BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Hair Charcoal with blonde and yellow streaks Help!

About two years ago I decided I was tired of my very mousy looking dark blonde hair, so I went to a gal I know and asked her to lighten it. She evidently used a golden blonde because it came out orangy blonde and then next day I went back and said to heck with it, just color it an auburn. I have a complexion that looks very good with that color but not with a lighter reddish color. I loved it but when we went to Yuma for the winter, every time I colored it the roots would come out a different color. Usually in the raspberry tones. I knew I could not deal with that because it stuck out like a sore thumb. My hair is short, fine and thin. So I tried using an 8A shade, which made it blonde again but still with to much red. I went to a salon and the girl used Privana on it, even though I asked for her to strip it out and do a dye back, then highlight it. It turned out awful, with orange again. The next week she did it again but used the same product and only 10 volumn peroxide. It would not lift enough. Then she put a combo of, supposedly, 6A and 7A on it. Still it was not even close but I left it for over two months. I just went in yesterday and asked a friend of mine to color it back and again suggested a dye back. She foiled it with two colors, 6A & 4A, to get close to a level 5, and then also did highlights with Violet Kaleidocolors. When I got out, I had not only charcoal gray hair but streaks of some sort of blonde and also streaks and bleed through areas that were orange. Help! I have had to order a wig because I will not go out in public like this and every time I look in the mirror I cry!!!!!!!!!! I used to do hair myself but have retired and never was much for hair color, but am willing to try again instead of paying over $100 to come out like this.

It sounds like your hair has become very porous from all the hair color. Since I can't see it, I can't give you any idea of what to do to repair the color.

I suggest a short hair cut and lots of conditioning before you do anything.

My hair is already pretty short and I have conditioned the heck out of it. I thought maybe it might have something to do with the previous color which she said was not an A series (ash) but a AA series. The spots where it bled through is awful. Not just at the root area but in some places it actually will have half inch of the gray color, from the root out, and then a streak of orangy yellow, with more gray further out the hair shaft!
Do you think that if she does what I had wanted in the first place, this next time, and bleached it out to a real light stage (pale yellow), and then did the dye back with a low volumn developer, or a semi permanent color, it would work? My hair is very strong and in spite of all the color it is in suprisingly good condition, so I am not concerned about doing a bleach out this one time. My one main concern would be how she could possibly get those bleed out areas even with the same color,when they are so randomly placed through out the shaft of my hair!
All their efforts to supposedly do less damage to my hair has actually added up to more damage in the long run, then if they had just bleached it out as I had asked, in the first place.
I absolutely would never advice anyone to attempt removing red from blonde hair without first bleaching it to get the red out, because dying over it, even with a much lighter color, obviously does not work. I am a good example and every time I look in the mirror I want to cry.........And I am suppose to be a professional!!!!!!

I suggest a color remover instead of bleach. There are some available that actually work to remove the color molecule without the damage of bleach.
Either way it should be placed on specific areas, not all over. I'm not sure how well the charcoal gray will bleach. If it is really subborn, your hair could be damaged before you get it out. You might be able to get it a little lighter and then tone all over with a brown shade.

Can you reccomend a colour remover...i had golden blonde hair with lowlights and I had tried searching for a colour remover..couldn't find one.

In the end I just used the bleach...deep conditioned between bleachings and finally got the color I wanted..

Hi
I know what you are talking about. I have my cosmetology liscense in the state of Pennsylvania. I went to a shop to have my hair colored and omg I cried. I usually do my color and that time I just wanted to spoil me a little bit. I learned my lesson and will continue to do my coloring. I spent alot of money only to make myself feel terrible. I just wanted to let you know I know how you feel.
Darla

Hi all,
First off, shop around for a good color remover as in my experience they tend to work best with freshly applied color, and it is imperative that you, or your stylist, follow the directions to the letter.

Second, I would stay away from permanent colors and use a demi permanent color to get to a brown color.

Third, color WILL NOT lift or lighten color no matter how hard you try, Lynn is right in stating that your hair has become porous due to alot of color applications. Your hair can still be relatively healthy and be porous, porous hair tends to "grab" or absorb cool tones (ie. blue ashy tones) more readily, this is why your hair turned charcoal grey.

Personally I would stay away from any type of bleach.

Please let us know how you made out

Sliv