Hey everyone. I recently dyed my hair at home with a permanent color. I used Loreal Preference 6R light auburn. My hair color before was mostly natural, with just the ends dyed to match. I would estimate it was about a level 5 medium brown before I dyed it. My hair color turned out much darker than I would like. I was hoping for hair that resembled Kate Winslet in Titanic:

http://www.withfriendship.com/user/i...te-winslet.jpg

It's clearly red with warm undertones but is also more auburn when not under very much light.

Unfortunately my hair seems to be very deep auburn, basically brown, which only shows the beautiful red when under bright light. It does have a nice warmer tone. My question is this. I've only just dyed my hair tonight, and I know that from past experience and from reading these forums that red fades very quickly. What I'd like to know is whether I can expect it to fade to a lighter red, and thus closer to the ideal color I'm looking for, or if only the red will fade and it will become more brown? I'm not interested in putting detergent or bleach in my hair, because I'm trying to grow it out, and I don't really want to damage it.

Also, if the dye won't work itself out on its own, might it be a good idea to try some of the subtle lightening products? My hair usually seems to lighten well (even when it was dyed black I got it to lighten to a beautiful light brown at home). Again my fear is just that I would lose the red.

If anyone with hair color experience can help it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! :)

Kate Winslet's natural hair color is dark blonde, but she dyes it red or brown. Yes, red hair color is hard to absorb into the hair, and may fade faster than any other hair color. Your current hair color will gradually fade, however, it will not fade to the color you want. Since you didn't bleach your hair before applying the color, the color will fade slightly. In order to go from brown to red, it is recommended that you bleach your hair to a reddish stage and then apply the desired red shade. You can use a high-lift color to go lighter, but it could produce unpleasant results. You should go to a salon and have them fix your hair. A stylist may be able to achieve Kate Winslet's hair color for you.