Going from dyed red/brown to blonde!!

I'd try colorfix first, often it does work to remove the color and leaves you with what is your natural now (which, due to the peroxide in even darker dyes, will likely be a shade of orange or yellow).  Colorfix has low peroxide so its safer for your hair than just bleaching the color out.  You can get it at a beauty supply shop like Sally (probably not at a drug store).  If it comes out orange, I'd colorfix it again to try to get it to come out yellow, just because that will be a bit easier.

If you only get it to orange, you will need to use a blonde dye with a blue base to dye over it to blonde (blue counters orange, so this is important).  If its orange, you will probably need one with a good bit of lift and 40 volume developer....though 30 volume might do it.  If you have access to both, I'd test strand it so you don't get more lift than you want.

If your hair comes out yellow after the colorfix, then you will want to use a blonde dye with a violet base (violet counters yellow, so this is important, it will make your blonde look more natural, not yellow).  If your hair is already the medium blonde level you want it to be, you don't want to use much lift.  10 or 20 volume developer would certainly do (less peroxide).

To see the bases in the dyes, you will have to get your dye and developer at a beauty supply shop.  They don't write what is in the boxed colors at the drug store.

If the colorfix doesn't lift it, you may just have to use bleach to get it to orange or preferably yellow.  In either case, test strand everything!  That will help you avoid dye jobs you don't like and have to fix later.  Good luck!



Edited by Susan W - November 09 2007 at 7:48am