Naturally my hair is a medium-ish, dark-ish brown. I dyed it black about a year ago and have been doing so for quite some time.
I'd like to dye my hair a more natural dark brown. Do I need to strip the color first, or should regular old dye work?
Keep in mind I will be doing this at home, as I cannot afford salon treatments.
Thanks!
Caitlin

If you're going lighter, you need to strip. There are two types of strippers, and there are several brands of each type. The reducing-types are more gentle than the oxidation types. The oxidation type is simply a modified bleach.

Oxidation Types: Color Zap, Effasol
Reducing Types: Color Oops, ColorFix, Igora Phantom

There are a lot of other brands also.

All chemical treatments damage the hair, and the damage is cumulative. Hair doesn't heal.