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Then on one quite crazy day I decided to dye my hair red.  Bright red.  It was the result of being blonde all my life and really wanting a change.  I used a bottle dye from my store.  In case you need the number, it was L'oreal Recital Preference, 7.6 Incandescent Pure Red.

 

It looked great for about three weeks and then started to fade, so I put another bottle colour on there.  This time it was glossier and darker. this was called L'oreal Feria P67 Scarlet Power.

 

It's been a few months since then, and the colour has faded dramatically, I can't keep up with dying it red, no matter how much I liked it.  My mum suggested I try to go back blonde and put an ash blonde dye on it to see if it would lift.  I have since learned that this was a bad idea because colour can't lift colour.  The blonde I used was by Nice n Easy, the number was 102.

 

This resulted in my hair going darker, but still full of red tones.  I have recently been to a trainee/student centre for hairdressers, and the colour correction teacher/specialist did a strand test with some 'pastille' blonde dye, my hair just disintegrated.  They resolved in not putting any permanent dye on my hair, and basically put me a wash in colour on that took me back to how it looked as a 'faded red' before the Nice N Easy.

 

So, here I am, about a month down the line since the hairdressers with the wash out colour mostly gone, and my natural blonde roots showing.  I have been putting deep moisturising treatments on my hair quite often and have had trims so my hair is in good condition.

 

This is how it looks now:

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I'd like to know the best advice you can give me for going back to my own wonderful blonde colour. 

 

Can anyone help?

 

 

What do you mean by this? Did your hair turn kind of mushy from the strand test?

If so,that is a VERY bad sign that hair has reached it's limit.If you do anymore to it (which is probably why they sent you with just a wash out dye) it could fall out.

I have had this happen before and it really is the worst thing that can happen to your hair.When it happend to me,I had to get all of my hair cut really,really short.

 

I would suggest just leaving it alone for a few months.I know it may seem like a pain,but a good cut,lots of conditioning,and not dyeing it,and in about 6 months you may be able to attempt to go blonde again.

 

You may want to get some protein treatments too,to strengthen the hair to prepare it.

Also,a good rule to go by,whenever changing colors,using protein helps the color come out evenly and makes hair soft and shiney too.You wont find it at a regular store,but at like,Sally's beauty supply store.I use Neutral protein filler when coloring all over (since my hair went mushy a few years ago,since the hair dresser told me about the protein) and it really helps ALOT.

 

I really love the color you have right now though.It looks great on you.

 

I'll just leave it to see if it will strenghthen.  I'll do conditioning treatments as often as possible and try to get hold of some protein stuff.  Thanks everyone :)