[esmeelf]

Hi, hoping someone out there can help as I'm at my wits end!

I have been using Schwarzkopf Live Colour in Real Red since Sept 08. I love the colour but want a change now. The problem is it won't go!! I have used a fairly dark brown dye, expecting this to cover the red but after leaving dye on for almost twice the manufacturers suggested time there is still absolutely no difference to my hair colour, the red looks unchanged!

I have thought of using a strong bleach to remove the colour but am not convinced that it would be successful and am worried that it would badly damage my hair.

My natural colour is dark blonde/mousy. Has anyone found a solution to this problem? Please help!

Esme xxx:confused:

[BIGBOPPER]

Try Quick Blue. It is a bleach for your hair. It will lighten the red, and then in a week or so, try a darker color to cover it up. Quick Blue is kind of painful though. It burns and itches. Just try to resist the temptation to scratch.

[Perito]

I would recommend against using bleach until you have first used color remover. Some pigments don't react very well with bleach. Color removers like ColorFix, Color Zap, Color Oops, Color Charm Color Corrector, and Igora Phantom will dissolve the artificial pigment. You can then bleach the hair or recolor it, whatever suits your needs.

http://www.robertcraig.com/php/index...ation=colorfix

There are two types of color remover. One is sulfur-based (chemically, it's a reducing agent). That will dissolve the color. You sometimes have to use it two or three times in order to get all of the pigment out. The second type is bleach-based (chemically, an oxidizer). That type is extremely hard on your hair and I wouldn't recommend it. If you see something that says "persulfate" or "peroxide" on the ingredient list, don't use it. If you see something that says "...thio..." then it's a sulfur-based product.

[BIGBOPPER]

Actually I have to credit my girlfriend for this one...
She said, "why not let it grow out?" That's the least painful, (and cheapest,) way to do it.

[BIGBOPPER]

I would recommend against using bleach until you have first used color remover.

Quick Blue is a peroxide bleach. It is designed to do exactly what the others that you describe do. It is located, at least at my national chain beauty supply store, with the hair dyes. I've used it several times to turn my dark brown hair to a much lighter color.

[carly2791]

I've had the same problem! I used a colour stripper.. did exactly what it said on the box... and my hair turned from red to orange to pink to a salmon colour! I left it for a few days (refusing to leave the house! ). I then bought a b blonde peroxide kit which is supposed to have conditioning qualities. To my surprise my hair didn't feel like straw after like I thought it would... this just made my hair slightly lighter... soo.. after this I tried the live colour in champagne blonde... annnd well... most of my hair has gone really light due to the bleach before, there are still a few patchy bits but it isn't really bad. Hope this helps x