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. for instructions. You may need to bleach to keep it from going too brassy.

See Bottle Blondes Board for more help.