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Printed From: HairBoutique.com
Category: Hair Talk
Forum Name: Hair Color
Forum Description: The tricks and tribulations of changing your hair color
URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=19117
Printed Date: July 29 2025 at 1:44pm


Topic: Back to brunette
Posted By: Unregistered Guest
Subject: Back to brunette
Date Posted: December 04 2004 at 1:23am
Ready to go back to medium-to-dark brown hair from very light bleached blonde. Loreal experts recommend a combination of permanent colors, but a salon owner recommends a light golden brown semi-permanent, followed by a semi-permanent that matches my natural color. Any advice? Also, I just bleached the roots, but can't wait 14 days to color again because my hair grows so fast, and the difference between my natural shade and the color is is now is extremely dramatic. How long do I absolutely have to wait to color?



Replies:
Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: December 04 2004 at 5:47am
You only have to wait until your hair gets "tacky". Depending on if you have oily skin, anywhere from 1 to 3 days.

I've been down the road of trying to get white hair darker. You will indeed probably have to do it more than once. I had to do mine with an ash tone (green base), then got the green hair I expected, then had to use a red based tone to get my hair a natural looking color. If I had started with the red base, even though I was using brown, I would have gotten red hair, and had to do the brown with the green in it after that to get a light brown. I'd go to a salon and let them fix it, your unhighlighted hair may react differently than your highlighted white hair, so it's just best to let the professionals fix it, and don't leave the salon until it's right.

It may also fade quickly, so you may want to look into color depositing shampoos to help cover it as it fades.


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Making metal barettes/concord clips hair safe, long hair style how to: http://alonghair.wordpress.com


Posted By: korsakovhatt3
Date Posted: December 04 2004 at 10:02pm
The pigments that have been removed from your hair have to be "filled" back in before you dye your hair with a brown shade. Brown dyes aren't made for use on bleached hair. If you put a brown shade (even a semi-permanent) on top of bleached hair without using the proper filler first, you could end up with a really funky colour -- like greyish-blue or muddy purple.

Take a look at Situation #4 on this page. http://www.robertcraig.com/fixes.html - http://www.robertcraig.com/fixes.html (It recommends the use of Robert Craig products, but filling can be done with many different brands of dye.)

Susan is right, going from bleached blonde to brown is a job for a knowledgeable colourist. Shop around a bit. It's just my opinion, but I think that going to a pro who is just going to use a semi-permanent on your hair is a waste of money. Semi-permanents often fade rapidly, revealing very unappealing colours. You're better off finding a colourist who can give you the colour you want properly. A permanent dye will still fade somewhat, so colour deposit shampoos are a good idea for maintaining your new colour.

Best of luck.

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My user name is WAY too long. Just call me Juliana. :-)


Posted By: Sophie
Date Posted: December 05 2004 at 10:54am
Originally posted by korsakovhatt3 korsakovhatt3 wrote:

The pigments that have been removed from your hair have to be "filled" back in before you dye your hair with a brown shade. Brown dyes aren't made for use on bleached hair. If you put a brown shade (even a semi-permanent) on top of bleached hair without using the proper filler first, you could end up with a really funky colour -- like greyish-blue or muddy purple.

Take a look at Situation #4 on this page. http://www.robertcraig.com/fixes.html - http://www.robertcraig.com/fixes.html (It recommends the use of Robert Craig products, but filling can be done with many different brands of dye.)

Susan is right, going from bleached blonde to brown is a job for a knowledgeable colourist. Shop around a bit. It's just my opinion, but I think that going to a pro who is just going to use a semi-permanent on your hair is a waste of money. Semi-permanents often fade rapidly, revealing very unappealing colours. You're better off finding a colourist who can give you the colour you want properly. A permanent dye will still fade somewhat, so colour deposit shampoos are a good idea for maintaining your new colour.

Best of luck.


I agree with everything ...korsakovhatt3...Up to this Part: QUOTEbut I think that going to a pro who is just going to use a semi-permanent on your hair is a waste of money. Semi-permanents often fade rapidly, revealing very unappealing colors

Semi Permanent Color is the only way to go when you want to Simply DEPOSIT color on the hair I cannot stress this enough. Really, the only time you need permanent color is when you want to Lighten your Natural color.

Semi Permanent Color is the only way to go on Bleached hair Because... (and it will last longer than permanent color especially if yuuse a semi permanent color like Redken Shades) ...The cuticle is already open on bleached hair.

There is no need to assault the hair again with ammonia and 20-40 volume peroxide. In fact the more you use permanent color the LESS hair will tend to hold on to the color...this is when you end up with faded peroxide burned hair.

Sorry if I sounded Bit@#y ...But it's huge....There is a common misconception about permanent color.

What the word permanent means is that it will permanently change the hair. It doesn't mean that the color lasts longer...is prettier...or more natural looking. In Fact Semi Permanent color can be really really gorgeous.

Passionately your's in Color: Sophie

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Sophie
http://salonwest.proboards34.com - http://salonwest.proboards34.com


Posted By: korsakovhatt3
Date Posted: December 05 2004 at 11:44am
Sophie, Re: "Sorry if I sounded Bit@#y"

Don't worry about it. I welcome your input. I certainly don't profess to be an expert. That's what I like about this forum -- sharing information and learning from each other.

I've recently switched to a permanent colour on my bleached hair, because semi- and demi-permanents (first Born Blonde toner and then Natural Instincts) were fading so quickly -- my hair was a different colour everyday. Everyone's hair is different though. I agree with you that on bleached hair, a semi-permanent can often last longer than a "permanent". It all depends on the hair's porosity -- or the extent of damage. Then again, if the hair is extremely porous, it may not take colour at all.

I shouldn't have presented my opinion in such a cut-and-dried manner. A really good colourist will do an examination of the client's hair condition and choose the best approach.

I found an explanation for why permanent colour works better on MY bleached hair. I did the "float" experiment described in the following quote, and my cuticle is still intact, despite numerous processes (including a few bleach applications). I seem to have abnormally strong hair, though. (Alien DNA, perhaps).

P.S. I'm not posting the following info because I think you don't know this stuff already. I just think other people may find it interesting. I learned a few new things from it:

"Cuticle: this is the shingle-like protective covering on the hair shaft that is water-repellant. To understand this, place a strand of hair in a glass of water. If the cuticle is intact, the hair floats; if not, it will sink.

Cortex: this is the primary structural part of the hair shaft that has the protein chains. These long, high weight chains give hair its strength and elasticity. The cortex absorbs water easily. That is why highly bleached hair is porous. It has lost the cuticle layer, exposing the water-loving cortex. The pigment in the cortex determines the hair's natural color.

POROSITY

Previous treatment of the hair shaft determines hair's condition and porosity. The more cuticle damage there is, the more porous the hair.

Before beginning any chemical service, determine the porosity to better understand how the hair will respond.

When coloring, the protective cuticle layer must be lifted to allow the color gel to penetrate the hair cortex. This promotes longer lasting and more natural looking color. If the cuticle has been damaged by excessive lightening, or chemical applications that are too harsh and frequent certain steps must be taken to insure natural looking color. Overly porous hair may not hold color and is prone to end grabbing."



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My user name is WAY too long. Just call me Juliana. :-)


Posted By: Sophie
Date Posted: December 05 2004 at 3:19pm
Those are some excellent points about porosity, Juliana, all of that is pertinent info. and all of those things have to be considered your right.

It's so hard to tell someone what to do on a forum as far as color is concerned.

The Semi-Permanent Colors have come a LONG way in the past 15 years and some definitely work better than others. I'm not really familiar with any of the over OTC color so you know better than I about lastability ect.

Are Loving Care and Natural Instincts the only semi's out there...over the counter, I mean?

I know you all can get that wella semi from Sally's...I can't remember the name of it...I have had some experience with that and I don't like it. Not enough shine and bit muddy.

OH...Castings is that still around?? How is that color?

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Sophie
http://salonwest.proboards34.com - http://salonwest.proboards34.com


Posted By: korsakovhatt3
Date Posted: December 05 2004 at 4:27pm
Hi Sophie. I haven't tried Castings. I haven't found a shade that I like. I do know some people who like Wella Colour Charm, but I've never tried it. Pro products are only available with a licence where I live, so I have to order most of my supplies on-line. I love what Born Blonde Winsome Wheat does for my colour, but it fades so quickly. I usually end up using whatever I can find OTC when my tone fades.

I was refreshing my tone with Natural Instincts Linen for a while. It left a faint mauve cast on my palest highlights when I first applied, but that faded after the first shampoo. I think those areas are the only really porous part of my hair. The last time I used it the highlights really grabbed the colour; I got a lot of muddy blue-grey ash tone and it didn't wash out. I ended up doing an emergency colour correction with a permanent colour in an ultra light natural blonde shade. I think I'll be staying away from NI from now on.

A friend recommended Igora Colour Toner to me recently. It comes in the form of a mousse. She uses it to refresh her tone (golden blonde) every few weeks. I was thinking of ordering some. Have you ever tried it? :-)

P.S. You're very knowledgeable. Do you work as a professional stylist?

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My user name is WAY too long. Just call me Juliana. :-)


Posted By: Sophie
Date Posted: December 06 2004 at 6:44pm
Hi Juliana...Yes, I'm a Stylist.. and I love color.

I have Igora in my Salon(toner Mousse) It really can be great and it can last well too. It's hard to find just the right color tho...you just have to keep using them.



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Sophie
http://salonwest.proboards34.com - http://salonwest.proboards34.com


Posted By: korsakovhatt3
Date Posted: December 06 2004 at 11:22pm
Hi Sophie. I thought you must be a stylist and colourist. I'm a graphic designer and instructor. I love colour too. Applying colour theory to hair is a new (and challenging) interest for me. I'm fascinated by it. There's so much to learn, but I'm loving it.

P.S. I think I'll try some Igora mousse. I'm going to order both 9-5.4 Champaigne and 9-5 Cashmere. I hope one of them will be the shade I'm looking for.



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My user name is WAY too long. Just call me Juliana. :-)


Posted By: shawty
Date Posted: December 08 2004 at 8:49am
hey, i m new, but this is wat i know bout dynig ur hair from blonde to brown-it can turn out green!

so u better get it done in a hair salon, dont be cheap with ur hair-never!have a proffesional do it, n i m sure it will be just fine!
hope u let us know bout the result

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Posted By: shawty
Date Posted: December 08 2004 at 8:53am
o ye, and y do u wanna go bck to brunette?(askinf as a blondeneed to upload a photo,but till than charli should do)

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Posted By: Unregistered Guest
Date Posted: December 18 2004 at 11:50pm
Thanks for all the advice! I actually followed the advice given by the Loreal hotline, which was to mix 1/2 a bottle of toner from one of their permanent auburn shades with their medium brown shade. I colored 3 days after bleaching my roots, and the color turned out great! (I did do the strand test before coloring!). No problems whatsoever, so far...hair is healthy and shiny, and I'm getting a LOT of compliments on the new color. So, I'm back to normal, without scaring myself silly going to a salon...and saved money, too. My advice to bleached blondes going back to brunette...call the Loreal Preference number and follow their advice(no one else would recommend anything for bleached hair). Thanks again...


Posted By: korsakovhatt3
Date Posted: December 18 2004 at 11:55pm
Congratulations! I'm glad you're happy with your hair. Isn't it great when you do it yourself and it turns out fabulous?

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My user name is WAY too long. Just call me Juliana. :-)



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