remove the color if you plan on using a pastel or light color.
  • Question
    One side of my head is bleached blonde and the other is dyed dark brown. How can I safely remove both colours?
    Community Answer
    The best method you can go with is to just wait. Be patient, and your hair should grow out and take the color with it. If you do wait, you’ll notice that the roots of your hair are a natural color. Wait more, and if you want you can always cut your hair once it reaches a suitable height. You can always follow hair-grow routines to encourage your hair to grow out faster.
  • Question
    I have dyed my hair for 45years, now I want to go from brassy blond to natural gray, what do you recommend I do?
    Community Answer
    Stop dyeing your hair. Sure, that may sound a little useless, but it will take a while for your dyed hair to grow out and be replaced by your natural color. And then you can let it turn gray. Try to use shampoo more often to encourage the color to wash out.
  • Question
    I dyed my afro blonde permanent. I want to remove it.
    Ariana
    Community Answer
    Try one of the two following methods: 1. Mix baking soda and shampoo, this works most of the time. Also try using anti dandruff shampoo as it tends to have the best results. 2. Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water and douse your hair in the mixture. This doesn't always work, but it is worth a try.
  • Question
    What can you remove black hair dye with?
    Ariana
    Community Answer
    To remove black hair dye, use color remover or bleach. Both work well and should get your natural hair to glow again.
  • Question
    Which method to remove permanent hair dye is best for auburn if the vinegar treatment was warned against?
    Sportacus from Lazytown
    Community Answer
    You can try professional hair color remover, such as "color oops". Hair color removers as such will dry out your hair quite a bit so I would recommend using conditioning treatments after and avoiding any heat tools. Use a gentle dye to achieve the color you initially wanted.
  • Question
    How can I fix an uneven hair colour?
    Sportacus from Lazytown
    Community Answer
    It depends what colour your hair is. If your hair is an uneven blonde, try using bleach, probably something mild such as a 20.vol developer and bleach over darker spots and tone. If dealing with darker hair colours, just apply new hair dye over lighter parts and let sit in for the half recommended time, then apply the rest over all of your hair. Additionally, you could go and see a hair stylist and they should be able to beautifully patch up your hair.
  • Question
    How do I get rid of red hair dye?
    Community Answer
    Strip the dye using a color remover. If you'd rather try a gradual, more natural way of removing permanent hair dye, wash your hair using dish soap, vitamin C shampoo, lemon juice or baking powder.
  • Question
    Would vitamin C work to remove permanent pink hair dye?
    Trash Rat
    Community Answer
    Vitamin C on its own will take quite a while to remove permanent dye, so it’s best to use multiple methods and also consider using professional hair color remover.
  • Question
    After using the drugstore color stripper, can I apply brown hair dye after stripping it?
    Trash Rat
    Community Answer
    You’ll want to make sure your hair is at its healthiest before dyeing again. Try a deep conditioning or keratin treatment, and use a good quality dye to go back to the color you want. Always do a strand test on a small, out-of-the-way section of hair to make sure the dye is compatible with your hair and the chemicals from the color stripper.
  • Question
    I am a natural dirty blonde. I dyed my hair a dark brown, but I'm wanting to go back to my natural color. Are there ways I can do this at home, or do I need to get it professionally done?
    Trash Rat
    Community Answer
    It’s advised you don’t use developer/bleach at home, but there are some products like Pulp Riot’s Volume 6 developer and L’Oréal Colorista hair color remover that are a bit gentler on the hair. Just make sure to follow the directions on the packaging and don’t leave it in too long.
  • Question
    Can I put a lighter dye on my hair straight after using a home remedy to strip the old darker dye?
    GeGeGeLL
    Community Answer
    Yes, you can do this. If you have dark hair, you may have to apply bleach more than once in order to achieve a light blond colour. However, your hair might suffer some damage from doing this.
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