Why won't my new hair color take over an old one?

I colored my hair a very dark brown in mid-January. I used a temporary dye, one that is supposed to wash out in 30 shampoos. However, I disliked the color so much that I re-dyed it with a lighter, permanent color about two weeks later. The new color would not take at all. So, I waited three months, and tried dying my hair a fairly light shade of blonde (again with a permanent dye). It still won't take; only my roots took the color. What's going on? The temporary dye should have washed out long ago, and I should be able to redye over another permanent dye without these problems. Any advice? I've searched the internet and can't find anything on this.

Thanks!

Comments for
Why won't my new hair color take over an old one?

Click here to add your own comments

Oct 12, 2010
 It's a stain
by: Kim

Your hair is stained. Trust me I know it sounds weird but it actually happens a lot with temp and permanent dyes. It's either
A) you got a very dark color (which the majority of staining comes from. Only rarely is it from a lighter color) and applied it to light or medium colored hair or
B) it was not the color but the brand you used. Some brands (like perfect ten, the pink box from I believe loreal and a few
others) are notorious for staining your hair.

If either a or b happened to you, there are four things you can do
1) strip the color-it removes any old color but leaves your hair kind of dead. If you do this, be sure to apply the stripping product to your roots 5-10 mins after your hair changes color. Be sure to follow instructions on the box. You can get these products from sallys beauty supply or your local beauty store. There are different products and amounts for different hair lengths and the darkness of the color so talk to an employee. They will be able to help you. After your done stripping the hair use a deep conditioner. I recommend Aussie 3 minute miracle in moist. That way your damage can be fixed after about 3 uses at most. After your done stripping the hair and conditioning it, you can just dye it again but make sure to use an ammonia free dye.

2) go to a salon-its the for sure way to get the color you want but it can be pretty pricey. Expect to pay at least $60 for the stripping alone. If you decide to go to a salon be sure to make your appointment in the early morning, that way the stylist will have enough time to strip the color, redye it, and deep condition (from a personal note make absolutely sure it's early morning. I have done that before and it took so long that when Paul Mitchell closed I was halfway done and had to come back and halfway done is not a good look. Also make sure they dye not stain your hair with colors because it will lead to the same problems as before. Most salons don't but every once in a while you find salons that does. They say it's faster, which it is, but you will not get the results you want guaranteed.

3) fade it-get some conditioner and shampoo and just let it fade away. It takes a very long time to do this (around a couple of months if it's a very dark shade) but you don't have the drying effects like 1&2. Once it's light enough, try dying your hair again. If that doesn't work, either start again or pick a new step to try.

4) let it grow out-growing out your hair may sound like a bad idea, especially if you have gray hair, but if fading doesn't work and you don't want to harm your hair, growing it out is the best way to go. It takes some time depending on how long your hair is but if your willing, once it gets to a certain length you can always cut it.

I hope this helps you and any others who might read this. I've tried to put both pros and cons in every situation so you would have the full reality of what to expect. Good luck!
Mar 31, 2011
 Perfect 10 by Clairol
by: Yucca 13

I used Perfect 10 (what a misnomer!) for the first time six weeks ago. I have colored my own hair for approximately 50 years and have never had a staining problem. I used a medium neutral blonde. Now that my hair has grown out, I see that there is a brassy darker band, obviously where I used the Perfect 10 color.

There must be some other ingredient in the 10 minute formula (other than just stronger peroxide that caused the staining problem.)

I called the Clairol color consultants. Actually, I talked with three different people and was told three different things. I don't think they have expert colorists, since I was told three different opinions on what to do. I am afraid that if I don't want to ruin my hair, I am going to have to bite the bullet and go to an expert colorist to have it corrected.

I would really be interested to know if others have had a similar problem? I'm thoroughly disgusted with the performance of Perfect 10. Beware!

Click here to add your own comments


Need help finding something?





Style Hair Magazine - Top




Browse by section:


Talent Among Us

Have a look at some of our featured stylists' work in the hairstyle photo galleries.

Submit Your Work

Are you a professional hairstylist, makeup artist or photographer? Upload samples your work.

Submit here

get updates!

Subscribe to our feeds to get quick and easy notification of new additions to this site.

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo! 		Add to My MSN
Add to Newsgator
Subscribe with Bloglines