6 Hacks For Removing Unwanted Hair Color

Contents:

• Factors That Can Present a Challenge For Dye Removal
• Top 6 Hacks for Removing Color
• Further Considerations
• Video
• Further Reading

Color is one of the quickest ways to liven up your look when you feel your hair is boring and needs an extra something to make it pop. In fact, not too long ago vibrant hair color was taking over our timelines and slaying our lives in such a way that even the less adventurous among us – present company included- warmed up to the idea of putting a little dash of color to shake things up.

But what happens when you’ve enjoyed it and figure you want to reset your curls to before you installed that color. Worse yet, what happens if you hated it and want to go back to how it was before?

Removing hair color can be easier said than done. For one, there are permanent, semi-permanent and temporary dyes to satisfy the color crave. We all know permanent means you’re stuck with it for the long haul, and this is mainly for those who are bold enough to take that plunge.

The rest of us might prefer a rinse because it sounds less intimidating, right? Except depending on certain factors, you could come away from a rinse with stubborn residual color that won’t budge until a good amount of time has passed.

Factors That Can Present a Challenge For Dye Removal

• Porosity- The more porous the hair, the easier the color will take and this makes it a bit more challenging when it comes time for you to strip it out.
• Inadequate research- How can this be a challenge, well for starters, if you just grab a product on a whim without giving concern to whether it is permanent or temporary, you might be creating issues for yourself if you wish to remove it.

Let’s say you got a color job and you’re ready to get it out. You get a clarifying shampoo* and wash but to your surprise it doesn’t budge or worse, it morphs into something else! What do you do? Here are the top 6 Hacks for removing dye color.

Top 6 Hacks for Removing Color

1. Baking Soda & a Sulfate Shampoo

1. Combine baking soda and a clarifying shampoo* in equal amounts
2. Mix to a paste
3. Wet hair

2. Lemon Juice

You will need at least 6 lemons for this, more if you have long tresses

1. Squeeze juice from lemons
2. Apply directly to hair
3. Cover with a shower cap* or plastic bag for 20 minutes
4. Shampoo as usual
5. Rinse with warm water

3. ACV Rinse

1. Mix a 1/4 cup of ACV with equal parts of water or oil * if oil is used warm it to encourage the cuticles to lift so more dye can seep out.
2. Apply to color treated sections of hair
3. Cover with a plastic bag/shower cap* for 15-20 minutes
4. Rinse with warm water

4. Clothing Detergent

Yes several bells must have gone off the moment you spotted that but believe it or not, there might be something to this, prior to any knowledge of healthy hair care I used this because it was on hand when there was no shampoo. The various chemicals in it are dood for stripping away unwanted gunk. Just make sure you go with a brand that has no bleach because it is already harsh.

1. 1/4 cup of powdered detergent
2. Equal amounts of water
3. Mix to a gooey consistency
4. Apply to color treated areas
5. Smooth hair in a downward motion (or outward) toward the ends, work the lather, which plays a role in lifting away the unwanted stuff
6. Rinse off with warm water
7. Deep condition like your life depends on it

5. Bentonite Clay

Those who incorporate ayurvedic hair care practices into their regimen know that you shouldn’t sleep on the bentonite clay*. I was skeptical until I tried this myself and it lifted my henna color like no joke!

1. 100 grams bentonite clay*
2. Warm water
3. Mix to a pancake btter consistency
4. Apply to hair
5. Cover with shower cap/plastic bag
6. Sit under hooded drier for 15-20 minutes (set on low)
7. Rinse out
8. Deep condition

6. Vitamin C Solution

This seems to be one of the most reliable ways to get rid of unwanted color.

You will need:

1. 12 vitamin C tablets (15-25 for longer hair)
2. Mix it with a clarifying shampoo
3. Apply it to color treated areas smoothing towards the ends; work it in well
4. Cover with a plastic cap/bag for at least 1 hour but no more than 2 hours
5. Rinse with warm water
6. Deep condition

You can also check out these products:

• Salerm Color Reverse Kit
• Color Oops
• One n’ Only Color Fix

Further Considerations

Unless it is temporary, hair color doesn’t just coat the hair. The reason heat is used in the application process is to get the cuticles to open up and let the color deposit inside the shaft. With this said it is equally important to use yeat to open up the cuticles to let it out.

That’s why in all these hacks, wam water and plastic bags make an appearance. It is important that you realize that all hacks have the propensity to strip not just the color from your hair, but natural oils and moisture so do not skip the deep conditioning* process after applying any of these hacks.

If you want to supercharge the process mixing the vitamin C with a little backing soda, lemon juice and a shampoo would do the trick as it is said to remove up to 75% of the dye in one go. As we always caution, ensure you do your due diligence and do some research then make the best decision for you.

Video

You know we try to cater to our visual and auditory learners so check out the video below. Also, do share in the comments any hacks or products you use to remove unwanted hair color.

Further Reading

• Learn How Hair Color Works To Understand The Risks
• 4 Easy And Unique Ways To Change Your Hair Color Without Permanent Hair Dye
• 6 Hair Color Hacks Every Girl Should Know! [Video]
• How To | Temporary Hair Color | Natural Hair [Video]