Hair turned reddish trying to go blonde

I bought a highlighting brush on kit for medium brown to black hair. I left it on for 90 minutes as suggested. It turned out reddish with a few lighter strands. should i have left it on longer? And what can I do now about getting the color to the shade I want. Blonde.My natural hair color is medium to dark brown. I can never get it to the right shade and have damaged my hair in the past, also have had salons damage my hair too. I let my hair get healthy for about a year. Then just recently tried this highlightening kit. How can I get it blonde without too much damage? thank you so much, Jackie

Comments for
Hair turned reddish trying to go blonde

Click here to add your own comments

Mar 07, 2008

Coloring hair blonde...
by: Michelle

The highlighting kits found at drugstores just don't contain a high enough volume of peroxide to adequately lighten hair... especially when you're starting with a really dark color. If you want it lighter, you'll have to lighten it again. The problem will be getting the lightener on ONLY the previously lightened pieces.

These "brush on" kits bother me because if bleach is not covered somehow, it dries out while processing and loses its effectiveness. That's why I'm such a fan of foiling highlights. This keeps the lightened hair separate from the rest, so there is less chance of the bleach "bleeding" onto surrounding hair. And it keeps the bleach solution covered so it won't dry out during processing.

You can weave out the lightened strands and re-lighten them inside of foil. If you're not confident with foiling your own hair, I'd suggest going to a salon and having a colorist fix your hair.

All the best,
Michelle
Editor, SHM.com

Mar 07, 2008

Red to Blonde
by: KT

Well first store bought kits do not tell the level of developer your using. And you really cant tell the color by the outside of the box. My suggestions are if you have brown to dark brown hair and are trying to reach a blonde color, you are going to have to use 40 volume bleach so you can get it to lift through the stages. and then tone it if neccessary because it got to light (that what u should have done. Now at your red-orange color, its very hard to pull red out I suggest using at least a 30 Volume bleach for no more then 45 min. and NO HEAT.... Trim your hair and deep condition with a reconstrutive treatment weekly. Hope this helps, good luck

KT Stylist

Mar 08, 2008

red to blonde
by: Anonymous

Thank you all for your comments. It helped me alot. Also I have to agree with you all that the drug store dyes are not strong enough, also I don't care for the brush on one either, as mentioned, it dries on your hair and doesn't get to lighten enough. Thanks again, Red GOING blonde!

Dec 09, 2008

This will not ruin your hair...
by: Anonymous

Use Loreal hair dye titled LBO1(Extra Light Ash Blonde). I have the same color hair as you do, medium-brown to dark-brown hair, and my hair is completely platnium blonde with no use of bleaching nor highlighting kits!

I remember years ago my hair stylist said to me,"Amanda, with that dark hair of yours, the only way to get it the blonde you want is with bleach." Guess I proved him wrong :o)

Jan 11, 2009

red going blonde?
by: Paula

What I was always told if you were a dyed red going blonde, was to tint your hair back to at least a light brown if you can, and foil, foil, foil. It may take a couple of visits to achieve the blonde you want, but i think it's the best way instead of putting just straight bleach on it, because red hair is hard to decolorize.

Mar 27, 2009

help us please
by: Anonymous

well I am a natural dish water blonde. I wanted light brown highlights and they turned out black. I have since had the streaks lifted with 20 vol and bleach, results where not great but lightened a little. A friend of mine worried about the bleach damaging my hair, used 20 vol with a level 10 blonde hair color which evened out all my blonde and lifted the brown to a reddish brown color. We are trying to figuring out how we can continue to lift the brown without using bleach in my hair. Would high lift color work and the tone it with a princess blonde toner. My friend is in comsmetology and suggested we ask for some outside help other than her instructors, she really doesn't want to damage my hair if it can be helped, and I just want to be blonde again

Apr 07, 2009

Getting color out of your hair
by: Anonymous

You cannot lift color out with color. It just cant be done. Try using a shampoo cap (bleach mixed with 20 or 30 vol and a few squirts of shampoo) on the colors. The shampoo will keep it from damaging your hair and just sit and watch it for like 20 mins or so or until you think its light enough. Be careful not to get it on your roots cause they will bleach the quickest since they are new, non chemically treated hairs. I am a stylist and have done this countless times. Good luck!

May 14, 2009

brassy/orange blonde
by: Anonymous

Hi, I went to a reputable salon to go blonde. i had box-dyed brown hair and the hairdressers gave me a full head of highlights. she put a toner on but it just seems so orange, like strawberry blonde.im really not happy with it, i know that it takes a few more trips to the salon to go blonde properly but what can I do to make sure that they do not do the same thing next time? I am going to go somewhere else, but I want to make sure Im asking for the right thing. thanks for your help.