Hair coloring comes with its own set of risks. Among many others, one of the most common issues is getting a hair color that is too light. It can happen due to several reasons, such as when you don’t leave the color long enough or when your hair is too dry and damaged to absorb the color.
But this coloring catastrophe is fixable as there are ways you can bring back the vibrancy of your hair color at home.
A question which is frequently asked is – How to tone down hair color that is too light?
To tone down hair color that is too light, use a regular shampoo daily instead of a color-protected one and a hairdryer to dry hair often. Or visit a hair salon to get professional help to fix the issue. But try to refrain from doing any DIY to change the color altogether, as messing with tones, formulas, and techniques can be complex. You can also use natural products in this situation, including applying hot olive oil, lemon, and baking soda, or Vitamin C to eliminate the hair color.
Besides, there is always the option to do nothing and wait for your hair to grow for two-three months.
In this way, your natural hair color will be visible again, while your dyed color will soon fade away.
Then you can choose to color hair again. But for an instant fix without damaging the hair, chop down the part of your tresses that has become too light than intended.
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How do you fix a hair color that is too light?
Use a deep conditioner and regular shampoo to remove color
To color correct your hair, apply a deep conditioning mask all over your hair and keep it overnight. Continue this process for a week as over-conditioning will help to fade away the color at least by one shade. Then, you can use a gloss or toner to deposit more color and make it vibrant.
There are also many pigmented conditioners available in various shades, which help to enhance your color shade.
Color-protected shampoos are used to preserve their pigments and increase their longevity.
But when you wish to fade the color, use a regular shampoo every day as they contain abrasive chemicals, which will remove the hair color quickly.
But it can also over-dry your hair, so make sure to take care of it and restore the lost moisture.
Use a hairdryer often
The high temperatures in hot tools help you to lose color. So, the more often you do it, the quicker the color will fade.
Try to use a dryer after shampooing your hair, as wet hair loses color faster.
But, know that it is also damaging for hair.
Visit a hair salon
Hair coloring is a complex job, so it’s best to leave anything related to this job to the professionals, especially if you’re a beginner.
In hair salons, they use color removal products to adjust the color to your choice.
It’s not advisable to use those products at home as they are chosen based on a lot of factors such as the amount of color they need to remove, the type of dye used previously, and what will best suit our hair type.
All of these factors will be hard for us to understand if we don’t have professional knowledge.
How to tone down hair color naturally?
Apply lemon and baking soda
Both lemon and baking soda are natural bleach, so they will help to reduce the hair color.
For applying, mix up these two ingredients and create a thick paste and apply it all over your head after shampooing the hair. Wait for about 20 minutes for the solution to take action, and then use water to rinse it off.
Try to use this technique 2-3 times a week for a visible change in your color.
Use hot olive oil or coconut oil
Apart from the numerous benefits olive oil and coconut oil has for hair, it makes hair more natural-looking and fades away the dyed color.
Make sure to warm the oil or microwave it and let it cool down a bit before applying it straight to the hair.
You can leave it on for an hour or overnight, depending on your preference, and then wash it off with shampoo. Since these are natural ingredients, they won’t harm your strands.
Tone down color with vitamin C
For this, you would need a few vitamin C capsules along with a shampoo and a shower cap.
First, crush the capsules into a fine powder with a spoon and then mix it with water to create a paste.
Apply this on hair to remove the hair dye pigments. After applying, use a shower cap to cover your head and keep it on for about 45 minutes. Later, wash it down with shampoo.
FAQ
What do I do if my highlights are too blonde?
If your highlights get too light or blonde, it creates a brassy tone on hair. Use a purple shampoo as it is specifically designed to fight off the brassiness.
When you apply it, it leaves purple pigments on hair, which in return counteracts the brassy color tone.
How long to wait between coloring your hair again?
You must wait between four to eight weeks between coloring your hair again.
When the color has not turned out the way you have envisioned it, refrain from booking another hair color appointment instantly, as it can damage the hair at serious levels.
Instead, wait for at least your hair to get back to its normal health, which usually takes a minimum of four weeks.