A Question for Hairdressers or Anyone with past Haircolor Experience

Updated on November 09, 2010
K.W. asks from Evansville, IN
8 answers

I'm thinking about coloring my own hair again. I have auburn hair with blond hi-lights. My blond hi-lights have grown and faded. I just want to color it all red instead of blond hi-lights, too. I have colored my hair before and am comfortable with it. I am wondering what will the red do to the blond that is left? Will it make it pink or just cover it up? Thanks for your help!

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T.K.

answers from Dallas on

Highlights are pieces of hair that have been bleached. Those pieces grab color very quickly. They should take the red easily. However, red fades fast. And the bleached pieces will start to show light again. SO, use a color safe shampoo

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A.C.

answers from Chicago on

hey hun Im a hairstylist and Ive been a color specialist for 4 years...first of all I suggest going to a professional because reds can be a bit tricky. that being said if you still want to do it yourself...it depends what shade of blond your hair is and what level it is...if its a light bright blonde, then it WILL grab the color and it will show up brighter. It will look like you have your all over color hair with that same color but brighter for highlights. If it gets underprocessed they WILL go pink. Also...it will take a couple of time of coloring it to get the color to hold on to the blonde. Right now that blonde has been stripped of all its pigment and you are putting a bright pigment back into it. What they would do at a salon is mix a separate formula just to cover the blond pieces so they don't grab too bright or go pink. Over time the red will fade out the blonde the fastest and it will need to be colored again. Reds are hard to get to stick to blondes sometimes. Its different with everybody. Without seeing your hair and its texture and what shape its in and how blonde its in, its hard to tell. But yes it IS possible for it to go pink, and its possible for it to not hold very well...or...it could also take really well...

if you have any questions feel free to ask!

1 mom found this helpful

L.M.

answers from Dover on

Typically, the highlighted areas are more porous so it will "soak up" more of the color but also allow it to escape a bit too. Depending on how blonde your highlights are, you will most likely see a brighter version of the red in those areas and it will still look a bit highlighted.

You may want to consider a toner rather than a regular color. The toner will deposit color so it would color your blonde without doing much to your darker areas.

1 mom found this helpful

L.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I am not a hair stylist. But, I have done my share of coloring my mother's hair - she's blond, and I assisted my cousin in dying her hair back to her original color (red) after it had been heavily highlighted. And YES, you do need to be cautious about the color you put on your highlighted hair. It CAN turn pink. That's what happened to my cousin's hair. :)

I would at least go to a Sally's Beauty Supply store, or somewhere similar, and get a recommendation as to what products to use to prevent turning the blond pink. OR, maybe some hair styling moms on this site can tell you exactly what to buy!

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

I dye my hair red all the time, as well as blond, black, ect.... my hair has been just about every color under the sun. When I go red I like to use Clairol natural instincts. Red color can fade badly, and by using a temp I can redo it often without damage. It says 28 washes, but lasts longer if you have lighter hair. Often before I go back to red I will put in several blond highlights, than when I put in the red, after the first wash they pop out just a little, making the red look more natural. I recently put the color rosewood by Clairol natural instincts on my hair that had been lightened all over (almost to pure blond from dark brown), and there is not a hint of pink to be found! When ever I go red I get so many compliments on my wonderful color and how I get it to look so natural, and it is by putting in permanent high lights and low lights, and than using the temporary reds. (if you decide to try this is is good to wait a day in between to let the hair rest, but since you already have the highlights you probably would not need to add more)

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E.M.

answers from Johnstown on

Depending on the brand of color you use, it should cover it, just have it stay slightly lighter and not as defined.

A.S.

answers from Detroit on

Shouldn't turn pink... Not unless it's a 'direct dye' and it will fade to pink.

If you're using a 'box' color, Preferance is a good one and not overly expensive.

You can check out this website to get some details on what to or not to do.

http://www.developlus.com/

There's a lot of info on this website. I learned a lot. And you can find 'Color Oops' at CVS (made by developlus).

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M.F.

answers from Phoenix on

Unless you've been bleaching and rebleaching those highlights over and over again for a long time, you shouldn't have a problem with pink. Since they've grown out and faded, I'd say you're in the clear. The highlights may take a little more or less color, so be a tad darker or lighter than the rest of your hair after dying. You will have to use a permanent color, however. If you use a semi-permanent color, you may (not for-sure, but wouldn't want to risk it) get a tad pinkish when it's washing out. If you're nervous, check the side panel of the box of color and see what it says it will do to lighter hair colors. Good luck!

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