Hair color problem

> Hi> Last weekend i picked up some Nice and Easy Naturak> Reddish Brown to use on my medium brown hair, thinking> as i looked at the picture in the box that it would> come out a nice auburny color. Well it came outa> darker brown with some red highlights, not bad but not> what I was looking for.So I called the Clariol hotline> and the woman told me to mix 2 oz of Born Blonde with> 1oz of developer and 1oz of shampoo , apply to my hair> and check every 5 minutes till it lightened to the> shade I wanted. The idea scared me because I have> tried to lighten a to dark color job and ended up with> hair like Woody Woodpecker.> Has anyone ever done this method with success? I am> aiming for a nice darker red (not mahogany or anything> remotely plum like) not to carroty but not to brown.> Should I just wait for the color to fade for acouple> of weeks and try mixing the Natrual Reddish Brown with> an Auburn shade?> any hints or tips would be greatly appreciated.> Thanks> Susannah> P.S. Any haircolor shade mixing tips would be great> too.To Susannah:The trick of mixing the lightener and shampoo could work but: you must first must understand the number 1 rule of haircolor--THAT HAIRCOLOR IN ANY FORM IS NOT HAIRPAINT!!!!Haircolor and your hair mix or combine to form a compound color derived from your base color + the dye pigment+ the results of whatever strength developer is used. Your problem is that to go from a dark brown to a red shade of any level requires that your hair be lightened to a lighter 'level' to support the proper 'base' for your desired 'target' color. You should have used a color 2 levels lighter and in an 'ash' base for a 'cool' color or a 'warm' base for a deeper redder color. As your hair lightens from your base color to the next it will get orange/redder as a by-product of the lightening process. Please look up my color basics article in the article archives for a better explanation.william

> Susannahthe process they told you on the phone is accurate. the absolutely vital thing is that you keep a close eye on it, to make sure you dont get that woody woodpecker red going on! when in doubt, rinse it out! then reapply if you need to lighten more. even a minute or two can make a big difference.of course, the best correction will always be done for you in a salon and will cost more (of course), but the technique clairol described is the best way to do it at home.hope this helps. silvie