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How Can I Hold my Brunette Colour?

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Brooks+Brooks Hairdressing
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I had a horrible experience where I went to get my hair dyed darker but asked that they don't go too dark and to try and avoid any rich chocolaty/reddish tones, I just wanted a natural ash colour. Of course I ended up with exactly what I didn't want, near black hair with a lovely reddish patch at the top. 

I then went to a second hairdresser to try and fix this, so she bleach washed my hair making it a vibrant orange. It took three dyes that day to get it to a nice brown but ever since then my hair won't hold the colour and after about a week of dying it the little orange tinge comes out especially near my roots. 

Is there anything I can do that will make my hair hold a brown colour or will I just have to continuously dye my hair brown? I really hate the feeling of damaged hair and it just feels worse and worse every time.

Thank you,

Anon, Australia

Once hair has been lightened (even brunette hair) it has an increased porosity and therefore the colour can fade extremely quickly. If you are in a hot climate and exposed to sunshine, the fading of colour will be exaggerated due to the environment around you. Ash and natural cool tones are very delicate and are removed from the hair very easily, sometimes just shampooing will wash these pigments down the drain. 

The best option is to keep topping up the brown when the orange is re-exposed and use a shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair. Aveda Black or Blue Malva shampoos and conditioners are great for keeping the colour fresh and minimising brassiness.

John Clark, Head of Colour at Brooks+Brooks, London