Why can't I get it right.......Was using a medium mixed with dark ash blond but got tired of roots...plus the color was a way to brassy ( ash DIDN'T help with that at all )  So to avoid the root situation I went the next shade darker...light ash brown. OMG It looks bad. WAY too dark...and I can like see the strange brassy color inside of the dark brown color. Well at least it isn't green, right? So I know it will fade a bit ( thank GOD) but I'm worried it will be a strange color after it fades a bit. What went wrong? Any ideas to make it better?

here's before:

http://img328.imageshack.us/img328/5606/pict08261ql.jpg -  

Here's the darker: Blucky

http://img328.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pict08273zw.jpg -  

here's my natural :

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/17/pict12072kw.jpg -  

GAWD Why is haircolor so hard? How do I get the funky dark reddish brown color that looks fake gone   Thank GOD it's long enough to pull up right now....Any advice? It's probably hard to tell from the pictures :(  I was just trying to cover first greys...grrrrrr!

Is everybody else as picky as I am with their color? It just looks too dark, to fake , to WRONG for me. 

I don't think the dark looks as bad as you think.  Your natural color is very nice too.  I think that the colorist will be honest with you and tell you that "boxed" color is so bad for your hair.  Hopefully he can get you close to your natural color and then you won't have to color it anymore.

h80six wrote: I feel your frustration! I have been going through the same thing, I was dark then wanted to go blonde, so I put bleach and toner on my hair, didnt like it (just not made to be a blonde.....mayb streaks but not all blonde, and it was soooooo hard to get my hair blonde and it did A LOT of damage.)

Maybe you can help me, I have a medium to dark brown hair I wanted light brown highlights. Went to my stylist, she tried gold brown, looks like copper. Went back the next day she tried another color, couldn't even tell I had highlights. So went back a third time, she used bleach and a toner. My hair is so damaged I am ready to cry.She promised me my hair would be fine, I asked over and over again about damaging my hair and she said not to worry. I am completely physcho when it comes to my hair, this was my first time ever putting a dye or bleach in it. My hair is dry and I can't count the number of broken hairs I have. My hair was so healthy, what can I do to bring it back and stop my hair from braking?? I only did partial hightlights but that was enough. I am ready to cry can anyone help me?? I am willing to pay any amount of money to get my hair healthy. Also ever since I had this done I gets knots all the time, I'm talking nests!! HELP!! Please

I have learned my lesson, I will NEVER dye my hair again, NEVER!!

Thanks

I don't know how many times I've said this but YOU CAN'T put a lighter color over already colored hair....it WILL NOT lighten!

Color doesn't lighten color! That's why your hair is darker than you wanted.

Before you can color your hair it helps to know the LAWS of COLOR & HAIRCOLORING!

It's best left to the professionals!!!

KB wrote: I will not have color put on my hair again until the first greys show up.  I hope I have a few years left yet before that happens :)

HEEHEE, well I had grey showing up!!! AND I kinda wish I hadn't started down the coloring road again, but hey the past is the past!!! Come on Tuesday! tick toc tick toc...LOL!!!

* crossing fingers that I come out with something I like  and that my hair won't be too fried!

I'm sorry hair

Well I go Tuesday......I'll tell what happened in full detail!!!! I hope it's not a disaster!!!!! Right now I'd make the perfect witch for Halloween LOL!!!

Oh BTW, for those following this, the light ash brown has already started to lighten and wash out...and YES the ends are darker/ashy and the lovely orangy thingy is peeking thru.....  I should have used a filler , the brown would have been better and lasted longer...so NOW I know

I have a feeling he will have to strip the color out, possibly bleach it out to get rid of the orange then color over that. Maybe a few highlites to break it up. I hope this comes out under $200...but I'm not sure. It's funny when I was blonde (on my own) That's about all I spent all year....

Oh well , Life is a learning process, right?

Ok here's the fix!! OMG I feel SO much better....although the color is a bit lighter than my natural, I like it! It wasn't as hard to fix as I thought it would be. I did not have to have the color stripped. The colorist ( Frank, who is very good and nice) spent LOTS of time talking to me and telling me different things we could do. He right away got his hands in my hair to feel what shape it was in, then he really combed though it to see exactly what was going on. Then he told me to fess up and say EXACTLY what I had done to it. He asked a lot of questions about what I didn't like about the color I had on my hair and what my natural color was. He also asked what my dream hair color was and how much time and $$$ I wanted to spend on coloring. So after much talk we decided on 2 different colors of highlights being put in and leaving some of the color that was on my hair....he said it would all blend together to a beautiful color. AND IT DID!!!! I was there for just over an hour and we put a deep shine conditioner on it too, oh and I also got a trim of 1 inch off the bottom. Maintenance  ( If I want to keep it ( and I do!!!! ) ) is only every 2 to three months.  He said this is also a great way to cover first greys cuz they just blend in to the lighter and add shimmer. Also by pulling a few darker or lighter strands through, you can alter this quite a bit ( he said a lot of his clients like to go a bit darker in winter and lighter in summer). So grand total was     (20 for cut, 80 for highlights and conditioner(gloss) pack) So $100 plus tip ( 20%). I'm SO glad I went ahead and went in. I could not have gotten this color without help! Plus my hair is in great condition and I didn't have to lose any length, except for a small regular trim ....YAY

here's pix

http://img434.imageshack.us/img434/2059/pict08599rs.jpg - //http://img434.imageshack.us/img434/2059/pict08599rs.jpg

http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/5194/pict08604wo.jpg - http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/5194/pict08604wo.jpg

P.s. the camera does not do the color justice...it really looks prettier in person .

Gorgeous!  From what you told us about Frank, your colorist, he knows exactly what he is doing.  I'm impressed with the consultation he gave you.  We need more colorists like him in the world!

Glad your hair dilemma is finally solved.  I bet you are so giddy right now, loving your new hair.  Isn't it a great feeling?

Awesome! Looks absolutely gorgeous, and just what I'm trying to achieve - if only I could find a colourist as great as that!

I had a second opinion from a colour technician just last night at a salon (which is part of a big commercial salon chain,) on my hair crisis, she insisted all she could do was cut all my hair off and then get me to the blonde I 'd like, or keep my length and make me darker (which completely defeats the object of paying £250 to have black stripped from my hair I feel). I'm at an utter loss - I could try travelling to London and seeing a good colourist down there, but there's still no guarantee they will do anything with it - and that's an expensive train ticket!

Guess I'll just have to try another salon, or go back and tear strips off  the stylist who put me where I am..bit sad, as my boyfriend is taking me to Prague in 3 weeks time for my birthday, and I dont really want to go, my self esteem is so low.

But you've given me a little hope anyway! Have Fun!

LUCRETIA, I was at this bookstore that sells magazines from the UK as well as the US magazines, and of course i checked out the hair section, and they had a few British hair magazines. It was a store similar to Borders, which i've seen in England. You should go there and browse through a few UK hair magazines and they usually have reviews some of the good salons in Britain, well I think mainly England.

I know this isn't the best advice but u never know!

Thanks Veronica, Just checked out the UK Hairdressers Magazine website, and there is a recommened salon I could try, strangely enough, just down the road from where I work! so I'm going to knock off early and pop in for a chat.

I'm expecting them to say the same kind of things as I've already heard, but I guess it's still worth a try. It's a case of whether or not I choose to take their advice, or go back to my old colourist, cross my fingers and hope for the best!

It shouldnt be a gamble - yet it sometimes turns out that way for me!

Thanks again!