I've been dying my hair for 5 years and have only become an expert at messing it up. This time I'm in real trouble and I need help fast. I'm in Romania for the next two months and I only have about 2 weeks before I really need to do something about my hair. I can't really buy the same stuff I can get in the states to fix it either.

I've been dying my hair red for over a year. I decided to go blonde in one day and actually accomplished this (2 months ago) by going to a salon and getting it bleached 3 times in a row (5 hours in the chair). My hair didn't fall out and at the end the dye she used actually came out too light. It looked OK but when I went to get the roots done it all went to crap. First off, she bleached my roots, then she dyed all of my hair a non-permaneant sandy blonde. It turned out a little weird, not right at all for my complexion. So I made a huge mistake, I had it dyed non-permaneant red at another salon two weeks later. I wanted to see how the red would look over the bleach before making it permanent. So then I had cherry red roots and the rest of it ended up washing out to this horrible mix between orange and blonde.

After two weeks of washing that out I had to dye it red (permanent) again. The roots were an even brighter red and the rest continued to wash out again. I tried covering with a medium brown but it turned the roots a little more burgandy and the rest a brownish red. Everything but the roots is starting to wash out again. I must cover this up somehow. My ends are split and my hair could probably only take one more dye without all of it getting fried. What can I do?? I don't want to dye it black cause that color just does not go away... HELP PLEASE!

Oh no!

The reason the hair colour is fading on the mid lengths and ends is because your hair is damaged and porous, and when your hair is in that sort of condition, the colour molecules just wash out because the hair cannot hold on to it. Your roots are most probably the healthiest part, that's why the colour has held on to it.

Have you tried conditioning your hair with a deep conditioner? Please do! Do this every time you wash your hair! Switch to a deep nourishing shampoo and conditioner too.

Were you a little happier with the brown?

If you want to colour it brown, go into a hair & beauty shop, ask for a green based brown colour. Green neutralises red.
And when your hair colour starts fading from your midlengths and ends, apply a brown SEMI colour. Semi's are better for porous hair because the colour molecules are bigger which help it stick better to the hair.

Honestly I like being a redhead but the color was impossible to get right so I gave up.

I have a ton of conditioners from box dyes (I buy the boxes just for that sometimes). I'm happier with the brown but the problem is the color of the roots. I'll try to get it professionally done but I think I'm going to have to cut about 1 inch off at least. How dark of a brown should I go for? And thanks for your help and quick response... I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

When you apply the dye, where do you first apply it? On the roots first? If so, big mistake! The roots is where the colour deveops quick because you have heat coming from your scalp WHICH speeds up the developing time.
Always apply the colour to your midlengths first, ends THEN the roots. :)

Yes, I think cutting the hair would probably be your best option, it will get rid of the damaged hair.

I think you should probably opt for a lightish brown or medium, not too dark, maybe ash brown to neutralise the red? If you pick a dark one, no doubt your hair will probably end up black thanks to the porosity of the hair.

I hope you do go to a salon to get it sorted out. And please, please do tell them the full story so that they will know what to do. Good luck! :)

Well I tried to get it cut but the hairdresser cut the back REAL short and gave me an angled bob haircut. She cut it to where the ends in the front barely go below my chin but it's still too much damaged hair. Now the back is to short for me to get any other cut unless I want to look like a boy. Language barriers suck! As for the color, I'm going to write down what I want them to do (following all your advise) and have it carefully translated. I'll try to post a before and after photo of that if I need more advice. Thanks so much again.

You're welcome.

Hey, bobs are in fashion! Especially the ones where it's super short at the back and comes longish at the front. :)