Going from bleached blonde to dark blonde

[monkeehugz]

I've been having my hair heavily highlighted for several years, and it's very damaged at this point due to that and blowdrying & straightening. I'm wanting to go back to my natural haircolor, which is dark blonde.

I've read that haircolor sold in Wal-Mart, etc. is harsher than professional formulas sold in stores such as Sally's Beauty Supply. Is this true?

And if so, any recommendations as to what pro. brands, colors I should buy?

I called Clairol's number and they told me I need 2 bottles of Nice N Easy 108 (I have long hair) and 1 bottle of 106A.

I'm anxious to go buy something and get this done, but I don't want to make any mistakes.

Any suggestions appreciated!

 

[Guenevere]

Go to a pro!!! And this is coming from someone who does her own hair!!! If you don't want to end up with green tinted hair you should go to a pro. It's is really difficult (if not impossible) to go darker from an extremely processed blond without it looking bad!

 

[monkeehugz]

The problem is, I have gone to a pro before for this very thing. It was the girl that does my highlights. She does a good job with that, so I figured she'd do a good job with getting me somewhat close to my natural hair color. I wasn't expecting perfection, by any means. It turned out horribly.. had this nasty orangy tint. I told her about it and she tried to fix it. Didn't really do any good..

Was all a huge waste of money.

So at this point, I trust myself with it more. lol

 

[Guenevere]

Eeeech! Is it orange tinted still? You can try it yourself but it's going to be iffy. Just make sure you use colors with warm undertones, not cool and maybe even the color for grey coverage. It's really hard to say without seeing your hair and knowing what's been used on it already. Maybe someone else will have some ideas. Good luck!

 

[monkeehugz]

haha No, thank god my stylist finally fixed it. That's been a while... but the memories are still fresh. lol It was traumatizing.

All that's been used on my hair for the past year or so is bleach, for the highlights.

I've been reading up on this topic in another hair forum, and there are women there that have used Clairol's advice and their hair turned out fine.

Still, there's that fear of getting funky-colored hair. It's blonde and 'normal' looking right now.

Thanks for replying. =)

 

[StereoXGirl]

I love your avatar, monkeehugz! So cute! lol.

Generally going darker is easier on your hair than going lighter, but Guenevere has a good point about getting the right color. I hope it works out for you!

 

[KatJ]

Formulas that you get at Sally's are a lot less harsh than the kits you will find at walmart. I would def. go with the advice that the color experts give you, believe me, they know what they are talking about. And if for some reason you don't like the result, just by a color remover, we have one called colorzap and we also have a salon care color corrector.

 

[Lyndebe]

Maybe you should start out with low lights, then if you don't like it, it's not your whole head. if you do like it, gradually increase the amount of low lights. just a thought...........

 

[laurenbusta]

lyndebe makes a good suggestion... but yes products from stores like sallys are better for ur hair... a lot of employees there also have experience with cosmetology and explain to them what your trying to do and they should be able to help you... or u can always go to a professional who might be able to give u your desired look.. but either why use professional products.. good luck

 

[Bea]

I just went from light blond to my more natural dark blonde a little over a month ago. I would not recommend doing it at home. Go to a salon so you don't end up with a funny uneven colour. And doing this will make your hair look a lot healthier and shinier. Good luck

 

[Guenevere]

You can still have the same problem adding lowlights but it would be such a small amount at a time it would be easier to correct. This might be a good idea. Could you do your own at home, I know that's one of the reasons you posted the thread.

 

[Aquilah]

Great advice ladies! Something else I should mention, is the areas which have been highlighted are going to be lighter to begin with. I definitely recommend going to a professional, even if it's not your normal one.