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How can I get my hair from orange back to my natural brown colour?

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Hi,

In February my hair was dyed orange for a hair show and I've been struggling to get it back to my natural light brown ever since. Recently I dyed it dark brown and it came out way too dark, so I tried the crushed Vitamin C remedy which resulted in orange hair once again.

Is there anything I can do to just get rid of the copper/orange colour and go back to regular brown?

Thank you,

Kelcie, Santa Barbra

Dear Kelcie,

Buying a colour off the shelf is a gamble in itself, even for a professional colourist.  The descriptions and colour shown on the packaging can be deceptive. Perhaps what looked to you like a colour close enough to your own, was in fact much darker. Your hair might also have been quite porous, though you don't say whether it might have been bleached first for the hair show, before a colour application, but I suspect it might have been the case. 

As with any dark colour, there would always be a red/warm undertone, so you should ask a colourist to use a cool brown, which should give you a colour that you'd be much happier with.

It sounds like your hair has been through an exciting time. I personally have never heard of the Vitamin C treatment you describe, but one thing is for sure, your hair won't be sneezing this winter!

Johan van der Merwe, Senior Stylist and Colourist at Simon Webster Hair, Brighton

This sounds like it may be a job for a professional who likes colour correction work. When you talk to them tell them the history of your hair and what colours you have done yourself at home (including the vitamin C).

They will be able to help you in getting your hair back to a more natural brown. Sometimes the most subtle changes are the most difficult to get right.

John Clark at Brooks+Brooks, London