A week and two days ago I was a hair model for professional stylist in NYC. She said she wanted to alter my natural medium ash brown hair to give it a more "honey" tone. The photograph she showed me was almost my exact hair color, just slightly warmer.

When she was done, my hair was bright red-orange. Apple red, with a hint of orange. I was in tears. She was astonished and confused and promised to fix it.

She then put a medium dark hair dye over the bright red/orange, and now I have a very dark red hair color. Sort of a "cherry cola", although the stylist tried to call it "mahogany."

I won't let her touch my hair again, but I really want to get the red out and get my hair a little lighter. (My eyebrows are too light for this color.)

My hair is coarse, but healthy (as it can be after a double dye job).

How can I get my color more ashy?

You can strip away the permanent artificial color with a hair color remover. When using hair color removal products, your hair will end up looking raw and brassy, so you will need to re-color your hair to make it look natural. After the color has been removed, apply your desired color, which is medium ash brown.

This didn't really work for me. I tried a hair color remover, and it pulled some of the color out. It went down to a dark auburn. I waited 24 hours and did the hair remover again, and it's now like a light to medium auburn at the roots and a medium to dark auburn at the ends.

To get this to a medium ash brown, should I use light ash brown dye? or should I use one of those dyes "for dark hair" (the one's meant to take dark brown hair and make it slightly lighter). Right now I bought a light ash brown dye, but I'm afraid that my hair is so porous that the dye will turn it black or something.

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

If your hair was chemically colored, it will be difficult to get your natural back. The hairstylist that did your hair...did an awful. Since the hair color remover didn't work, I advise you not to do anything else to your hair, it will only make matters worse. I think you should go to the salon and have them do a corrective color. A hairstylist will mix a formula to match your original shade.

Hi, I had this problem recently and gained a little insight into the problem. My hair was colored a deep dark auburn - i hated it - so i used color oops (colorfix works well also) to lighten it to a light pumpkin brown. I've discovered over the years that more than one attempt to remove color with a color remover usually doesn't lighten it any more than it did the first time (unles i'm not doing it right). When you re-color you MUST use a color that is 2-3 shades lighter than your ideal shade. If you want a medium ash brown, you should use a light ash brown or maybe even a dark ash blond (you can always go darker if it's too light which it probably won't be). Also, use a 40 developer in order to prevent the color from turning too dark or even black. Additionally, it may help to mix in 15 drops of red eliminator (available at sally's beauty supply, along with everything else.) I like Ion creme color with the developer for sensitive scalp. Good luck to you!!

I had the same incident happen to me exactly 2 weeks ago. My natural color is dark ash blonde with slight honey/red tone with light blonde highlights on the ends. I grew in some gray hairs and wanted to cover those with highlights. The hair sylist (Marlo Jennings) convinced me to go with red lowlights and blonde highlights. Marlo said that my lowlights came out "funky" and she proceded with putting 3 different toners on my head. My scalp was burning and I started to panic and begged her to wash it out. It looks horrible. My husband hates it. I have been washing my hair with chlorine remover shampoo for swimmers.
I am going to another salon tomorrow to hopefully get some more blonde highlights, as my highlights are non-existant due to all the toners she put on my hair.

It took a week for my scalp to stop burning.

I am sorry you are going through this, it is horrible, I know. I don't recognize myself in the mirror and all my friends laugh when they see me. It sucks.

I guess hair grows out and I really trust my new stylist. I am putting lots of Aveda damage rememdy conditioner on my hair and currently it is very soft and touchable.

Take care of yourself and find a hair color specialist, even if it really expensive, you need someone to listen to you and to norish your hair!

I have naturally red head, more of a reddish blond. I've gone to salons and have done coloring at home and it is really hard to get my natural color. I have used a shade of Loreal but it isn't available here in Canada so I listened to one of their representatives at a store and chose a color she recommended...with results being very dark compared to my natural color and the rest of my near waist length hair is my natural color. So disaster!

I looked online and read about Color Zap from Loreal where you can use it and then immediately dye your hair again. But...it isn't available here in Canada.

I called Loreal and they recommended using a clarifying shampoo or dandruff shampoo that will naturally strip the color and lighten it! You are supposed to put the shampoo on, then leave it on for 30 minutes, then wash...followed by a good conditioner. You can do this 3 times a week.

This may work for any other dark hair disaster! We will see if it works, until then...a ponytail & a prayer!

Also she added that if your hair is sun damaged (mine bleaches very easily) or naturally dry, any dark color will become darker on those parts of your hair.

If your salon goofed up: they owe you a full refund and a solution!

hi my natural hair colour is ginger and i wanted a change so i dyed it red. Now i hate it and want to go back av been told to use head and shoulders dandruf shampoo so wish me luck lol .

Do not out 40volume developer on your hair! It won't do anything but dry it out! Color doesn't lift color only bleach or modulate! You need to see a stylist! If you dislike the red n want it lighter you need a color correction done! Don't attempt this on ur own! You'll end up in the salon w a bigger mess n spend more money n the long run! Go to salon n don't take advice from anyone who's not a colorist! These answers were off the charts!

we all do different procedures and use different products on our hair, is very hard to help fix hair disasters when we are the only ones who know what we did to our hair and what it was used. after some time of playing with different hair colors our hair is far from being and looking natural and no matter what we do to make it look natural, it never will be., it is possible to make it look natural again but it won't be the same unless we let it grows out. if we try to do what a person is recommending to do bcuz it worked for her, doesn't mean it's gonna work for you too. it's best to keep track of what we do, when and what we use, so we let the color specialist know and they'll be able to do a better job and we don't experiment with ourselves... one thing i have to say is, better to have short healthy hair than long fried hair... good luck to all

i have dyed my hair like a bright red, just at the front and dont get me wrong it is nice, and goes well with the other colour, but i think it is a bit too much as i have college to attend, im wondering if any of you guys know how to dye over this?, would it work?, as i have very little money, i was goin to just dye over it like a dark hair colour, ?
it would be a big help if you could help me please!, x

I have dark brown hair and I have been coloring it "fake deep red" for years now (think Allison Iraheta from American Idol, or Sharon Osbourne's new color) I love it! since I am so pale it looked great. I got it colored for my birthday on November 14th, I told the colorist "fake dee red" and maybe to add something funky I wanted highlights of a richer red, I told her SPECIFICALLY, PLEASE DO NOT BLEACH IT! she freaking bleached highlights all over my head and I swear I had no idea what she was doing that! I got so mad but she said not to worry because it was going to look great. I must admit when she was done I loved it! I left the salon feeling so sexy, and everyone was complimenting my hair. After I washed it just 2 times, almost all the color washed out!!!! Now I have like a weird red-orange color all over my head, and the once cool looking highlights now look PINKISH and WHITE! because the bleach is starting to show.. so I have red orangy pinkish white and dark root showing in my hair! I am disgusted with my hair! I have no idea what to do now! Should I dye it a deep burgundy red now and hope it works? I like the deep rich red color, but my boyfriend and friends suggest for me to go back to dark brown since according to them I look more naturally pretty as a real brunette... So what should I do? My hair is so fried and dry, and I am using all kinds of coconut oils and conditioning treatments, but I think the highlights screwed up my hair.. I can't stand looking at my hair in the mirror! its so gross! its like 6 different colors, how can I fix this? I do not want to go back to the stylist who did this crappy job, if I see her I will murder her!!! now what? Please help!

Holly crap you are all crazy! The original post all the girl had to do was color her hair with a green based haircolor or toner. If you go to a place like sally's the hair color/toner will say on it whether it has a blue, green or violet base. Green counter acts the red she didn't want and will tone it to a brown. Oh and deposit only is a 10 volume developer. Since she just wanted to deposit that was all she needed. Definetly not a 40! Her hair would break from the peroxide since she already colored her hair twice!! FYI I am a stylist!

Never use bleach to get rid of a color you dont want.
Use ColorOops
Or Loriel Hair Dye Remover kit.
Sorry if my spelling is off.
But either of the two work.
The Loriel works better.

I've been having similar hair problems. I have naturally blonde, curly hair and went in to get a slightly darker shade. My hair stylist talked me into doing an auburn color, except it's really red now! I did this a few months ago I still hate the color. I desperately want to go back to blonde but since my hair is curly I'm worried about damaging it! :/