Getting back natural color

> I posted this before in response to an older thread,> but thought I should start my own. My hair is dyed> auburn and I want my natural color back - light,> neutral brown. I've tried dying it brown with> permanent tint but it only gets darker, still red. My> hair is a couple inches past my shoulders.> Karen suggested to someone else using vegetable> coloring on the regrowth until the roots become> managable. (This would take a couple of years, at> least.) Would it be better to do this than to remove> the color and re-dye? I'm not sure how much stress the> ends can take, they are a little damaged.> A couple more questions: what is vegetable color? Is> Redken Shades EQ a type of vegetable color? Is this an> at-home procedure, or salon-only? Sorry for all the> questions. Thanks, SandraTo Sandra;Sandra, Redken Shades EQ is a professional only color. It is not a vegetable type of color,such as a henna etc. To try to guess at a correction formula for your problem, try this; Your description of 'auburn' is a little vague. To correct the red tones in your hair use a 'level' or lightness of color shade in the same number of steps lighter than your desired "target color", is away from the current color. This can be confusing, so pay attention! If your hair is a dark auburn, level 5, and you want a level 7 dark neutral blonde, use a 'level 9' ash blonde to tone down the reds in your hair. The reason that your hair is going darker when you apply color, is it is much more porus and readily accepts color much easier, which results in a deeper 'depositing' of the color pigments. To try to combat this use a good intensive conditioner just before coloring and lightly rinse, towel dry thoroughly before coloring, and apply color to the midshaft and roots first and to ends last , in this order. Post and let me know how this comes out. william