Ask Me Help Desk - The best way to make my hair lighter?

How to make my hair Lighter Brown Please.

I have always had my natural color and a few highlights.
I just decided to cut of 12inchs for locks of love and I dyed my hair brown and 2 chuncks of blonde to be different. So of course it turned out way darker almost blackish. So now I would love for it to be lighter. What is the best way to do that?

If your hair is dark, you will need to use some kind of hair lightening product in order to go lighter. To go from dark/black to a decent light brown color, you would have to pre-lighten your hair and then apply the desired color. You can use a high lift hair color to lift your hair a few shades lighter, but you won't get exact results you want. You might want to consider getting a corrective color done at a salon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyLady

If your hair is dark, you will need to use some kind of hair lightening product in order to go lighter. To go from dark/black to a decent light brown color, you would have to pre-lighten your hair and then apply the desired color. You can use a high lift hair color to lift your hair a few shades lighter, but you won't get exact results you want. You might want to consider getting a corrective color done at a salon.

I actually am a cosmetologist. I just got started this year at a regular salon so I'm trying to learn as much as I can. I just haven't got the best answer I'm looking for. I don't want to damage my hair but also it wasn't suppose to be this dark. I know you can do a soap cap, but will it make my hair orange or anything? I wash it everyday so hopefully it will fade some. I know what your saying with the color. So if I did a level 8or9 will it lighten my hair? You see in my picture that's what it looks like, but thank you so much for your info. I love doing hair. This will also help with work if this happens to any of my clients.

You can use a 20-volume peroxide developer and the selected color with heating to lift the color a couple shades lighter. But remember that you could end up with uneven results. If your hair is dark and want to go light brown or blonde, minus the red/orange shade, your best bet is to pre-lighten the hair with bleach to a level that's lighter than the color you want and then apply the desired color.

Will that damage my hair a lot?
Is there no way just to get it to fade and but a few more highlights throw the top?

Any kind of chemical process on the hair will cause some level of damage. But you can do deep conditioning treatments to help repair damaged hair to some extend. If you're concerned about using a hair lightening product, try fading the color by using Prell, clarifying shampoos, dandruff shampoos, or dish detergent. These methods are known to fade or lighten hair color slightly.

I would like to just fade it and add highlights in the top,
Which would you say works best to just fad?
What do you think about soap caps, how do they work?
Thanks so much for your time to respond.

Dish detergents such as Dawn works well to fade hair color. Excessive washing of hair can result in dryness. If you're considering this method, be sure to use a deep conditioner afterwards to restore moisture in your hair. Soap Cap is a diluted permanent hair tint with conditioner, shampoo or water which is applied to the hair to freshen or blend hair color. I've given you various options on this thread. I hope this helps.

Yes I have plenty of options. I just want to do whichever is the beswt one for me to do. Also for if I have a client that ever has this problem. Its already faded some. I'm using all different shampoos and I always condition my hair a lot. I think ill just but some more highlights in, in about a month. I think it will fade more by then. But thanks so much. I love to learn new things.

I suggest you go get it done by a professional you can only get your lighter desired look at a salon.

I know this is me responding 2 years later but for other individuals who stumble upon this myself I thought I would let you know mixing equal parts of 20 volume developer, powdered bleach for lightening hair and a CLEAR shampoo can be applied to your hair to get it lighter when you've gone too dark. Put the mixture on fast, keeping a close eye on your hair throughout the process. Be sure if you have any virgin, undyed hair near the roots that you place the mixture on that about 5 minutes before you rinse all of the mixture off. This way you'll avoid hot roots. Try not to leave the mixture on for too long, you shouldn't need to for more than 20 minutes but if your hair can withstand 30 minutes (and if it actually needs it) then go for that but let that be your limit. No heat need be applied, just put a hair cap over your head to let your scalp work as a heat activator with the cap.

My hair was SUPER dry and distressed from multiple colorings and I had dyed it a dark brown which turned out to be a black color. I let me hair fade some on it's own by swimming in chlorinated pools and just washing every other day. When I finally did this my hair was a brownish-black, it lifted me about 2.5-3 shades up to a warmer brown that was no longer in the vicinity of being remotely black. I actually like the color result it gave me so I did not dye over it but if you're not pleased with the color it lifts you to then you can either color over it or if your hair is healthy enough, get highlights added. Of course, if you do color over it remember color does not lift color so you will have to pick a shade within reason to what you were lifted to.

Don't be scared, with lots of deep conditioning treatments and getting a little trim after you do this you all will be fine! Go to Sally's Beauty Supply and tell them you're going to do a soak cap and can they direct you to the products you'll need. :)