Tips for Going Back to Natural Shades

[CupcakeDeVil]

So, you're ready to go back to a natural colour... here are some tips and advice to help you!

If your current colour is still quite bright (not faded out several weeks), you'll want to either fade out your colour or use a colour remover first.  This is a process - it's not typically something that can be achieved in one day.  It may take several days of following the recommendations for fading colour or several applications of colour removers like ColourB4 or Decolour Remover to achieve the result necessary to cover your unnatural colour with a natural shade.  Please be patient!  It's worth the result.

Here are two links on the forum for
Tips on Fading Hair Colour:
http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=1704.0

Tips on using Colour Remover:
http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=3462.0

If you're in the US, alternatives to the above mentioned colour removers are:
Kenra Colour Correction System (a professional, license required product found at CosmoProf and SalonCentric)
Ion Color Brilliance Color Corrector (found at Sally Beauty Supply)
Color Oops (found at Walgreens)

Tips on rinsing all of the Colour Remover out to prevent re-oxidation of colour:
http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=6197.0

Once you've followed the steps to remove as much colour as possible through the above methods, your hair may feel quite dry.  There are excellent hydrating conditioners and reconstructors on the market.  Two we routinely recommend and many members of the forum use and love are Joico K-pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor and Joico Intense Hydrator.  Both can be found by searching online (Google, eBay) and through salons in the US that sell professional hair care products.  There are also reviews of these products that can be found in the Company & Product Review section of the forum:
http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=1320.0

Now that you've removed as much of your current colour as possible, you're ready to choose your shade of natural colour hair dye.  Adore manufactures a line of semi-permanent hair colours that work much the same way as the bright/unnatural colour semi-permanent dyes.  They are great if you're not sure you want to stay a natural colour for a long period of time and need a change without damaging your hair.  You can view a good selection of them on the Beeunique website here:
http://www.beeunique.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=151&zenid=df0b9e3de13bfac2687427990d8489d5

In the US, you can use Google to search and find online retailers that also offer Adore dyes.

Note that the darker shades are going to cover any remaining colour residue better than lighter shades, as these are semi-permanent dyes that will not affect your base colour (they do not use a developer, so they do not lift the cuticle, they do not lighten your base colour and they do not deposit the dye into the hair shaft like a permanent colour will).

If you're wanting to go permanently darker, there are some things to be certain of before you proceed!

1) Has it been a minimum of four (4) weeks since you last bleached, bleach bathed or coloured your hair with a dye that uses a developer/peroxide?
2) Is your hair is in a condition that is healthy enough to be processed again?
3) Do you understand that removing permanent hair colour is a difficult and lengthy process that can not be achieved in one day, in one weekend, or even in one week.  In most cases, removing permanent hair dye for a lighter base (depending on the colour result you wish to obtain) can take MONTHS... and may not be possible to completely and totally remove at all?  Make absolutely certain you want to permanently go dark - as it's fairly permanent!
4) If you're absolutely sure - choose a shade that best suits your desire.  It will take a reddish brown or mahogany to cover red or darker pink bases.
5) Choosing a shade that is close to your own natural colour, perhaps just a touch darker, will help you transition and grow out the remaining processed hair without very noticeable root regrowth.

[sabby]

excellent tutorial,well done Momma!

[CupcakeDeVil]

excellent tutorial,well done Momma!

  I know how hard it can be to search, sort through and piece together all the great bits of information that's already been offered here (though, the search function on this forum is really very handy and easy to use).  Since this is something we've been getting asked a lot about lately... I thought this little guide might help folks get a good footing for where to start.    If anyone has helpful tips to add, please chime in!

[RockinLollipop]

This very old photo is one of the few I have of my natural hair colour, (I'm the freak on the right) I currently have very light bleached hair and I'm tired of all this dyeing and I'm much too busy at the moment so! My question to anyone who might be wiser than me is - Would a medium ash brown be the best option to transition into my natural colour again? I thought ash brown would be good because permanent browns often seem to have red shine to them.
Would I have a problem with the colour fading or would I be able to leave it? I was thinking I could just use Adore over it every so often to keep it from looking tired??? p.s my hair is healthy enough for processing

Any advice along these lines would be appreciated or even just to let me know if my plan is a good'un Thanks.

[CupcakeDeVil]

If you're thinking of going permanent to transition back to natural and your base is bleached quite light, you will have to fill with a warm colour or your ash will colour grab and likely go green.  It's technically considered double processing by the standards on this forum, but the only way to achieve good results adding colour back to a bleached base is to fill with a demi and then colour over with either another demi or permanent.  Colours used for filling are often on their own not desirable shades (if you're not into alt hair, ha ha).  A good colour for filling is a warm orange like papaya.

Topping up with a semi when your colour fades or starts to look tired is a really good idea.  It will keep your colour vibrant and shiny without exposing your hair to unnecessary repeated damage. 

[RockinLollipop]

Thank you! I will do some more research! I could have gone very wrong there haha I did research a little and all I found was 'go to a hair dresser' or 'dye it back with a colour similar to your natural shade' and I knew it wasn't that simple. So thank you, thank you!

[sianiasusanparrish]

Hi I experienced my first bad hair encounter a year ago where I bleached my hair to much in a short space of time and it went gummy and dry and lots fell out making it very thin, it has taken me a year to get it back to my luscious black bob again using a semi permanent black dye however a year on I want use colour b4 on my hair (I have used on black dyed hair before and it worked) to go back brown but I am now too scared to use colour b4 even though a year has passed since my hair was damaged, I don't want anything to happen to it again especially before starting university in September xx

[blacklightbrix]

Hi I experienced my first bad hair encounter a year ago where I bleached my hair to much in a short space of time and it went gummy and dry and lots fell out making it very thin, it has taken me a year to get it back to my luscious black bob again using a semi permanent black dye however a year on I want use colour b4 on my hair (I have used on black dyed hair before and it worked) to go back brown but I am now too scared to use colour b4 even though a year has passed since my hair was damaged, I don't want anything to happen to it again especially before starting university in September xx

You might be ok as long as you rinse really well, follow the instructions to the letter, and follow up with a really intense hydrating conditioner.

[sianiasusanparrish]

Ah thank you for replying to me, it's nice just getting a few second opinions just really scared since that happened  with the bleach, safe to say I learnt my lesson you never know how much your hair means to you until something happens to it ah, I'm thinking of doing it the weekend, I want to use it on my hair extensions as well they was brown dyed black, I looked around online and people said they will be okay as long as they are 100% human hair which they are, just finding ways to save myself money can't afford paying £130 again for a new brunette set  xx

[dalsglen]

Hi, was wondering if anyone had some advice on toning my colour down to a natural colour. Have attached a pic of it dyed just this afternoon.

 Basically i had been getting highlights for a few years, but have just had twins and panicked i wouldnt ever get to the hairdressers again lol so out came the medium brown dye! Needless to say i hated it!!

 So got some colour b4 which took it back to a nice colour, except my virgin roots that went pale blondey/yellow.

Have been using natural cool dark blonde for a couple months but its not really taking to my roots, leaving quite a red tone to the first 2-3 inches, the rest is quite a dull medium blonde, which i dont mind.

So im back to the drawing board, what do i do? Bleach it all and start again?

[oliviablond]

Oh, thanks! These tips are super useful for me!
I gonna go back to natural brown like this

Image source