Have you ever removed black hair color? Need some advice!

[Cynthia Marie]

It's starting to look like spring and I'm craving a change from my nearly black hair. I'm growing my hair out, so I'm hoping to keep my hair as healthy as possible so I won't have to cut much off after the color change. I've used only no lift deposit only hair color on it in the past year. No color has been applied to my hair since December, and I've washed it with clarifying shampoo to fade as much color as possible without using a chemical process. I'm hoping to go to a medium brown, but I'd settle for anything lighter!

The following methods are products I've researched:

1. Jheri Russell Color Fix. (professional product from Sally Beauty)
2. L'Oreal Color Zap. (professional product from Sally Beauty Supply)
3. L'Oreal Colorist Secrets Artificial Hair Color Remover. (Wal-Mart, Drug Stores)
4. Developlus Color Oops Extra Strength Hair Color Remover (Walgreens)
5. MYHD Hair Colour Remover. (online, from Australia)
6. Goldwell Systems Hair Color Remover. (professional product from Sally Beauty Supply)
7. Clairol Systems Metalex. (Seems to be discontinued?)

Has anyone tried any of these or have suggestions for getting the color out? Has anyone else successfully removed stubborn dark colors and had their hair live to tell about it? Should I really just suck it up and save the money to see a professional?

Thanks everyone!!
Cynthia 

[Cynthia Marie]

I added a photo of the color I'd like to go to.

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

I take mine from black (and every other color) to lighter all the time. I just bleach it. 2-4 hours of bleach turns it from black to orange(ish), and then I wait 24 hours and put the new color over it. The hardest color to get out of my hair is pink, not black. That takes 2 bleach sittings.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND that I have super strong hair, and I don't recommend this if your hair is weak or you've never tried bleach. Every hair dresser will tell you what I do is a bad idea. But it works for me, and my hair is still super healthy.

[Corinne]

Don't get anything from Walgreens or drugs stores or anything. The best one you have listed there is Goldwell, there are an awesome brand. Color Zap works pretty good as well, I've used that myself. Just be careful and try to not get it on your roots, where you have virgin hair, it WILL lighten it up. Any type of bleach/color remover is going to do some damage to your hair, how much depends on your hair structure it self, what you have in it, what kind of condition it is currently in and how long you have the bleach on. Good luck!!!!!

[Cynthia Marie]

 I got the Color Zap. I just got done doing the first treatment with it. It did pretty well in taking off where the last application of dye was on my hair. The ends are a completely different color than the roots, but I guess the amount of color I have on there will take some time to come off, if it ever does. I'll be happy as long as I can get a somewhat even result. My hair wasn't badly damaged before, but it does tend to be dry due to swimming. Even with using a swim cap, some of the pool water ends up in my hair no matter what!

[Edson Carlos]

Talked to Tiffany here, she def suggests against going down this path solo, save up and see a pro!

[Candie Von Hart]

yeah, putting bleach on your hair for that long sounds terrible. ..

I advise only putting lightner on your cold shaft for the time indicated, and you'll have to watch it to get it to the desired lightness, not color, that you want. then you go through and put it on your root and the ends of your hair. you get it as light as you want, then tone with the color that you want. 

It may not work in one process, so make sure and do conditioning treatments with no protein or keratin between your bleaching sessions, and for a few weeks after.

<3

[Candie Von Hart]

PS.. where people have said that the color will fix the differences in the ends...it's bc the beginning process was done wrong. color never lifts color...only virgin hair. you need lightner to "fix" the probs.

<3

[salazar]

Next time you could try L'Oreal effasol (think thats how to spell it) I love it used it on girls with black hair to make them blond and not hv to cut any of it off

[Cynthia Marie]

This is what I'm going to end up doing, it seems. I used the color fix once, and I got a lot out. I am leaving it for a while, and I'm going to try using it again in about a week. Until then, I'm going to just wear hair scarves to cover the weird color it is currently. I have at least 2 years worth of hair color on my hair, so having to wait a few weeks to get all of that out doesn't stress me out too much.

It really makes me wonder when you see pictures of celebrities who have dark hair one minute and light hair the next. Everyone I've talked to has said it's pretty impossible to undo any hair color that quickly.

[Cynthia Marie]

I already wish I had waited! I had no idea this much chemistry was involved in changing hair color. Luckily, I have very low expectations, and I'll be happy with any color other than black. ;)

[Edson Carlos]

My studio is in a salon, I get to hear and constantly I mock their chemistry. It's WAY over my head. Just yesterday I recall something along the lines of, well the clients hair is artificially colored, what we'll need to do is lift the color with 838a and in order to prep the hair for the infusion well probably treat with 30 grams of the 802. For the color we need 3 of the 72 and 8 of the 96 because otherwise it'll be too coppery, we dont want coppery, we want fire red.

Of course thats just all from my head and completely wrong but thats how it is in the back room of a salon when they are plotting a color correction.

[Lucy25]

Shampoo cap! Google it...Bleach and shampoo