Correcting unsuccessful highlighting – how to dye your hair your own or a dark color?

Although highlighting is a common technique to give your hair more body and brightness, occasionally the outcomes are not what you had in mind. It’s normal to want a fix if the color is too bright, uneven, or just not your style. On the plus side, you can fix a bad highlight job yourself without going to a salon.

There are a few steps you can take to get a smooth and even result whether you want to go darker or back to your natural hair color. Selecting the appropriate method is crucial, particularly if you intend to dye your hair at home. Knowing what products to use and how to apply the dye correctly can make all the difference.

This tutorial will show you how to remove unwanted highlights from your hair by either blending them back into your original color or changing to a darker shade. You can get back a hairstyle you’ll love with the correct methods.

Is it possible to change the color of your hair immediately after highlighting?

Attention!

Of course, highlighting is a gentler coloring technique than a full color change, but it dries out and brittleizes the curls. You will have to wait for the treatment of damaged hair, which will take at least two to three weeks. It is advised to use nourishing protein balms and masks on a regular basis. In addition, you can use over-the-counter medications and homemade recipes. You should also temporarily stop using an iron, curling iron, and hair dryer.

Don’t worry if your recent highlight job didn’t work out as planned; you can easily remedy it at home by coloring your hair a darker shade or returning it to its natural state. Unwanted highlights can be safely covered up with the right dye and a few simple steps, allowing you to restore your look without going to a salon.

How and what can be used to dye hair?

Uneven color after partial dyeing is the main issue. It is therefore difficult to go back to a uniform color. Experts occasionally suggest delaying until unsuccessful highlighting falls out on its own, or until the hair regrows.

However, if the outcome is wholly unacceptable, it is advised to attempt removing the acquired shade using specific methods (acid, bleaching, or natural), after which pick the color that works best in each unique situation.

A mild natural cleaning solution is created using a blend of castor, olive, and sunflower oils. Under cellophane, equal parts of oils are combined, slightly heated, and applied to the hair. Everything is cleaned off after 12 hours. Highlighted hair can be lightened by two tones at once with an acid wash, which is less damaging than bleaching.

The bleaching one is the quickest and most efficient; it should only be used once every two weeks because it damages curls that are already damaged. Wait for at least two weeks before applying new coloring after such a wash.

After partial coloring, henna or basma are used along with paint and tint tonics. Sharp contrast can be softened with the use of tinting agents. Though it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve uniformity, severely bleached strands can be easily covered up. Henna and basma have the benefit of treating damaged curls because they are natural dyes. To achieve the desired shades, plant-based products are used both alone and in combination with other ingredients.

Crucial! Add cocoa or instant coffee to the henna solution to get a chocolate-colored hair color. The fact that natural dyes can react with chemicals and produce unpredictable results is a major drawback of using them.

Choice of paint

Because modern paints contain strong dyes that nourish hair from the inside out and produce an even visual effect, you can achieve color balance. After partial coloring, high-quality paint can help lighten or darken the color and balance the tone. Tested items that don’t harm hair are taken into consideration:

1. Garnier (Garnier). One of the most popular paints with many shades. Different series allow you to choose the option with the necessary effect. The product does not contain ammonia, copes well with gray hair and bleached strands. Oils and natural pigments help return the shade close to natural. The Garnier Color Naturals and Color Sensation series carefully color and give a rich, saturated color, and Olia, which contains oils, will preserve the hair structure during lightening.
2. L’oreal (Loreal). This line has long won one of the leading places on the market, thanks to its gentle effect. It includes 6 series designed for different hair types. L’oreal Preference provides long-lasting color. Ideal for those who want to lighten unsuccessful highlighting. Using the conditioner of the same brand will nourish the hair and make it silky and smooth.
3. Estel (Estel). This brand is widely used both at home and in salons. It contains a keratin complex, which allows you to restore damaged hair structure. This paint is convenient because tones are mixed to achieve the desired effect, and the palette consists of 74 shades. In addition, guarana and green tea extracts provide a moisturizing effect, which is extremely important when dyeing bleached hair.

What color to use for the procedure?

Your natural shade in daylight must be determined in order to select the appropriate tone. Shades that are as near to natural as possible are advised by experts. However, stylists advise against going with vibrant hues like red, chestnut, or golden. Their pigment isn’t able to cover color strands in an even manner.

They typically end at a shade that is two tones lighter than the natural color; if you require a dark color, a chocolate shade will work. It is not at all necessary to dye the entire head of hair if the natural color is lighter than the highlighted hair. It suffices to apply the color that most closely resembles the natural one exclusively to the colored strands. If the highlighted strands are significantly lighter than the natural ones, light shades are selected.

How to choose a tone?

Many times, two shades are used to achieve an effective coloring. If the highlighted portion is lighter, the darker one is the one they ultimately hope to obtain. When sections of the hair are dyed independently, the final result is a single color.

In certain situations, you may need to dye it multiple times to attain uniformity.

How to get your color back?

Follow these steps to restore the original color after highlighting:

• Take two colors with a difference of 1-2 tones, necessarily of the same brand.
• Highlighted strands are isolated by wrapping them in foil. The remaining hair mass is dyed with a dye of a color close to the natural one. After the required time, the composition is washed off and the curls are dried.
• Foil is placed under the highlighted areas and a darker tone is applied. When the desired shade is obtained, the dye is washed off and dried.

Crucial! Even if perfect homogeneity cannot be attained, the highlighted area will only marginally deviate from the background hue.

How to get a dark shade?

The process of dying a dark color is a little easier:

• The dye is mixed with an oxidizer in the recommended proportion.
• The roots are treated, after 20 minutes the composition is applied to the rest of the hair.
• After 10 minutes, the dye is washed off.
• With this approach, the lightened part will be a little lighter, so the procedure is repeated after 2-3 weeks.

Photo

Here is a picture showing the highlights painted over in a dark color before and after:

How long should the composition be kept on the curls?

The state and structure of highlighted curls determine how long they take to dye. Even though they typically abide by the manufacturer’s recommendations, it is still advisable to periodically verify the outcome in these situations. It takes about thirty minutes on average.

How to apply correctly and how to wash off?

When using two tones simultaneously, paint is applied to the highlighted area of the curls after the unpainted portion. In this instance, using a brush to carefully apply the dye is recommended. Making sure the shade meant for unpainted strands does not end up on the bleached ones, and vice versa, is crucial. Use shampoo and warm water to wash off the paint. After dying, it is recommended to use a mask or balm.

How can one paint highlighted hair without making mistakes?

• You can not simultaneously use dyes from different manufacturers.
• The whole process should not take more than 45 minutes.
• If the strands are too dark will have to use the clarifier, and after two weeks to start painting.

Take note! Use of strong blonde compounds will result in split tips and increased brittleness.

Although it can be frustrating to fix an unsuccessful highlight, you can achieve a darker or more natural color with the right technique. It’s crucial to select a dye that complements the shade you want, and you should think about doing a test on a little patch of hair to see how it works.

Make sure to thoroughly prepare your hair by deep conditioning it and refraining from overprocessing it if you’re going darker. This will guarantee a more uniform outcome and support the health of the hair. By taking your time, you can prevent more errors from occurring.

Recall that with time and attention, hair color can be changed. It’s always possible to get professional advice if you’re unsure, especially if you want to prevent more damage or uneven coloring.

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