It can be a lot of fun changing your hair color. It’s a great option when you get bored with your look and it’s a fun way to express yourself.
But what happens when you’ve been coloring your hair for so long that you don’t even remember what your natural hair color looks like?
It’s time for a change in the OTHER direction. But is going back possible? Let’s explore our options:
Wait It Out
Patience is a virtue if you have colored your hair with a temporary, semi-permanent, or demi-permanent hair color. These types of hair colors will wash out over time. Permanent hair color, on the other hand, is permanent (duh) and will fade, but it will never wash out.
Here is a list of approximately how long you can expect each type of hair color to last until your natural shade of hair color returns.
Temporary hair color – Lasts until the next shampoo
Semi-permanent hair color – Lasts anywhere from 5-12 shampoos
Demi-permanent hair color – Lasts up to 28 shampoos
Permanent hair color – Lasts forever
Artificially Go Back To Your Natural Hair Color
Don’t want to wait? Here are the DIY how-to on how to get back to your natural hair color results at home.
Determine your natural level and tone. The level describes the lightness or darkness of your hair, and the tone is the shade of the hair color. You can determine these factors by comparing your new growth to swatches of hair color in a beauty supply store.
Next, determine the level and tone of your current hair color.
Calculate the difference between your current level and your natural level.
Compare both tones to determine which shade of hair color will complement or neutralize your current tone. For example, if you currently have ash blonde hair and would like to return to a natural brown shade, use a hair color with red tones to neutralize the ash tones.
Tips to Remember
New growth has not been exposed to as much sunlight as the ends of your hair. To ensure the most natural results, choose a hair color that is one level lighter than your new growth color.
Hair that is more than two levels lighter than your desired level may have to be filled to create rich, natural looking results.
Hair that has been artificially colored darker than your natural hair color will have to be lightened first because hair color will not lighten artificial hair color.
When in doubt get some professional advice from the beauty store team member, the 800 number on the product box, a hair stylist or colorist. The further away you are from your natural hair color you are the trickier this becomes.
Good luck!
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