If you haven't seen Experiences 1 and 2, click here: Hair Color - Real Life Experiences

• Experience #3: Natural color – light brown Desired color - blonde. Laura wants to lighten her hair but she is pregnant and has been told that she shouldn’t use tint during this time. Always follow your doctor’s instructions regarding hair color
  Remedy: It is worth the wait to put off applying hair color until after the baby is born. However, if you are determined to have lighter hair, try a highlight. The hair color is placed inside highlighting packets (such as foil) and does not touch your scalp. This gives an all over lighter appearance and has the added benefit of not requiring a retouch right away.

• Experience #4: Natural color – brown Desired color – light blonde. Paula had a friend bleach her hair. The directions said to leave it on from 20 to 90 minutes. After 90 minutes they rinsed it out to find that her hair was orange with lighter blondish orange at the scalp.
  Remedy: First, the reason her hair is lighter at the scalp is because body heat causes the bleach to process faster close to the head than on the cooler ends. I told them that if there was a big difference, to reapply the bleach to the orange areas until they are the same color as the hair at the scalp. Next she should condition her hair with a protein conditioner, Then, I suggested that she apply a toner all over. This may be labeled as a toner or may be a light semi-permanent hair color. She should choose a shade that is light but deep enough to cover the blondish orange. This will tone her hair to a natural shade.

• Experience #5: Too much! Gina had alternately lightened her hair and highlighted for several years before she decided to tint it black. After reapplying the black tint for a few months she asked me if she could now bleach it because she is tired of the black.
  Answer: No. Bleaching, highlighting and tinting repeatedly has undoubtedly affected the interior structure of the hair. Attempting to bleach it again will either cause it to become extremely damaged or to break of entirely. I suggest using conditioning treatments weekly until all the affected hair is grown out and cut off.
  Remedy: If Gina is determined to get rid of the black, it may be possible to have an experienced hairdresser use a color remover to lighten it to brown – not blonde and use only a semi-permanent conditioning hair color to tone it to a believable shade.

Hair color is fun and very rewarding but, as you can see, it can be very complicated and has many pitfalls. If you must tint your hair on your own, read about it, check the hair forum for other's experiences and get qualified advice beforehand.

Hair Color EBook
Learn to do your own hair color or to make educated choices at the salon! This book contains all you need to know, from choosing a color to putting it on and avoiding problems.