How to strip this hair colour without chemicals?

Widdershins

Hi!

I want to remove the dark red dye from my hair and go back to this colour but I'd like to do it without harsh chemicals. I had an allergic reaction to a bleach or stripping chemical of some kind that a hairdresser used in the past.

I have washed it intensively over the past week. I even used washing up liquid, but the dark red colour is stubborn.

I've read somewhere that coconut oil strips hairdye but it only faded mine a little bit. Does anyone have personal experience of doing this with anything gentler than chemical products?

And if it doesn't leave me with exactly my true colour, is there anything 'natural' I could use to over dye it, to match my own colour (see photo)? I have heard of Henna but it seems very very orangey.

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q724/Devils-Squaw/44e2ce2c-633e-4875-89be-746e16ad9f7b_zpsi6jomwnn.jpg

New Home

Henna comes in a variety of colours and strengths, it depends a lot on the plant itself. I've used it for years (different brands) and I don't think I've ever got the same result twice - anyway, rather than a bright orangy colour I always got a rich mahogany, but then again my hair is light brown. The only downside of of using henna is that it's VERY messy to put on, it stains a lot, and it takes forever to rinse out, but the end result is definitely worth the effort. I usually keep it on overnight with my head wrapped in clingfilm and rinse it out in the morning.

Regarding the coconut oil, have you tried leaving it on overnight?

Parchment

Red is the colour that fades the quickest - so it shouldnt be too hard to shift after a few washes and thats all it really needs - a few washes.

i see you have used Fairy Liquid - that was my go to when i used to dye my hair a lot, it works but its harsh. Coconut oil is known to strip colour but i dont think its going to be as dramatic as you want it to be.

Tresemme do a Deep Cleansing shampoo -its a strong clarifying shampoo so that will help. I would just wait it out a bit after two weeks of your normal routine wash it will have faded a lot. Otherwise if you are scrubbing your hair constantly you will ruin its condition.

irishgirl19

Red is actually the hardest colour to 'lift'. Have you heard of colourb4 op

Widdershins

It does fade very quickly. I normally see it running out while I wash my hair. At the same time, there's still a lot of it there..it's much darker than my hair in the photo. It's like a dingy red-brown at the moment. Ideally I would like it just a bit deeper red than in the photo, which was what it looks like when the sun's lightened it. I'll be happy with close enough, though!

I've heard of colourb4 but I'm just wary of trying anything harsh. I developed blisters at the top of my neck after some kind of chemical colour removal before

I'll look for the Tresemme one, thank you.

La.de.da

Red is a pain in the ass to get rid of. Had mine red for a while. I used colour b4. It lightened the red alright but to a brassy/ Brown colour.

Head and shoulders shampoo should help strip it a bit.


Edit: be careful if you do use colour b4. It left my hair in shocking condition.

MinnieMinx

You should really go to a good colourist if you want to keep your hair healthy.
Choosing the correct colour remover depends on the type of dye you used to colour it with in the first place. If you used a direct dye (crazy colour etc.), a product like colourb4 won't work.
Only go down the Henna route if you don't intend using normal (box or pro) dyes afterwards otherwise the metallic salt compounds in the henna will react with the box dye and your hair will fizz and break off.
A lot of hairdressers with limited colour knowledge still automatically use bleach based mixes to remove colour but a competent colourist will be able to choose from a range of professional options to remove your colour.
Washing up liquid is nasty stuff. Would you happily wash your face with it?

Widdershins

MinnieMinx wrote: »

You should really go to a good colourist if you want to keep your hair healthy.
Choosing the correct colour remover depends on the type of dye you used to colour it with in the first place. If you used a direct dye (crazy colour etc.), a product like colourb4 won't work.
Only go down the Henna route if you don't intend using normal (box or pro) dyes afterwards otherwise the metallic salt compounds in the henna will react with the box dye and your hair will fizz and break off.
A lot of hairdressers with limited colour knowledge still automatically use bleach based mixes to remove colour but a competent colourist will be able to choose from a range of professional options to remove your colour.
Washing up liquid is nasty stuff. Would you happily wash your face with it?

:eek: Very useful advice, thanks. The hairdresser I went to before had been my hairdresser for a few years and she worked for a salon with a good reputation, that's why I haven't looked for a new one.

_coinin_

I use equal amounts of baking soda with heads and shoulders in warmish water, It should foam up. Leave in for 1 hour then rise. But only do it every few days to give your hair a break.

banoffe2

Hi Coinin

does the mix of bread soda and head and shoulders fade the colour or strip it?