Can I dye my bleached hair more natural colour at home?

Question

My natural colour is light ashy blonde, after years of highlights I would like to try to get my natural colour back. Can I do this at home, a bit short on money after Christmas! ;-) Which colours are the best? My hair is so flyaway also, a bit thin, would it help to get rid of bleached hair, will it make my hair better?
oh, and happy Holidays, everyone!

Thanks for all your replies!
As some of you suggested, when I put some red (maybe caramel?) into my bleached highlights, do I use permanent or semi permanent colour? Also, how soon after doing that should I try ash and should it be permanent or semi permanent?
Would be nice to get answers from hairdressers and people who have experience in doing that! :-)

Answer 1

Yes, it's fine to do it at home, even if it is over bleach - I've coloured my own hair more times than I'd care to remember and mine has always looked OK. As for colour, whatever you do, don't choose anything that says: Ash......., because if you put that on, your hair will look a khaki colour. The reason for this is that by using bleach, you've taken all the red out of your hair, leaving only green, and putting an ashy colour on will just add green tones; initially, you need to put some red back in, while you wait for your natural hair colour to take over. Choose a colour that has warmth in it, but not too dark; (mind you, after a few washes be prepared for the colour to have faded somewhat, even with a Permanent Colour). My hair always looks shiny when it's been coloured as the conditioner they give you with the colour is very rich. Make sure you use a good conditioner, formulated for coloured hair, during subsequent washes. If you go to the local chemists, you can have a good look at their shade cards - there's so many to choose from now. Happy New Year.
NOTE: Once you've used a 'warm' hair colour, I would wait for a month before putting an ash tone on. I always use permanent colours and even those fade on bleached hair. A Semi-permanent would disappear very quickly, although it may be a good idea for you to use in the second instance if you're at all worried about the colour or condition of your hair.

Answer 2

I did mine last week. The secret is to put the red back in otherwise your hair will go a nice shade of khaki!! I used a red toner first and then lightest brown in a semi permanent colour. It's worked well and looks perfectly natural. I'd say the same as others have already and don't go for an ash blonde as it will go a funny colour cos of the pigments. Maybe try a very light brown? Whatever colour you use if it's semi permanent, it will fade quite quickly as your hair is bleached so don't worry if it looks too dark at first. Head and Shoulders is a good shampoo to use to strip the colour a bit if it's too dark initially. I deliberated for ages before doing it and am now really glad I did. The condition is much better and for the first time in years, my hair is shiny - bleached hair never seems to shine does it!! Good luck!!!

Answer 3

Feria hair dye's would be good for you. Look for them at wal-mart or any chain store go with one that is in your color range, so you will stay with a light ash blonde. Any time you bleach your hair it becomes brittle and over porus,So by letting in grow back to natural,your hair will return back to it's original state. One more tip only make sure you do a test strip before coloring your whole head bleach hair tends to grab color much faster and you really don't want to leave the color on any longer than 20 minutes. Plus make sure to use a good conditioning treatment when your finished. And last but not least make sure to use clean dry hair when coloring it,Hair sprays and gel can have an altering effect you will not want at all. Good luck!!

Answer 4

I would imagine that if you are going a slightly darker shade, then bleach blonde is a good base, as it will take the darker dye better.

and yes doing this at home should be fairly straightforward.
If you want a natural light ash blonde tone, then that is the colour you should go for - and remember as your hair is fairly light in colour the dye will take really quickly, so keep checking on it.

Good luck!!

Answer 5

Have it trimmed to restore its vitality, then try to go natural for a bit to give it a chance to reveal what colour it is now. Later, you can decide on a different shade or highlight/lowlights... Use lots of conditioners in the meantime.

Answer 6

There are a lot of things to taki into consideration there but i really do think you should get a pro to do it. If you live near a hairdressing college you can get a student to do it for a reduced price, or you could ask a hairdressers in town if they need any models and get it done for free !

Answer 7

~Yes, just make sure you check the box for your hair color next to theirs so you don't end up with green hair or something.
I'm a woman and don't really prefer blonde. Darker colors bring out the eyes more and they don't look as fake.~

Answer 8

l'oreal excellence cream leaves my hair feeliong thicker and smoother after i have dyed it, and i have very fine hair. also go a shade or two darker than your natyural color, as your hair has been bleached any color will fade quite quickly the first time you put another color on top. good luck.

Answer 9

I would definitely get a Hairderesser to take it back to it's original colour then take care of it yourself from then on.

Answer 10

I was born together with blonde hair so i think we look fine thats the way we was born