[hdawson1]

My best friend has got a major problem...

For her 30th b-day she wanted to do something drastic, so she went to a cosmotology school to get her hair cut and dyed. (she's a single mom of four and can't afford to go to a "real" salon) She is naturally a blonde, and this was her first dye job. She wanted chocolate brown w/ caramel highlights. The first try w/ the brown came out very splotchy, so the instructor came over and fixed it. The base color (chocolate brown was fine) When she did the highlights, she started at the nape of the neck and worked her way up and forward. My friend has EXTREMELY thick and long hair. So by the time she got to the front, the back had already been on for an hour! The instructor left all of the foil in for an additional 30 minutes. By the time she rinsed it out, the front highlights were the right color, but the majority of the highlights in the back and on the sides were WHITE! My friend looked like she had salt and pepper hair. So my friend gets home and puts an at home reddish brown all over her hair. The highlights turned bozo red. I went over there and covered it with a dark golden brown. This ended up looking good enough for my friend to be able to attend her own birthday party. My question is, now she wants to go back blonde. She can't afford to go to a salon and change it. About how long should she wait before attempting to bleach it back. (remember she had about 5 products already applied to her poor head) And, when she bleaches it, it's going to turn brassy orange, would applying a blonde dye to the hair after it's been bleached get rid of the brassiness.

[PrettyLady]

In order to go from dark to blonde, it requires a double process, bleaching and toning. Your friend's hair has been over-processed. And if she attempts to bleach her hair it can cause severe damage. Over-processed hair should be moisturized and repaired to prevent further damage. She will need to do a deep conditioning treatment at least twice a week until her hair is in a healthy state before bleaching it. Then, your friend should consult a stylist or colorist... so that they can check her hair to see if it's to okay or not to do a coloring process.