[Shannon in ATL]

I need some advice on hair coloring - I have dark brown hair (between level 2-3 according to my hairdresser) and I have this sudden yen to get it light red or dark blonde. Unfortunately, my hair doesn't take color well and to get it to that point would likely require peroxide, which I'm trying to avoid. Anyone have any experience or info on coloring dark hair a lighter color? I got some color put on yesterday, she tried to get it to a level 7, and it looked light red until I washed it last night, now it looks brown with a mild red tint. I don't like the idea of bleaching it and then coloring it, but I'm tired of the streaky darn brown with blond highlights look I have had for the last few years.

[sws19]

ok, first off, i am not a hair colorist or stylist. this is all just based on my experience: if your hair is dark and you want to go lighter, there really is no effective way to do it other than involving bleach at some point. the trick is to go to a really professional colorist to lift your hair a few shades to provide a base on which to dye it the color you want. i would imagine that whatever shade you lift it to needs to be lighter than the shade you're coloring it to. just make sure your colorist knows that your concerned about your hair health and want them to be as conservative as possible with the lifting process while still allowing for the results you want.

[sws19]

so i just noticed that you're in atlanta. i'm not sure what your "look" is, but here are some additional thoughts.
there is a pretty good place in the new development on highland in inman park called adore hair studio. the girl i had did a really good job, but i think she's since moved to colorado or something. but they seem really nice there and helpful.
also there's a place right by grant park, but i can't remember the name.
both of these places are pretty young and hip and maybe good if you want an edgier look cause they'd be able to work with you.
if you want something more classic or conservative, i bet there are a ton of really nice salons in buckhead?
or you could always go to van michael.

[theloula]

I have really dark brown hair as well, and have had it various shades of red throughout the years. I love reds! Just too bad they are such a hassle to maintain, and almost impossible to dye over if you want to return to your natural colour. I had red in the bottom of my hair for a couple of years after dying long hair brilliant red with black streaks back in the 80's. It is only recently I have moved into the rich dark chocolate shades and have moved away from the reds.

Any time I have gone lighter, it has always involved peroxide. When I had bright copper all throughout or chunking in it, the hair had to be totally bleached out first, then the red put in afterward. I have used temp colours, at home and at the hair stylists, in reddish shades and find the colour doesn't last long. Permanent is much better. Actually, red is the fastest fading colour you can get. A few things I have found that help with keeping red shades looking lively are: not shampooing unless totally necessary, I used to do a lot of conditioner washes and found that Suave Naturals makes a great conditioner wash; using only a real mild shampoo, preferably one without sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate as both are rather stripping to hair, Scruples Moisture Bath is good for coloured hair; use a hair wash that deposits red tones back on the hair shaft - I used to use one of these years ago and you have to be careful it doesn't leave a red ring on the side of the tub

Good luck, and enjoy your new colour! Red can be a real hassle at times and can be expensive to upkeep, but well worth it.

I just had another thought... What about just having some bright copper streaks put in? I have had small and large strips put in underneath the canopy so they just peak out. That way, the roots don't show and you don't end up damaging all your hair. You could always have them put in the same way as blond streaks are put in, and keep the rest of your hair natural else dye it a darker shade. I had a friend who used to get her hair dyed almost black with bright red streaks down the front, and it always looked spectacular on her. Sometimes, she would have two or three different shades of red around the front of her hair. The same hair dresser used to do mine in a diamond formation on the top keeping it real dark, with the middle the light shade of red, and the underside really dark again. It was almost like sandwiching the brighter colour with dark, and made for an interesting colour effect.

Anyhow...Have fun with whatever you decide to do! You can always recolour or cut it into a cute short style if you don't like it.

[jademarlene]

The best way is to find a really good professional colorist, I have dark brown hair too and have tried to do the lightening myself, big mistake. Now what I do is a three step process, I streak my hair, twice, once applying it sparingly and leave it on for the amount of time to get it the lightest I can and then after two days I streak places where I didn't before and only leave it on for a few minutes. Than I put on a light brown, so far it has worked for me, it is time consuming and a mess to clean up, but right now can't afford the salon job.

[my3monthchallenge]

I've dyed my hair jet black once, and after that it took me a while to finally get it back to a lighter shade. Now it's a chocolate brown with a light tint of red in it. Almost every stylist (in Tokyo) told me to wait for all the dyed hair to grow out for best results - which would take me at least 2 years or more. And they don't want to take risks with the color not showing up because my hair was too black at the time.
In the end I did wait a couple of months (about 4-5 months) to let the roots grow, and the black wash away a little bit. I finally found a stylist who'd do it for me, and the results turned out not great but satisfactory. The lower portion of my hair is still a darker shade, but I guess that I'll just have to wait and let it grow out. (He offered to dye the lower portion one more time for free if I felt like it, but I got lazy to go back and I thought it wouldn't matter that much anyway).
My advice is to find a hairstylist that you can trust (perhaps someone you've been to before, or through recommendation), and communicate well, beforehand. If you find a trustworthy hairstylist they will make sure the results are as you hoped for, and help you fix it until you're satisfied.

[Robin]

Hey there! I'm in cosmetology school. One important thing to know is that color does not lift color predictably. This basically means if you try to put a lighter permanent color on your hair, it may get lighter but the color will not be even. Your hair may be darker at the ends and fade into a lighter shade as you look up towards your scalp. Using progressive lightener (bleach) is the only thing you can really do. The stylist can do something called a color cleanse, which would be bleach mixed with shampoo and sometimes developer, depending on how much lighter you want to be. Your hair will lighten very quickly and can be colored over immediately after. Don't try this at home though! I would also look into an Aveda salon. Aveda's color line is great because they can customize the formula to where they can measure out exactly how much red you would like in your hair. Their color conserve shampoo and conditioner is amazing for red hair as well, and their bleach is better for your hair.