Bye bye red?

Hair: Nelson Brown
Photography: Ciarran Oldham

Dear Hair Doctor,

I have natural mousey-brown hair, although my roots have come back very dark, and have been dying my hair for around two years by family and friends as I have one colour all over. Having dyed my hair dark brown, I have since gone red, which I've had done around eight times now. I want to dye my hair very light brown but it's said that red is a hard colour to remove. I've been told to bleach my hair and then put light brown on top. Is it safe to do this?

Many thanks,

Anon, UK

 

Hiya,

Once hair has been coloured red it can be very difficult to remove, even more so if you have been layering the colour over time.

To bleach the red out would be detrimental to the condition of the hair and would probably result in an uneven pinkish tone.

The safest way to neutrelise the red would be to stick with an all-over colour with added green mix tone, which any experienced colour technician would be able to achieve.

With this colour scenario you need to go backwards to come forwards and the light brown colour you desire unfortunately won't come overnight.

Crombie, Browns 

Hi there,

Firstly consult a good colourist. Over colouring your hair can cause damage and permanent cuticle staining. This is where too much pigment has been forced into the hair and then can never be removed effectively again with colour remover or bleach.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to remove the old red colour and sometimes the only option is to cut it off. I wouldn’t try to apply a light brown to your hair as you could end up with colour bands (light brown at the roots, red mid-lengths and darker ends).

Good Luck!

John Clark, Brooks+Brooks

Hi,

For this kind of colour change it's best to go to a professional colourist and have a full consultation. You will need to have a strand test done to see how much red can be removed from your hair to achieve your chosen colour. This is a snip of hair taken from random, unnoticed pieces from your head.

The process, if removing colour, will depend on how red you are and a professional colourist will fully explain what is used in removing red and the products used. Also, and importantly is the after care needed to maintain optimum condition of your hair.

Clare Lodge, Paul Edmonds 

Hi,

Bleach is a product that lifts gradually and checking its progress as it lifts your colour should be very visual. It is not a process I would recommend to do yourself as it would take a professional hairdresser's eye and knowledge of your hair's strength to decide when the product is ready and the right shade to take the light brown. Furthermore, bleach will lift red but the result will be very orange - a hairdresser would be able to neutralise this with all of the exact shades at their disposal, ultimately achieving the look that you want.

Michelle Lawley, Royston Blythe