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ScottCornwall
All the best

Scott
Hi Scott, got a question for you.

I've been dying my hair black alternating between L'oreal Castings Natural Dark Brown and L'oreal castings creme gloss ebony for about 4/5 years.
My hair's waist length, fine and heat damaged.

Firstly, will the product make my hair brittle? Will it damage my already delicate ends?

Secondly, what sort of colour could I expect to end up with? My hair is naturally a mid-brown colour, but I'm wanting to go auburn once the black has gone.

How likely is it that I'll get the desired result? Any help would be awesome, thanks.
Reply 41
Scott
I was just wondering as i havent had chance to go to any shops to get the wash in colours due to the snow = [ and as im not liking the colour of my hair atm, would using your product make my hair go back to the bright blonde? then i cud start again if it did but i wud ask you first before i dyed it again to stop this happening again = L
Hi everyone, I got a few questions in one hit so its easier for me to answer them in one hit. So if you asked me any questions within the last 24 hours I will respond to them here with your original post:-


Eemma asked me:-

Hi Scott,
I saw this product on the boots website and after googling it, i was directed here.

I was wondering if you can help me -
I have naturally cool toned medium/dark blonde hair, but have been highlighting it for years. In the summer i used L'Oreal Excell 10 Frosted Blonde 8.13 which faded quite alot, but blended my roots and highlights.

I used this dye again a couple of weeks ago, but it seemed to lighten my roots more than i had expected and after panicing it was too warm, i used the Dark Frosted Blonde 7.13.

This is far too dark and again seems quite warm at the roots. So if i used colour B4, will it take me back to 8.13 i used a couple of weeks ago since i assume the dye lightened my roots to give the warmer colour?

Ideally i want medium blonde hair with cool tones and highlights, but i'm unsure about dying over the dark blonde due to the redish tint at the roots.

Any tips would be great, thanks alot, xxxxx

Answer:-

Hi Eamma, bottom line answer is no Colour B4 will not remove that reddish tinge at your roots. That is a really common problem and happens with a lot of home colours. The reason being is home colours peroxide strength is quite weak and it can't lighten enough to bypass the red pigment in hair. Therefore, once it lightens it kicks up warmth where the hair hasn't been coloured before (usually at the Roots).

You have also used Excel 10 which is a tone on tone colour it cannot lighten much. Your new hair growth has grown through and this shade has caused your roots to lighten a tad and displayed warmth. Personally I would use these kind of colours if you are trying to achieve an even blonde result.

Firstly, it might be worth you using Regular Colour B4 to clean the hair of any artificial colour molecules you have in there. The problem is the more colourants you apply the more these molecules fill the hair and eventually you stop getting any results (apart from the roots). If you use Regular Strength and cleanse the hair you are in a better position to start again.

After using Colour B4 Regular (if possible) I'd try to rest the hair for at least a few days and give it a couple of washes in between, this will just allow you to understand fully what colour you have there. The big mistake many people make with re-colouring (after using B4) is they do it immediately and never actually observe the colour which laid beneath their colourant in varying lights. This can be the reason why they pick shades which are too dark, red or light.

I would next forget using products like Excel 10, in order to create an even Medium blonde hair colour you need a heavy duty colourant like L'Oreal Preference or Feria. Opt for a shade which is base 9.0 and has beige tone it in. This beige tone will neautralise out any warmth but is not so cold (as ash) to create a grey tone. You need this 9.0 Light Medium Blonde level to lift through the red at your roots. One you use it, it's possible your hair will look a more definate blonde, however you can then tone it down a tad if you want it to match your natural colour. Buy a semi permanant 8.0 Medium blonde and apply to damp hair and comb through. You shouldn't need to use the whole bottle, if the hair is damp maybe 1/2 to 2/3 will be fine. This will add just a bit more depth back into your hair and put you back on track. Do not use Perfect 10 or L'Oreal Excel colours as they deposit too much pigment too quickly into newly lightened hair. The result will be too dark for you.

I know this sounds a bit complicated but sadly (and put as bluntly as I can get away with) your hair is in the middle of 'messing up' once you start getting gingery roots its the pathway to constant hair problems. You need to cleanse it (with B4) lift and tone (with Preference or Feria) and then re-tone with a semi 8.0 to put you back on track.

Hope that helps.


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TarantuLove asked me:-


Aha! So Ive been dying my hair about once every 3 weeks (am naturally dark blonde) since Jan 09 to a chocolate brown/cherry colour, but I want to go back to blonde (but a lighter blonde), could I apply the colour remover, then homedye it lighter?

My Answer:-

TarantuLove, Yes in short you can but use Extra Strength to remove this colour as it sounds like it could be built up. Once you have removed the hair colour you can go lighter but as I usually advice I wouldn't knee jerk reaction colour. Remove your current colour with B4 and then ideally wait a couple of days so you can judge what colour was lying beneath your colourant. Remember artificial colourants can lighten the hair a little or kick up warmth. You need to check how much warmth is in your hair. It may be the case if you go lighter you have to use a cool based colourant. Waiting that couple of days before purchasing your colour or going to the salon will make sure you know what you are asking for. Until you remove your colour you don't know whats there yet.

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Ilora-Danon asked me:-

Scott
Hi Scott, got a question for you.

I've been dying my hair black alternating between L'oreal Castings Natural Dark Brown and L'oreal castings creme gloss ebony for about 4/5 years.
My hair's waist length, fine and heat damaged.

Firstly, will the product make my hair brittle? Will it damage my already delicate ends?

Secondly, what sort of colour could I expect to end up with? My hair is naturally a mid-brown colour, but I'm wanting to go auburn once the black has gone.

How likely is it that I'll get the desired result? Any help would be awesome, thanks.

My Answer:-

Hi Ilora-Danon, OK my honest answer its going to be really uncertain what colour will be exposed once you use before and I will explain why. The colour brands you mention use high levels of silicone in their products. In general this is fine however if you apply high heat to hair which has been coloured with silicone colourants something very odd happens. The silicone melts and boils the middle of the hair, when the silicone sets again (after the heat has ceased) it sets and creates a cylinder in the middle of the hair. The hair has now turned synthetic and I can tell you NOTHING works on it (I've tried to perm, bleach and colour this type of hair and it does nothing).

Unfortunately Ilora, based on the length of your hair and what you have said I feel its 100% certain this has happened to some of your hair. Anyone can tell if this has happened to their hair as there are several things you have to look out for:-

1) The hair has a dead synthetic quality and can be fine and flyaway. It also has a lank shine and frizzy ends
2) It generally feels fine
3) The colour looks darker on the ends than at the roots
4) Its hard work curling it, drying it or doing anything to it.

I would suggest you buy two boxes of Colour B4 (because of your length) and see how much it is able to get out. When we launched the product some of the negative reviews from people came from those who had silicone damaged hair and believed the product was useless - when in actual fact there hair was unworkable. But that said, it will at least go into the hair and remove whatever colour molecules are still free of silicone enclosure. If you go to a salon to get that black out 9/10 will decline doing it and that one who didn't will use bleach which will do nothing to the black but fry the hair higher up and cause it to break.

Another positive to using the product is it will remove a lot of the build up in your hair and leave it feeling firm and unusual. This texture is brilliant because it means you are feeling your actual hair and can apply protein to it and start to fill the centre and return its health. I always recommend Coconoil organic coconut oil, you can apply this to your hair and it will begin to nourish and repair it a little. Forget about re-colouring immediately after using Colour B4 and instead use it as a great window of opportunity to putting some health back into your hair. Wrap it in cling film and do a couple of treatment in succession over a few days using the Buffer (that comes with B4) as your shampoo cleanser.

I honestly feel Colour B4 will reveal 2/3 of your real hair colour but the midlengths and ends will still be quite dark. My advice would be to have a good amount of these dead ends (as many inches as you can bare) cut off and then apply a product like Garnier Nutrice dark red to your hair. This will blend any black in and ultimately give you a deep red brown. You have to remember if B4 leaves any of the black behind that is where the hair has been killed by the silicone and heat - your best bet would be to get it cut off I promise.

My biggest word of advice is if someone has very long hair - never batter it with heat. Long hair is very old (usually 2 or 3 years) and its been through a lot - it just can't handle lots of heat. People never realise its heat thats my damaging to hair most of the time than chemicals!

Let me know if I can help you with anything else and let us know what happens!


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Mollypop91 asked me:-

Scott
I was just wondering as i havent had chance to go to any shops to get the wash in colours due to the snow = [ and as im not liking the colour of my hair atm, would using your product make my hair go back to the bright blonde? then i cud start again if it did but i wud ask you first before i dyed it again to stop this happening again = L

My Answer:-

Hi Molly, yes you can use it it will probably reveal a very blonde shade but if you are happy with that then it shouldn't be a problem. Remember you will find the hair looks very blonde at the mid lengths or ends but the roots will possibly be a darker warmer colour as the hair is newer. It will still probably still ne necessary for you to introduce a colour back into the hair, but see what is revealed first and ask me then!

Hope those answers help everyone - let me know if you have anymore?
Reply 43
Hey Scott, i would really appreciate you advice also!

Im originally a redhead, dyed my hair black for months and months, then recently bleached my hair & dyed it bright red. If I use your product, what colour will my hair return to (roughly)?

Many thanks:smile:
Hi Dg9ai,

It would return it to a bleached sort of colour. So if you bleached your hair to dye it red then the result you achieve with Colour B4 will be the shade your hair was after you bleached it and prior to applying the red. You might see your natural colour at the root areas if its been a while since you bleached it.

Hope that helps - let me know if you have any other questions.

Cheers

Scott
Reply 45
I'm wanting to go blonde now so if i use your product, my hair will hopefully return to orangey/blonde. to get rid of that gingery colour it will go, do i rebleach after a few weeks or is there another way to get rid of it?


your a star thankyou
Hi dg9ai,

If your hair goes a gingery blonde (which it will do if you use B4 as your old bleach will be exposed) you need to work out what you're left with. As I always say it's so important to judge hair in good light. However, I'll give you a guide as to what you should do:-

If your hair (after using B4) is:-

1) carrott blonde/orange (due to the old bleach) with dark roots then I would suggest you re-bleach the whole head and then apply your desired blonde colourant.

2) brassy blonde with dull dark blonde roots I would suggest you buy a blonde lifting colourant such as L'Oreal Preference or Feria that has a tone in it you desire. So if you want to neautralise warmth opt for an ash or beige based blonde, if you want a warm blonde then I'd go with a neautral base colour (such as 9.0 light blonde) that has no additional tone. You already have warm tone in your hair - if you add to it it will look orangey.

3) Flat dull blonde with a little warmth on mid-lengths and ends - dull lightish (natural colour) roots - you could just buy a semi permanent light blonde and apply throughout to balance all the colour up.

As a tip (and as a hair consultant) if you are a originally a red head you will look your best with blondes that are warm as cool tones will clash with your skin.
Reply 47
thankyou so much for your advice scott, i really appreciate it
No worries!
Reply 49
Thank You very Much Scott for your help.

I am planning on buying your product the Colour B4 in the normal strength, and hopefully re-dye it to the correct colour that i want, however i think i will ask you for your advice once i know what colour it has turned out to be, to which dye i should get if that is okay?

as i dont want to keep dyeing it and ruining my hair .
Yes that's fine I'm happy to give my advice. I'm always telling people not to rush into re-colouring their hair after using it as sometimes people base their re-colour decison on the colour they kept looking at the mirror which they wanted removing. After a couple of days of living with the revealed shade (which lay beneath the old colour) many people can do U turns anyway and want a totally different shade to the one they originally thought they'd opt for!
Reply 51
I am seeking hair colouring advice, please!

My natural hair colour is black/brown. I tried dying it lighter a few months ago -it actually turned out very, very dark black. You can sort of see the roots coming through now.

I want to address the roots situation, but I am also wanting my hair lighter.

Is this a job for the hairdresser?
Hi OnlyMe!

Firstly can you remember what brand you shade you used to Colour it dark? And when you say the roots are coming through - do you mean they are coming through lighter or darker?
Reply 53
ScottCornwall
Hi OnlyMe!

Firstly can you remember what brand you shade you used to Colour it dark? And when you say the roots are coming through - do you mean they are coming through lighter or darker?

I used Loreal Excell 10. I did leave it on for 10 minutes (no longer, as that makes the hair colour devolop darker)

The roots which are coming through are lighter.
Right - yes I understand what happened. All Excell 10 can do is add pigment to the hair, if you already had colour on the hair it would give a much darker result as it's peroxide strength is weak so its not clearing the hair of the old pigment (by lightening the hair a fraction). Therefore you end up with too dark a result.

Yes Colour B4 would absolutely remove all that. WHen you say you want to go lighter what shade do you want to go??
Thanks loads for your reply :smile:
Reply 56
ScottCornwall
Right - yes I understand what happened. All Excell 10 can do is add pigment to the hair, if you already had colour on the hair it would give a much darker result as it's peroxide strength is weak so its not clearing the hair of the old pigment (by lightening the hair a fraction). Therefore you end up with too dark a result.

Yes Colour B4 would absolutely remove all that. WHen you say you want to go lighter what shade do you want to go??

Not much lighter, just looking for something like:

OK, If you use Colour B4 its very likely that what it will reveal is a shade that matches the above. The hair will have a warm hue to it as the previous dark colourants will have lightened it a tiny amount with each application.

I'd suggested you use Colour B4 remove all your old artificial colour and apply a Wella Shader sachet Mahogony (you can buy these from Boots for 80p). This will then add an additional amount of warmth and richness to the hair and will even up the colour from root to tip. It will ultimately create a rich chocolate colour. I wouldn't suggest using a permanent product to re-colour as it will only darken it again, unless you use a lightening product which could kick up to much warmth and turn it coppery.

Hope that helps

Regards

Scott
Reply 58
Thank you very much! :smile:
Hey Scott,

I have a question for you.

I've been dying my hair for years & its been red, black, blue, brown & platinum blonde, but its naturally dark blonde. At the moment its reddish brown, but I would like to go back to platinum blonde. Would your product be able to get my hair back to a light enough colour so that I can dye it myself to platinum?

Thanks

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