Hair Color Disasters

Hair Color Disasters: How To Recover[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/BALACH%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG]


Possible Problems


If you are experiencing hair color horrors you developed them because of one of two possible paths:

1. You went to a professional stylist or colorist and came out with a color disaster.

2. You were swept away by a hair color advertisement and did the dirty color deed to yourself in the privacy of your home.

Professional Resolution


If you went to a professional colorist or stylist, contact them immediately to report your color problem. Most experts believe you have a 48-72 hour window before the color has a change to lock into the cuticle. Prompt action is critical for safe color correction.

Don't get wrapped up in the blame game. While its good to evaluate what went wrong so you can avoid it again, forgive yourself and your colorist/stylist and focus on fixing the problem. Avoid outbursts of anger or emotion. Yelling and forgetting to be polite will only make the situation much worse.

Remember, even the best colorists and stylists in the world can encounter problems. Give them the benefit of the doubt and be willing to let them try and fix the color to your satisfaction. Most professionals will try to correct color problems and will do it at no additional cost, unless you caused the problem in some way.

The best colorists do know how to correct their mistakes, so give them a chance to do so. Be sure to ask what the color correction cost is before you agree to try it at the hands of your hair professional. This allows you to be clear about your financial responsibility.
Home Haircolor Resolution
It is a well known fact that trying to repair home hair color can be very difficult. Don't panic. There are some options to help with your hair color disaster.

If you can afford to hire a color correction expert, do so immediately. Home hair color has the same 48-72 hour window

When finding and/or utilizing a professional color correction expert is not an option, turn to the hair color maker for assistance. Most of the major manufacturers have a toll free consumer help line printed on the box or on the brochure inside.

The consumer help lines are usually only available during daytime business hours. Some of the help line consultants will require the exact hair color formula information. Be sure to have the box available to answer any questions that they may have.

It is important to note that other consumer hair consultants will probably not be able to provide any detailed email or phone assistance since the best source of color correction assistance will come directly from the home hair color manufacturer.

There are some cases where serious mistakes will require you to find a color professional to help correct the problem. Although a bad hair color experience can be heart breaking, there is nothing worse than a color disaster that becomes even worse and causes hair loss or permanent cuticle damage.

Actions To Avoid


Although you may feel that you can do a miracle fix with the color, at home yourself, historical evidence in not in your favor unless you utilized a vegetable, semi or demi-permanent color. If you used a permanent color or a bleach product, it is best to try and get professional help from the manufacturer or an outside color expert.

While there are color removing products available to professionals stylist and color experts, unless you have a complete knowledge of how to use the formulas, avoid them like the plague. The color removal products often contain strong chemicals or bleach and in the wrong hands they can cause severe hair breakage. Color removal products should never be used on relaxed or permed hair without the advice of a hair expert.

Quick Fixes


The only way to remove permanent hair color is with a color removal product. Depending on the color that you selected, you may be able to cover the permanent color with a semi or demi-color. Enlist the advise of the color manufacturer before you start experimenting with different coverage shades or you could wind up with the color of mud.

If your visions of Pamela Lee blonde turned to Carrot Top orange, only a color expert can safely get you back to a safe color zone. The same is true for purple, pink, blue or some green.

Some chlorine enhanced greens can be removed with a special chlorine removal shampoo. When all else fails, try the tomato juice soak. The red in the juice will neutralize the green in many cases.

Many people have color disasters with henna. Not only does henna coat the hair, it is highly unpredictable for some users. If a horrid shade of henna is haunting you, reach for good old fashioned mineral oil. A colorist told me to follow these directions to lessen or even remove henna from the hair:

1.Saturate hair strands with a mixture of 70% alcohol applied with sterile cotton balls. Avoid the scalp area.

2. Follow 5-10 minutes later with a coating of mineral oil. Apply the mineral oil on top of the 70% alcohol. Avoid the scalp area.

3. Cover your new oily head with Saran or similar plastic. A plastic shower cap will also work well.

4. Sit under a hood dryer for 30-45 minutes.

If you don't have a hood dryer, direct a heat concentrator towards the hair from your blow dryer.

5. To remove the oil apply a little shampoo to the palms of your hands and then pat on the oil BEFORE you apply water. After you have applied the shampoo to the oil areas, turn on the shower and lather. Use a good cleansing or clarifying shampoo. You may need to shampoo more than once to remove all the oil and the henna. If necessary, repeat as needed.

6. Once you have removed the henna, be sure to perform deep conditioning treatments to restore moisture to the hair.

When in doubt about henna, don't do it. Take your time and do lots of research to be sure you are on the right track to desired color results.

Here are some other ways to recover from the horrors of bad color:

Time heals all hair wounds


Although you may hate your new color, if neither home or professional correction are an option, consider going shorter with a new style that will allow you to outgrow the color quickly. Ask your stylist to help you select a style that minimizes any new roots or growth. Give yourself some time to let the color fade naturally away.

Heat to fade


Hot water is notorious for fading chemically colored hair. Some volume shampoos and gels like Matrix Amplify and related products may also help fade color faster because it is designed to blow open the hair cuticle which sometimes accelerates hair color loss. Hot extra virgin olive oil and some commercial oil treatments will also help to strip chemically applied color. An old trick of colorists is to shampoo with Prell shampoo which is known for its color striping talents.

Don''t assume that it will remove your unwanted hues. It will help fade your color which may or may not be a good thing. While this may or may not be a good option for quickly moving past unwanted temporary or demi-perm colors, it may actually accentuate a bad shade on permanently applied color.