I dyed my naturally dark blonde hair about 2 weeks to a dark auburn color (it was suppose to be a chocolate brown color), and the back of my hair faded almost immediately, yet it is still very dark around my face. I did get it colored at a professional salon too, which there is no way I can afford to keep going back . I want to dye it a few shades lighter (and brown, not red), while also evening the color out so my whole head is the same color. I don't know if I should try stripping my color first, or just go straight into dying it again. Someone told me about l'oreal’s color zap, but since my hair has been dyed for over 2 weeks, I don't know how effective that would be. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :confused:

If you're going lighter, you must remove the color first. There are two types of color removers: oxidative and reducing. Oxidative color removers are simply bleaches. Reducing-type color removers (ColorFix, ColorZap, Igora Phantom or Modulat) dissolve the artificial color molecules so they can be washed out. It's a bit difficult to do, but it does work.

See: Hair Color and Hair Care by Robert Craig Salon Products, Ltd. (http://www.robertcraig.com/php/index.php?location=colorfix) for instructions. You may need to bleach to keep it from going too brassy.

See Bottle Blondes Board (http://www.network54.com/Forum/503669/) for more help.