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Dying bleached blonde hair back to brown.

5

Ok

So I've been bleach-blonde for a while now but want to go back to my natural colour, or one similar to it, which is light brown.

I've heard various horror stories about it going green, orange etc.

I have bought a bottle which I think is suitable for bleached hair, but although its a light brown colour, on the side of the packet it has pictures of dark brown hair becoming lighter - will this bleach my hair further? Will I go orange?

I have about half an inch of roots at the moment, should I bleach those and then do the whole head, or just go for it as it is?

I'm so scared, I want to go to a hairdresser and have them sort it out professionally but I can't afford it on my student's budget...

Any tips?

Reply 1

ohyeahoh

3

I too want to go from dyed blonde to my natural brown...can't afford hairdresser...any product advice...as the OP I don't want it to go icky :frown:

Reply 2

L0RA

9

You took all the red tones out, so now it's time to put them back in again. You should choose a very warm golden blonde, or really red shade and apply to you hair. This should be left on until you hair is completely red/ginger in color, probably a good 25 to 30 mins. This is called applying a 'filler' shade.

Once your hair is really red/ginger, it's time again to reapply a medium brown color over the top of this. Start with a brown shade that is not too dark in color, as it is always easier to go a shade or two darker later than it is to end up with hair thats far too dark and having to wait until it fades or grows out. Again, avoid shades which have lots of red tones in them. You don't need them now. The result (fingers crossed !) should be a nice even brown shade.

Taken from: http://www.blonde-ambition.co.uk/backtobrown.shtml

Reply 3

tbm

13

Ive dyed mine from blonde to brown a few times, and never had any problems. Like Lora said, you need to pick something with a reddish tint and try that, I used Fructis one and it worked fine.

Recently though when Ive done it Ive been going to my hairdressers as I just find the colour lasts longer and my hair is in better condition, and it costs me £35 for an all over colour, which includes a cut, blow dry and straighten.

Reply 4

Scott Storch

1

Lol.

Reply 5

meke12

4

Just dye it. I dyed mine from bleach blond to black a few times when bleaching has gone wrong and it has never gone odd

Reply 6

juicy1426

L0RA

You took all the red tones out, so now it's time to put them back in again. You should choose a very warm golden blonde, or really red shade and apply to you hair. This should be left on until you hair is completely red/ginger in color, probably a good 25 to 30 mins. This is called applying a 'filler' shade.

Once your hair is really red/ginger, it's time again to reapply a medium brown color over the top of this. Start with a brown shade that is not too dark in color, as it is always easier to go a shade or two darker later than it is to end up with hair thats far too dark and having to wait until it fades or grows out. Again, avoid shades which have lots of red tones in them. You don't need them now. The result (fingers crossed !) should be a nice even brown shade.

Taken from: http://www.blonde-ambition.co.uk/backtobrown.shtml

Ok so I've had a bit of disaster trying this :frown:

... I had my hair bleached blonde at the hairdressers a while ago and I wanted to go back to brown so I read up on it and decided to do this. I wasn't sure about the filler colour as it said red or warm golden blonde which are two different colours, so that worried/confused me to start with! In the end I got a dark red (cherry) colour and used that. My hair went reallly dark straight away though, it shines coppery but it is so dark, I don't think I like it. I bought a brown to put over it but didn;t use it as I thought the first colour is so dark, this brown won't do anything!
SO I'm not sure what to do now, I want it lighter (or kind of like the brown colour I have) but is it going to be hard, and should I try the brown?
Help appreciated! thank youu

Reply 7

ecage

honestly just go to a hairdressers. Vidal sassoon and tony and guy always want models for colours. I am currently sat with a full head of brown die going over my bleach blonde. I know for a fact it will go like dirty dish water but its something you have to put up with after strippping your hair for years with bleach. I refuse to put red tones into my hair because they dont budge easy or suit me so im going for a light brown. I know i will have to dye it like every other week but in no time it will be alot healthier!

Reply 8

BKS

19

To go light you need the dark color faded, dying it brown might just give it a tinge but nothing else. Either you grow it out or go to a hairdresser because if you don't know what you are doing you're pretty likely to mess up your hair trying to lighten it

Reply 9

judgejohndeed

5

You didn't even need this filler thing that everyone's going on about...I wanted my hair to be brown again back from blonde and I just bought a john frieda mousse dye and dyed it, it was fine. I'm not a hairdresser or anything but I've had pretty much every colour under the sun, I've never done a filler. If you did a red one you're going to have red tones which NEVER seem to leave...I dyed my hair red before summer, bleached it, and now it's dark brown again but the red tones are coming back through. I don't know why anyone told you to put red in, at the hairdresser they never do a "filler" colour! Go to a hairdresser or you're going to be stuck with red, it might not cost as much as you think!

Reply 10

willowbella3

2

It may look like hairdressers dont use a 'filler', (pre pig) but if you have no hairdressing experience/training you have no idea how complex colouring can be sometimes its enough to use a brown base eg 5 but use a 5/3 or 5/5 and mixing this with a double base eg 55/0 this may look like one colour being applied but the tone makes the difference , if the hair is porous this can also change things it compleatly depends on what you have on your hair to start with and the condition of it. There is a reason why qualifications are nessesary in hairdressing irs really not that simple and for anyone thats been lucky enough to home colour and its been fine then fair play but it doesnt always work that way, pre pigmentation is nessesary for the end colour last and you dont need to end up with red tones either......... leave it to the professionals i say :smile:

Reply 11

Mackies

I dyed my bleached platinum hair a medium blonde, which was like pretty dark blonde, then did a brown dye on top, no green hair and no hassles :smile:

x

Reply 12

blahblah91

When people say red to fill it, they mean a red toned dye, like a coppery brown or something, not literally red! red hangs around like a bad smell! . Basically when your hair is platinum blonde/a very light blonde it has green tones, and to make sure that your brown hair is not too dull or 'green-ish' you fill it first. It is also to help you gradually go to your colour, as going from very light to very dark can be risky. But sure everybody's hair is different so some people may be able to just go straight to that colour! they are most likely able to do that because they have always dyed their hair blonde and stayed a consistent colour. If you've been a million and one different colours then i'd try a filler.

Reply 13

zoe.c

You need to bear with it. It will fade trust me in a hairdresser of ten years wen it fades more red will show but just get the colour you want I suggest you go to somewhere like. Sallys a hair and beauty supplier and buy a tube they had toners built in colour unlike these box dyes. U will need something like a 6.1 or a 7.1 to tone out the red also keep it lighter as that colour you have on will have faded alot because you have been bleach blonde so your hair is very porous which will grab colour easily but also throws certain tones out. Hope this helped

Reply 14

zoe.c

Sounds like you gone overboard with red which didn't needed to be red is a bugger to get rid of if there is alot of red u need ash tone to reduce it but be careful as you been bleach blonde depends if there is alot of red but I can't see if there is only little just put a brown on a 6 or a 5 someone will help you at a hair and beauty supplier

Reply 15

moodlemay

I dyed my highlighted blonde hair with an ash brown, which is similar to my natural colour. It did go ever so slightly green. I agree with the folks that recommend a red based dye. Mine went greenish because it was a cool colour that lacked the warm red tone. I dyed it a warm brown after that. Not red, but a golden or caramel brown. I am blonde atm and its growing out fast and i think this time I will get my hairdresser to dye it my natural colour. At a decent bit cheaply priced salon u can get it all done for about £30. But if u cant afford it id recommend dying it chestnut/caramel/golden brown or even dark blonde. They always come out darker and often dark blonde is light brown anyway!

Reply 16

Georgiaanna

I have the same dilemma- bleach blonde to brown & was going to use a filler. But when you say dye it with the reddy tone & then the brown, how soon do you mean? Like straight after? Or do I need to wait a while before I can?
Thank you!!

Reply 17

aimeebec

Hi, I went to the hairdressers this week (for the first time in years) I had a restyle and all over colour with highlights. I am naturally moused blonde, but had dyed my hair blonder two years ago. I wanted a dark blonde colour (it looks brown on the chart) but the over all colour has a red tinge that I don't like. After the fist wash (used colour protective shampoo) the brown has faded and it is more of a red/pink tinge. Any ideas what colour I can put all over to get rid of the red? I have read the above posts, but I am confused!! Thankyou x

Reply 18

Gppp

im dying a friends hair from light blonde to brown and she has half an inch of roots when putting the reddish cooper tone back in the hair do I do it all over including the roots or just where the bleach blonde is ???

Reply 19

steeleyg

2

Use a chocolate colour based brown dye as these had red tones in them which counteracts the possibility of green

If you go back to art classes in the school days, Green and Red are opposite each other on the colour wheel so they counteract each other out.

Just like why you should use purple shampoo to help calm yellow tones in your hair!

Like i say, just bye a chocolate brown colour and apply this, if it is not dark enough then apply a natural brown dye

:smile:

Dying bleached blonde hair back to brown.

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