Directions Vermillion Red Help

Those parts may be too damaged to hold color. You can try doing protein treatments like Joice K-pak DPR to patch up the cuticle.

Color removers are a much better choice than bleach to remove permanent dye. Getting a double whammy from peroxide in the permanent dye and then bleaching may have been too much for your hair. If the cuticle is too damaged from peroxide there is nothing to hold the dye on your hair so it rubs off/ washes out quickly.

Oh man that's probably the case! When I washed my hair I used redken extreme strength protein treatment, it feels much better now! What can I do about the random lighter parts? Do I just have to live with it for a while and re-dye in a couple of weeks? Thanks for your help  🙂

I would try a different dye. i used to love Directions and was loyal to the brand for over 20 years but in the last couple of years they have changed their formulas, and IMO the dyes (at least some of the colours) are not as good now. The reds in particular don't seem as highly pigmented as they used to be, I have had unpredictable results from them and so have members here.
Adore and Special Effects both make fantastic reds that will stay bright longer than a permanent red. You can also mix them to get the exact shade you want.
Also, how you apply direct dyes has an effect on how long they last. Clarifying and blow drying first (no conditioner) leaving it on for several hours (even applying heat) then rinsing with cool water only will really help.
Not using sulphate based shampoos to wash will also make a huge difference. Minimal washing with sulphate free shampoo or conditioner only (CO) washing with cool water plus a cold blast or a vinegar rinse will help to preserve your colour.

Thanks that's really helpful! Everyone here is so knowledgable  🙂  there's a shop nearby that sells adore dyes so I will look into finding one similar to directions vermillion. How long should I leave it before dying my hair again?

These dyes are totally safe to use, they don't damage the hair at all, so you can use as soon (and as often) as you want.
Most of the Adore reds are pink based, rather than orange based like Vermillion, so you may need to mix with some orange if you want that orangey red. I can't remember which (if any)of their reds are orange based off the top of my head.

I believe Adore Truly Red is more orange based.
http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=11486.0

That's a lovely shade, I'm actually after a more true red, which fades orange. I'm not a fan of pink based reds as they tend to look much more pink than red on me!

I think it looks more natural than it really is in those pics due to the base. Beeunique describes it as a 'bright neon red'

http://www.beeunique.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=151&products_id=6882

Here's another set of pictures of Truly Red; she even describes it as not looking pink:

http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=11486.0

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I'm actually having more problems at the minute. The original vermillion red I dyed with lasted literally 2 washes before fading to a gross light brown colour on my lengths (stayed red on top). Last night I dyed with remaining vermillion red pots I had in the house. This time I left it on for 3 hours as I've read it will help it last longer. Now my hair is much much darker than before and I'm back to square 1!! I really don't know why my hair is reacting so unpredictably to semi perm dye  🙁  the bottom part of my fringe is a super dark brown. I'm literally at my wits end now :/

What is your washing routine? Products used, how often etc.

I usually leave it a week after dyeing before washing for the first time. Usually I wash once or twice a week, always in cool water. I use Tigi Bedhead Colour Goddess shampoo, usually use the conditioner too but recently I've been using Aussie 3min miracle. I mix a little dye into my conditioner and leave on 5-10mins. For the past 2 washes I've used Redken Extreme Strength Builder protein treatment after washing to try and help out my damaged hair. I always air dry, never use a hairdryer and only use straighteners on my blunt fringe to curl it under. I will post a photo later on today so you can see how unevenly the dye has covered my hair!

Aussie  minute miracle is absolutely loaded with silicones (or at least it was last time I looked) so that could be causing part of the problem.
No idea why it is going brown, but I did read recently that someone had purchased a pot of Flame that was green (it should be brown in the pot) I assume that dye had degraded to that shade due to poor storage or similar, and am now wondering if they are using similar pigments in Vermillion and the same thing is happening. Any green would make a red turn brownish.

Some very unflattering photos of the patchy parts! You can see the darker bits 🙁
Hmm maybe I should stick to my colour goddess conditioner.