r/haircoloring

Here is my hair journey for background info: I had my hair done in March 2025, and I absolutely loved it, both when it was fresh and as it eventually grew out. I will insert some pictures of what it looked like in different lighting and different stages of growth.

In March 2026, I felt like I needed a refresh, I will show you what it looked like before and after I got it done (beginning of march). (I had been using keracolor honey conditioner prior to because it had been looking lifeless.) I couldn’t go back to my original hairdresser because I have moved far away. I showed the new hairdresser the same reference photo, gave same instructions, and it seemed fine at the salon, but when I got home and saw it, I was very unhappy with how it turned out — it looked way too thin/stripey and extremely unblended. I went back and asked her if she could blend it a bit, but she just added some kind of toner/gloss which helped a little, but eventually washed out pretty quickly.

I have an important formal event coming up and I thought I would treat myself and try to fix my hair again. I went to the same hairdresser because I thought maybe we just had a miscommunication last time. I showed her reference photos of my own hair last year after I had just gotten it done, and said please just try to blend it, and make it look more like this. I don’t want it to be too light, just blend whatever I already have. Lo and behold, the highlights are more blended with the rest of the hair, but it turned out WAY too light. Also it is not very blended with the root, giving a “grown out” appearance despite being freshly done.

My hair has been processed many times and I am worried now my hair is going to become damaged very easily due to the summer sun, frequent washing due to sports, swimming, etc. I just wanted a low maintenance, natural-looking soft highlight like before and I am left wishing I had never touched it at all. I have decided I never want to go back to her again, and I have also now banned myself from getting any color treatment for AT LEAST the next year.

I want to try fixing it myself at home now because I am upset and I really don’t want to go back. I did some research online and was thinking to get a demi permanent color (wella 7N?) , and try to add some thin pieces to break up the heavy bright blond chunks, and maybe a toner/gloss on the whole head to bring it down a bit and make it more cohesive. Is this the right move? Do you guys have any advice for which demi permanent color I should get, and what specific toner will help me achieve my goal? If not, is there anything else you would recommend me to try?

Also if I end up going back to the hairdresser (in a year or however long), what are the proper instructions I can give to the stylist to get my desired outcome?

If you look at my post history you'll see what I was originally aiming for (honey blonde, honey brown, the like) but the hairdresser my mum knows (and probably the only one they'd be willing to pay for said only black or a dark brown is possibly and I hate the idea of both of those rn) I'd prefer to do something natural to appease my parents but if my only option is black or brown I'm just putting on a hijab or something and dying my hair as I please

I've had my hair blonde for about three years now, but the upkeep is kinda driving me insane, as you can see by how dark my roots are lol. But I can't decide if I want to go back to black. My natural color is dark brown, but I had it black for years before going blonde.

First pic is how it is currently. Should I try to go blonder or say fudge it and go dark? If I do go dark, should I opt for brown or black? For context I generally do style myself as more "alt" or whatever.

TLDR: should i stick with blonde hair or go with dark hair?

I know now not to go to my hair salon for bleach and dye that I’ve been going to for, well…pretty much forever. I called to let them know in advance that I wanted cut, bleach, and dye. A day or more in advance. First image is where I’m currently at— 4 different unplanned colors of the brightest bleach result area (golden near my roots at my part), varying amounts of purple, weird purple brown, and now blue-gray??? Reverse mermaid?

‼️I am receptive to criticism if this is my fault. ‼️

I paid $120 (discounted) and didn’t ask for a receipt. Only took a few hours, which I hear is the first red flag.
2nd photo is my natural hair color and how long it was before cutting.
3rd photo is the color of purple I wanted (it’s a wig); I wanted bright spanking purple. I’ve never had it. I’ve had blonde highlights and reddish-violet hair before, so I’m usually receptive to dye.
4th and 5th photo are my hair after a bleach solution (not even full bleach, my top of my head was like this and my ends were dirty blonde…stylist didn’t seem concerned at all).
6th photo is right after (GORGEOUS)…
…and 7th photo is after ONE WASH. Permanent hair dye, and my salon friend never texted me back on what she used.
Next photo is after I put Arctic Fox semi permanent in my hair to try to add more purple, which made it dark. I was told I could have put more permanent in, but for some reason, I didn’t want to treat my hair with permanent dye again. I let it sit in for an hour and a half, I wasn’t playing like my salon’s 15-30 minutes or whatever it was.
Last photo is fairly recent before I really started losing purple.

Important notes: I’ve been trying to avoid sulfates (I used anti-dandruff once without realizing its contents) and use color retaining shampoo, I use strictly cold or barely lukewarm water when washing my hair, I always put my hair up when going to the pool to limit chlorine exposure, and I don’t excessively wash. That first pic is fairly greasy, actually, so I apologize 😂

I’ve been wanting purple hair since last year, but now, it looks like I need to let it heal or strengthen before tackling it again. I’m at a loss for what to do other than just let it do its thing. Asking for any tips or advice on how to move forward. My choice hair salon is fantastic with haircuts and choice bits of color, like black hair with red tips I got years ago, but I’m never doing this again with them. I’m not changing my review I left them in the hopes they do color better for other people because I don’t want to be petty, but idk.

I bleached and toned my hair to this pastel rose gold and it came out very peachy. It doesn't really complement my skin tone so i'm wondering how easily i can make it to Be more cold pastel pink? The current colour is only a toner, so it will fade with time but i am very impatient😂 If i want to get it more cold pastel pink, should i just slap another toner to it after washing it with deep cleansing shampoo or would a pink hair mask do enough? I also have a purple shampoo but i fear that it would make the color toi muddy 🤔 any tips are more than welcome since this is my first at home dye in years 😂

The first photo is my current hair color and I’m looking to go back to my more dark and natural dirty blonde! The second photo is my hair color goal!
I’m a bit overwhelmed with what colors to choose and was seeing if anyone has any advice or colors that come to mind? :33

Pinkissmo by Crazy color #pinksummer

I’ve been blonde for many years. I have tried every other color imaginable, but always go back to blonde. However, I believe with my skin tone & blue eyes I would look much better with darker hair. Please give me your opinions! I used AI to change my hair to darker w/ some highlights, the color I’m considering.

I have neon lime green hair now and I want this color but I can’t find any dyes that look like they match. I’ve tried google photo searching the color but that didn’t work and I’m kind of at a lost. My friend mentioned I might have to mix colors to get it. Does anybody know any hairdye I can achieve the color with?

I used Garnier Caramello Blonde and now my hair turned kind of orange/copper. I don’t like the tone and I want a nice natural brown instead.
My natural hair color is black, not even a very dark brown it’s just black and fine, thin hair.
What’s the best way to achieve this at home without ending up with more orange or damaging my hair more?
Any advice would be appreciated

The last two pictures are what I want

I read somewhere about dying it 6.1 ashy color. If not that, then just using blue shampoo but that is too high maintenance and I just want a color looks luxurious preferably same or lighter but that’s not possible, darker is fine too.

Hi everyone! I bleached my entire head at home and then was told by a hairdresser friend to use 9N and 9A-N permanent color to even out the color. It did end up evening out the blonde (my mids were a level 8 and a bit orange/yellow and the roots were a super light pale yellow). The pictures above is how it turned out in a bunch of different lightings. The attached screenshot is the tone I was going for plus the color my friend had me use. any suggestions on how to get there? Im not sure what toner to use or if i should be doing a demi permanent color/ permanent color over it. for reference my hair is extremely healthy and not dry or brittle at all. I have a brand new wella T11 toner and a 050 additive, as well as half a bottle of T10, 1/3 of a bottle of 7A, and 1/3 of a bottle of 8A. I have 20 vol developer as well as 10 vol. Not sure if any of those would be able to fix it but if any of them could let me know! Any suggestions would be amazing.

I (M17) have dyed my hair around 3/4 months ago and want to get a blonde like the one in the second picture, do I need to do another round of bleaching or can I just color it? I feel like my hair might be too yellow / orange for that color

Hello!

I just got my hair completely bleached for the first time today at the salon. They used some toner but evidently it’s still very yellow. While on its own I can see it being pretty, I’d much rather have a cooler toned base than a yellow one. Here’s some photos of my hair now and some pics of where I’d like to be. Please give toner/developer recs! I am very new to this all and eager to learn :)

Maybe im just crazy but I'm very upset with the way my hair ended up. I got it done in El Salvador (family member did them). I feel like the front highlights are too boxy, and when I told the fam everything told me i was crazy.

The back highlights are more blended into the hair and it's driving me crazy.

I also see she didnt apply the dye in the front strands. Compare it to the 2nd image. I dont know what to do, I have no money for a salon. I've done hair at home mostly balyages tho. I just dont know how to fix this. If you dont think it needs fixing, please just try and convince me it looks good. I do have a lot of issues with self esteem, so trust me when I say I think I look terrible. Please help me.

I am wanting to achieve an all over even warm lighter chestnut brown hair color like this inspo pic. I have only ever dyed my hair with demi permanent hair dye and gotten highlights for a few years, but I have never had a full head of my natural hair color there has always been some sort of dye on it for almost 10 years now.

I had highlights about a year ago which I have since covered with various dark glosses and demi dark hair dye as pictured but it’s at the point where most of it has washed out by now and has turned all muddy with a mix of really dark color on the bottom, grown out natural roots on the top, and the brassy highlights starting to show through in the middle.

I just purchased the Revlon ColorSilk 46 Medium Golden Chestnut Brown to try and achieve this goal, but I’m worried applying it will make things even worse for myself. I really can’t afford to go to a professional right now so I would at least want to try and fix this myself at home first. I do have a haircut scheduled to help get rid of the dead ends. It’s fine if it’s not as light as the inspo pic is, I just really want it to be more even colored.

Will I damage my hair by using this dye and is it better to use demi-permanent color instead? If I do use the permanent color, is this the best brand to use and what’s the best application technique to get the most even result? Does anyone have any tips on the best way to fix this myself before having to see a professional?

my hair is naturally black. i had it dyed a chunky calico, but the blonde chunks were too wide and orange for my liking and the red faded so quickly. i want to dye it brown but i’m scared you will still be able to see the chunks. id go to a hairdresser but they are expensive. please help!!!!!!