Medium brown fading too red, what to use?

Hi,

I have natually dark blonde, probably light brown really, hair, but I haven't had my all over natural color in years.  I was medium blonde as a child, I have pale skin and blue eyes, but I do use self tanner a little, so I am not totally washed out.  For about 10 years, I was getting some form or fashion of highlights in my hair, which kept it lighter like when I was a kid.

 

Anyway, right after I had my daughter, I had my highlights done (they were bleach highlights) and my hair in the front by the bangs got fried and broke off in places.  I let it grow back and my stylist (who is also a friend - bad idea) convinced me that is was just from pregnancy/nursing, not from the bleach and I had them done again - same thing, more breakage, right where the roots had been touched up.

So I decided I couldn't have my hair breaking off all over, so I went all over light brown to try to get back to my natural color and have something more gentle.  Ever since then (over a year ago) I have been trying to find a brown that doesn't fade to red so easily.  My home haircolor looks better than anything my stylist used in the salon, and she tried different combos with me (but never ash).

I have been using Natural Instincts Medium Brown (Hazelnut) and I like it, but it's a tad bit darker than I'd like.  So once the last one had faded (after 7 weeks or so, and I used the Clariol root touch up once to get by) I used Light Brown, I think it was Suede.  Well, now it's been 3 1/2 weeks and it is fading very reddish, which I don't like.  I also put in a few (about 6 or 7) highlights with a Loreal wand highlighting kit, but they look even more red and I don't really like them too much.

So, finally, what I want is a cooler brown that is not too dark, somewhere between light & medium - any suggestions?  Should I use semi perm or perm?  How about those color glosser things from the beauty supply store, that are dep only?  Would those work?

 

Any advice would be so appreciated!!!!

I've recently been told by others on the board here that non-professional hair color doesn't work for ask tones as well as professional colors. My problem is that the drugstore colors always pull slightly red on my hair. I would recommend you try something from Sally's, such as recommended by LaVelta. I went to a professional colorist to correct back to an ash or neutral brown, and she used Goldwell in an ash brown and it STILL has very slight tones of red in the sunlight. When I go to do my roots I'm going to try professional color myself. Hope this helps.

chandrar, if you find a color let me know!!

i have been going through the same process as you, and i've used several natural instincts so far and they are ALL pulling red, even the "ash" colors.