How to remove hair dye at home. 5 proven methods

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From time to time, every woman feels the desire to update her image. As a rule, changes begin with hair color. Unfortunately, coloring is not always successful, so redness may appear. But you shouldn’t fall into despair, because this trouble can be dealt with. The process will take time and effort, but will definitely bring results.

What is hair dye removal?

Human hair color depends on the ratio of melanin pigments. Brown-haired women and brunettes have more eumelanin, while redheads and blondes have more pheomelanin. In hairdressing, this is called the tone depth level (DTL).

It is a rare woman who is satisfied with the natural balance of melanins. In search of the perfect look, we constantly apply makeup and repaint. To change your hair color, you need to remove the pigments in your hair. If chemical paint is used, the place for the cosmetic pigment is “cleared” by ammonia or its substitute monoethanolamine. If it’s natural, organic acids work.

During dyeing, the hair acquires a so-called background lightening (FO, the dominant residual pigment). This is the color of melanin that still remains in the hair.

When too much cosmetic pigment accumulates and it sits very tightly in the hair, recoloring does not give the desired result. If, when dyeing, the shade is applied unevenly or you don’t like it, you need to return to the lightening background, that is, do a wash.

Washing (or, as professionals say, decapitating) is the removal of cosmetic pigment from the hair and a return to the base color.

Washing is not an independent procedure. This is not a hair mask. You cannot destroy dye molecules without giving anything in return. If you don’t color your hair after pickling, there will still be voids in it, and due to excessive porosity it will break.

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Hidden Red

Often the reddish tone becomes a real surprise for girls. Painting it in dark brown, mahogany and other shades can give an undesirable result. To avoid this, you need to carefully study the color coding indicated on the packaging. All three numbers have their own meaning:

• the first (from 1 to 9) – indicates the intensity of the color;
• the second - indicates the main tone (it has a different meaning for each brand, but varies between 9 main shades);
• the third is a subtone or additional color, which is a tint pigment.

When you choose paint, look carefully at the second and third numbers and look for their decoding in a special booklet. If they are red, then an undesirable shade cannot be avoided.

Do you always need to wash the dye out of your hair?

Washing is often confused with bleaching as both typically involve the use of bleach powder and an oxygenator. But these are two different concepts.

Decapitation is a rollback to the base color, and lightening is a change in the UGT for subsequent tinting to the desired shade. Let's look at it with an example.

Tone Depth Levels

A girl with tone depth level 8 decided to become dark blond, that is, go down to 6. She dyed her hair, but the result in the mirror disappointed her. To return the previous color, she needs to remove the cosmetic pigment she doesn’t like, that is, do a wash. After decapitation, she will be able to give her hair the desired shade.

But if the same girl, after unsuccessful dyeing, wants to become an ash blonde, then there is no point in doing a wash. It is necessary to destroy the old cosmetic pigment and melanin remnants by raising the UGT to 10. In this case, lightening is done.

4 mistakes when lightening hair at home →

Repainting

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Posted by Redken (@redken) Jul 13, 2022 at 3:30 am PDT

Far from the safest, but effective way to remove red hair from hair is re-dyeing. We recommend that you do this procedure in a salon with a professional colorist, after letting your hair rest for at least a week after the first unsuccessful coloring. Deeply nourish your hair with nourishing masks between coloring sessions to reduce stress before re-coloring already damaged hair. A specialist will select a gentle paint composition, without ammonia and oxidizing agents.

If you decide to do it yourself, carefully choose the paint using the advice of a professional store manager. Ash, pearl and platinum shades best eliminate red hair.

The best paints according to SalonSecret colorists:

1. L'Oréal Professionnel Inoa - ammonia-free dye thanks to the ODS system takes care of the hair and protects it during coloring.

2. Matrix SoColor Sync Pre-Bonded is a tinting dye with the function of neutralizing undertones, created with respect for the environment. The formula includes a protective bonder that helps strengthen the internal bonds in the structure of the hair shaft. The palette is very diverse, but in the spirit of modern trends, delightful natural shades are especially popular.

3. L'Oréal Professionnel Majirel - a long-lasting yet soft dye with many possibilities. Its palettes feature radiant three-dimensional shades, warm and cool, with familiar coverage and ultra-heavy coverage.

After a salon toning procedure, its effect can be significantly extended with home care. Matrix Oil Wonders brilliant oil with Egyptian hibiscus extract will do the job perfectly) and a Vitamino Color .

What are the types of washes?

1. Alkaline . They involve the destruction of cosmetic pigment with a lightening powder with an oxidizing agent or special professional compounds. They are effective, but require strict adherence to technology.
2. Acidic . They are made with folk or professional remedies that contain acid. More gentle, but will not cope well with dark hair colored with household and vegetable dyes.

Hairdressers and colorists do not accept home pickling, especially with specialized products or powder. When working with professional products, you need to take into account many nuances: from proportions and exposure time to neutralization of the reaction. But, unfortunately, these nuances can also be missed in the salon. If you decide to wash it with professional products at home, study the equipment very carefully and be prepared for surprises.

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Professional products for removing red tint

To combat the unpleasant tint, you can use professional means. The products contain a special chemical that effectively removes red color in one application.

Among these are the following shampoos:

• Bonacure Color Save Silver Shampoo from Schwarzkopf;
• Silver Shampoo from CEHKO;
• Otium Pearl from Estel.

It is not recommended to hold the detergent composition on your head for more than 3 minutes, so as not to harm your hair. It will be extremely difficult to eliminate the side effect, and therefore it is important to strictly follow the instructions and not neglect the dosage.

How to remove hair dye with bleaching powder

Prepare the mixture

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You will need a dust-free brightening powder and an oxygen agent of 1.5%.

The amount depends on the length of the hair. For example, an average length requires 30 g of powder and 150 ml of oxygen.

The ratio of ingredients is from 1: 5 to 1: 7. For example, if your tone depth level is 9 or 10 and the unwanted shade is not very ingrained, you can dilute the powder in a ratio of 1: 6 or 1: 7. If your UGT is 7 or 8, or too much unwanted pigment has accumulated, do 1:5.

The specific proportion depends on what was used for the previous coloring, how dark the base is and what the general condition of the hair is. Therefore, it is best to contact an experienced specialist in a beauty salon. But if you decide to wash with powder at home, remember: the more oxidizing agent, the less aggressive the effect on the hair.

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Separate a small strand at the back of your head and apply a little mixture to it. If there are no unpleasant sensations and the curl becomes lighter, proceed to the next step.

How to dye your hair without compromising its beauty →

Apply the mixture to your hair

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Apply the just prepared mixture in a thick layer to clean, dry hair. Move from roots to ends. Do not distribute the mixture with a comb, but apply it to each strand.

Keep for up to 15 minutes. Constantly monitor the reaction. If your hair becomes lighter after 5-7 minutes, immediately proceed to the next step.

Some girls wash with powder, adding water or so-called American shampoo to it. This is pointless, since the pH of the composition and the stability of the reaction are disrupted, which does not have the most positive effect on the quality of the hair. Salons sometimes use American shampoo to remove fresh, literally just applied dye if the client is dissatisfied with the result.

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Rinse it off

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Wash off the mixture with a cleansing chelate, that is, alkaline shampoo (pH - 7 or more). This product is sold in hairdressing stores. It is not cheap, but is used very sparingly.

Regular shampoos, even sulfate ones, are not suitable for neutralizing highly alkaline products such as oxygen powder.

Complete the reaction

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Use a neutralizing shampoo with a pH of 5 or less. You can also find it in specialized stores.

Apply balm or mask. The most nutritious thing you have.

6 honey masks for the beauty and health of your face and hair →

Color Features

Before deciding on such an experiment, it is worth knowing some nuances. Otherwise, instead of beautiful curls, you will get a completely different result.

Who is it suitable for?

Such shades are chosen by confident women who are not afraid of change and strive only for the best.

Red colors look good on light hair, yellow or light brown. Red hair suits winter or autumn color types: green, brown, blue eyes and fair skin.

For those with warm skin tones, red colors with golden undertones are suitable, for those with cool skin tones, go for burgundy and crimson.

Advice. Summer is the best period for such an experiment; tanning will help you look more impressive with red shades.

Who is not suitable for?

Red hair color will not suit those with pink or slightly yellowish skin tones. Not recommended if the skin often turns red: with atopic dermatitis, inflamed acne.

Relevance of shade

Nowadays, several red shades of hair are considered the most fashionable:

• ripe cherry;
• wine shades;
• golden tint;
• copper shades.

You shouldn’t chase fashion if you like another shade that suits you.

How to remove hair dye with coconut oil

Prepare the oil

For medium length hair, you will need 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil. You can use olive or sunflower, but coconut is more effective.

Unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil works due to the saturated fatty acids it contains, especially lauric acid. It penetrates very deeply into the hair shaft and perfectly destroys the polymer bond of the dye. It is better if the coke oil has a global organic certificate (for example, USDA Organic, EcoCERT, BDIH, and so on).

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Melt the oil in a water bath or on a radiator until it becomes liquid and transparent.

Apply oil to your hair

Apply generously to dry hair, from roots to ends. If styling products were used, your hair should be washed first.

Wait

Tie your hair in a bun, put on a shower cap and walk like this for 2-3 hours. To enhance the effect, you can additionally apply heat by wrapping your head in a towel or blowing with a hairdryer.

It takes quite a long time for the oil to penetrate into the deeper layers of the hair. Therefore, you can safely leave the oil compress overnight.

Wash off the oil

Afterwards, wash off the oil using a cleansing shampoo or regular shampoo. At the end, apply a nourishing balm.

How to wash your hair correctly so that it stays clean and voluminous longer →

If the paint is not completely washed off, repeat the procedure.

Purchased funds

These products are designed specifically to remove coloring matter. How they work:

1. Chemical components penetrate into the hair and bring the pigment out.
2. At the moment of penetration, these substances destroy the connection between the coloring pigment and hair cells.
3. After the rupture is complete, other substances envelop the pigments and bring them to the surface.

The red color is quite complex and persistent; some shades contain 6 different pigments. Therefore, often one washing procedure is not enough. It will take 3-4 procedures for intense color. For lighter shades, two times is enough.

Professional removers

For bright, saturated shades you will need a deep wash; it washes out the color from the structure up to 4 tones. Such washes can seriously injure your hair. Therefore, it is worth contacting the salon.

An acidic surface wash is suitable if you have only painted with red shades once or the shade is not very intense. It removes no more than 2 tones. The composition does not contain ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, the hair does not deteriorate as much.

The most popular washes:

• Estel Color Off is most often purchased for home use. The average price is 400–500 rubles. It does not contain ammonia and brightening components. Suitable for thin, damaged curls. You can wash it off up to three times in one day. Estel remover is easy to use, you can use it yourself.

• Remover Dikson is designed specifically for red and ginger tones. The price is a little more than 1000 rubles. It is quite harmless, but sometimes it may not remove all the redness. This remover removes only one layer of paint at a time.

• Colorianne Remove Color System works with acids and proteins. Costs about 1500 rubles. Relatively harmless, but only removes 2 layers of paint in one application. Removes dye without changing the natural pigment. Can be used 3 times in a row.

• Paul Mitchell Backtrack is popular for removing permanent colors. Costs about 1000 rubles. Removes up to 3 layers of pigment in 1 application. At the same time, the action is quite gentle, the composition does not spoil the hair structure.

• Hair Light Remake Color gently removes dye. The average price is 1300–1500 rubles. The product removes the dye without affecting the natural hair color. Fruit acids in the composition help to do this gently and sparingly.

How to use

Each product has its own instructions. Some rules apply to everyone:

1. During and after the procedure, the room must be ventilated. You should not inhale these harmful chemicals. The smell can be very unpleasant. For example, Estel remover smells of hydrogen sulfide.
2. The product is applied to dirty hair to avoid injury. If there were styling products on your hair, you need to wash your hair and wait a couple of days.
3. Hair must be wet before application.
4. Do not use metal utensils to mix components.
5. First you need to check the effect of the remover on one strand. The same goes for the neutralizer.
6. The average time for the washing procedure is from 10 to 30 minutes.

Important! You cannot keep the mixture longer than it is written in the instructions - it will stop working, but will destroy the hair.

How to care for your hair

After using the remover, you must follow these hair care rules:

• purchase shampoo, conditioner, mask for thin, damaged, weak hair;
• the first time after each wash, use conditioner and mask;
• Do not dye your hair for 2-3 weeks after washing.

We recommend reading: effective ways to restore hair after washing off the dye.

How to neutralize

Red can be painted over with green. It is not necessary to look specifically for green paint. It is difficult to find in the store, and the wait for an order from the Internet is long.

You need to look for dyes marked “matte”. They contain green pigments that help neutralize red ones.

How to remove hair dye with sour cream

Apply sour cream to your hair

Generously treat the entire length of the hair with rich sour cream (15–20%). For medium length you will need about 200 g. For long lengths - 400–600 g.

Animal fats and lactic acid effectively break down cosmetic pigment in the hair. The latter also works as a peeling, and a clean scalp is one of the essential components of healthy hair.

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As an alternative to sour cream, you can use kefir or fermented baked milk. But their fat content, and therefore their effectiveness, is lower. And it’s inconvenient - too liquid.

Wait

Pull your hair into a bun or ponytail and wear a shower cap. Keep it for 2-3 hours.

Rinse it off

Rinse with cleansing or regular shampoo and apply conditioner.

How to dry your hair correctly →

What can you remove from clothes?

get rid of hair dye that gets on your clothes using such means as:

• glycerol;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• dishwashing liquid;
• petrol;
• White Spirit.

Any of the listed compositions is applied to the contaminated area, left to act for 15-30 minutes, after which the item is washed as usual.

Read more about ways to remove hair dye from clothes here.

How to remove hair dye with lemon juice

Citric acid in its pure form cannot be applied to the head: you can get a burn. But you can make a mask with it.

Prepare the mixture

• juice of 1 lemon;
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil;
• 1 egg;
• 2 teaspoons honey.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon and strain. Add olive, burdock or other vegetable oil of your choice. Break the egg, pour in honey. It contains a lot of organic acids, which enhance the lightening effect and exfoliate dead cells on the scalp. Using a fork or whisk, mix everything until smooth.

Apply the mask and wait

Distribute the mask over the entire length of your hair, wrap it in plastic. To enhance the effect, you can wrap your head in a towel. Keep it for 1-2 hours.

Rinse it off

Rinse off with plenty of water.

Sometimes mayonnaise is used for rinsing. There is also citric acid, but its concentration is so low that it is unlikely to have an effect.

Onion mask for hair loss: why you should try it and how to do it correctly →

How to remove stains from hands and face without harming the skin?

To remove paint from leather, you need to use gentle products.

For facial treatment use:

1. Vegetable oil.
2. Tonics containing a small amount of alcohol.
3. Makeup remover milk.
4. Wet wipes.

To remove stains from other parts of the body, you can use the following compositions:

1. Cologne or vodka.
2. Soda scrub (a spoonful of soda is diluted with a small amount of water to obtain a paste).
3. Laundry soap.

Any product must be used carefully. After treatment, the skin is rinsed with warm water.

Read more about how to remove hair dye from your face here. Tips for removing hair dye from skin in general are here.

How to remove hair dye with aspirin

Acetylsalicylic acid can get rid of not only the temperature, but also the unwanted shade on the hair. It is especially good at neutralizing green colors that may appear after visiting the pool.

Prepare the mixture

• 1 liter of warm water;
• 10 aspirin tablets.

Crush acetylsalicylic acid tablets.

Dissolve the resulting powder in water.

Use as a mouthwash

Rinse your hair with this solution every time after washing and before applying conditioner.

11 stylish and simple hairstyles for medium hair →

Hair tinting with tonic

Tonics are popular among those who like to change their image: they are simple and easy to use. They can be purchased in stores that sell professional lines of tint products.

Pros:

• variety of shades;
• affordable price - from 100 rubles;
• ease of use : you can simply add it to your regular shampoo or conditioner;
• caring complex : the beneficial substances included in the composition envelop the hair.

Minuses:

• stains hands and clothes - use gloves;
• unpredictability of shade on dyed or highlighted hair;
• If used frequently, it can harm the health of your hair .

The best tinting products according to SalonSecret stylists:

1. Matrix Dark Envy - a concentrated pigmented mask to neutralize red and orange undertones with the hands of professionals. It acts quickly and gives brown-haired and brunette hair (both artificial and natural) a fashionable cool nuance.

2. Matrix Brass Off - a tinting mask exclusively for professional use with a high concentration of pigments. 10 minutes of relaxation in the colorist's chair with this hair treatment will return your blonde to the perfect icy nuance without a hint of yellow or red.

Things to remember

1. A wash is necessary if you are unhappy with the coloring result or want to return your lightened background.
2. It is best to do an alkaline wash in a salon, so that the master correctly calculates the proportions of the blond composition and carries out the procedure.
3. If you're not afraid to experiment and have already worked with brightening powder, try making a wash at home. Just don’t forget to tint your curls with a chemical dye afterwards (no henna or basma!).
4. Do not dilute the bleaching powder and oxygenator with water or shampoo.
5. If you have very dark hair, use gentle acidic removers. Coconut oil, sour cream, lemons and aspirin work great.
6. To say goodbye to unnecessary cosmetic pigment, washing with folk remedies will probably have to be done more than once.
7. Be prepared that folk recipes may not be effective against some dyes.

Effective ways to remove red tint from strands

An additional reddish tint can appear for various reasons - incorrectly selected coloring composition, lightening of strands, coloring during pregnancy, hormonal changes in the body, etc.

If such a story happens, then there are 2 ways out of the situation:

1. Dye your hair again;
2. Wash off the pigment using special preparations or improvised means.

To begin with, it is recommended to try harmless compounds in order to have minimal impact on weakened hair. If there is no result, go to a salon or use “heavy artillery” - chemistry.

How to get rid of black color

Quite often, women want to change their image by dyeing their hair black. But they don’t even know that it’s quite difficult to get rid of this color. Black dye is very different from others due to the fact that it radically changes the structure of the hair. That is why before painting it black you need to think several times and only then make a decision.

Washing off black paint is a rather labor-intensive and time-consuming process. As a rule, expensive salon products are used for this. But you can also resort to traditional methods. Of course, for a faster and more satisfying effect, women prefer professional services, but you need to know that such products are very harsh on curls. Chemicals disrupt their structure and wash out the pigment from them.

Most often, to remove the black color, complete bleaching is used. For this, hydrogen peroxide is used, always at 3%, as well as professional lightening powder, which can be purchased at a cosmetic store. This solution can completely dissolve the pigment of black paint, making you almost blonde.

Powder and hydrogen peroxide are mixed in equal proportions and then applied to the curls, each strand should be wrapped separately in foil. The mixture stays on the hair for 45 minutes. But the amount of time should depend on the color saturation, thickness and length of your hair, and structure. Next, the solution must be thoroughly rinsed with water using shampoo and conditioner. Finally, you need to apply a moisturizing mask.

How to remove from furniture at home?

If hair dye gets on furniture, you need to start removing it immediately. The longer it remains on its surface, the more difficult it is to get rid of it.

Products such as:

1. 
   Vinegar and soda in equal proportions.
   Apply the product to the stain and wipe it with light movements until the paste foams. You can leave the product on the furniture for 30 minutes. This way you can easily get rid of paint on plastic furniture.

2. Vegetable oil. It is used to clean leather surfaces. The oil is applied to a cotton pad, which is used to wipe the contaminated area of ​​furniture.
3. Soap solution. To prepare it, the bar is grated and dissolved in a small amount of hot water. Using a sponge, apply it to the stained surface. This is a universal recipe that is suitable for cleaning any furniture.

It is not recommended to remove paint using abrasive compounds, as they can damage the surface of the product.

Important Tips

To remove hair dye quickly, effectively and safely, you need to use the following recommendations:

1. If food is used as a wash, it must be fresh.
2. The proportions of ingredients must not be exceeded. You need to be especially careful with chemicals, such as soda, laundry soap or Aspirin.
3. If discomfort or burning occurs, the applied composition is washed off immediately.
4. To enhance the effect, you need to insulate your head with polyethylene and a terry towel.
5. After clarification, you cannot visit the pool for a week. There may be reagents in the water that can change hair color.

The longer the selected composition remains on the hair, the more intensely it will lighten. However, you should not exceed the time specified in the instructions, as you can harm your appearance.

How to remove pigment from nails?

You can remove stains from nails using such means as:

• petrol;
• nail polish remover;
• kerosene.

All these tools are used according to a single algorithm. The selected composition is applied to a cotton pad and gently rubbed onto the surface of the nail. Immediately after removing the paint, wash your hands with plenty of soap and water.

It is unacceptable to leave gasoline or kerosene on your nails for a long time. This may cause their condition to worsen.