We have all done it, “I wonder what I would look like if I was blonde or if I was a brunette?”  You’ve taken the plunge and done a DIY job and gone with a permanent color or a strong semi permanent color, but it’s just not what you envisioned you would look like! If you had it done at Kosmos Hair Salon, we would be happy to adjust it if you’re not completely satisfied, but for you DIYers out there you might want to take note of the following hints. To lighten the color of your locks try washing your hair with a good clarifying shampoo. A double wash will speed up the process. Clarifying shampoo can help to lift some color, leaving you with a lighter hue. Scrub your hair with Prell shampoo. Leave it in your hair for 10 minutes. Rinse and repeat. Prell is a detergent based shampoo that is known to strip color from hair. Just remember to use a good conditioner afterwards. Alternatively wash your hair with a strong dish detergent, yes really. Lather and scrub your hair.

If your scalp is in good condition, you could use laundry detergent but not something we would recommend. Leave the detergent in your hair for at least 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water and condition as normal. Strong detergents will lighten dark hair colors. Another way of fading a strong color is to apply hot extra virgin olive oil to your hair or use a hot oil treatment. Heat is known to fade chemically applied color but be VERY careful and the maximum temperature should be 105ºF or 40º C if you have no way of testing the temperature DON”T do it!

Image courtesy of Jonner

You can deepen the color of your hair by using a semi-permanent color that is two shades darker than the one that you originally used. It is advisable to call the manufacturer of the semi-permanent color and ask if this product will help fix your hair color mistake. Re-dye your hair if you ended up with reddish hair. Red results usually mean that you didn’t leave the hair color formula in your hair for long enough. As long as your locks are healthy, you can try to re-dye them again.

Recolor your hair with an ash-based shade if you ended up with overly warm results. Consider streaking your hair with highlights in cool shades instead of re-dying it to minimize hair damage. Call the toll-free consumer help line on the hair color box if you are facing a major hair color mistake, try not correct your hair color with a different manufacturers product as they are unlikely to know the formula.

Most hair color manufacturers have a helpline number printed on the back of the box or on the instructions provided. Always have the hair color box available because they will need to know the exact hair color formula you have used. If you just can’t live with it at all a Kosmos Hair colorist can use a color remover to lighten your hair, but you run the risk of further damage and a brassy look and you’ll probably have to dye it yet again. There are color removers available in drugstores, but this process is best left to us pros. But if you’ve used a gentle semi permanent color, most of it will eventually wash out — just keep shampooing.

Here are some good online makeover sites where you can upload your photo and try different hair colors BEFORE you take the plunge, you can also try different hair styles as well.

http://www.ivillage.com/virtual-makeover#                      http://www.taaz.com/                    http://www.dailymakeover.com/virtual-makeover