Get Rid of Red!

All products were purchased by me at Sallys Beauty Supply for under $30.

As you guys have seen from my previous posts, I opted to do an "ombre" hairstyle to change things up. Unfortunately, with my hair constantly turning brassy golds and reds, I ended up not really liking it on myself and knew the up-keep would be costly and high maintenance. So my only option was to reluctantly go back to being a brunette. As easy as that sounds, I knew I'd face the dilemma of having red tints to my hair, so I did some product research to find a way to avoid having that issue.

If some of you guys are new to hair or do not know much about the coloring process I'll explain it as simply as I can. Hair color is chosen off "base" colors. Base colors are used to neutralize other colors. Violet, blue, and green bases are used to get rid of orange, yellow, and red tones because they are opposite on the color spectrum. If you ever go into the bathroom of a platinum blonde, you'll probably see a purple shampoo in there too. The purple "toner" in the shampoo helps keep their hair free of golden/orange colors. When choosing to alter your hair color at home, it's crucial to pick a dye with the right base.

Another thing with at-home hair alterations is the health and porousness of your hair. I stripped color away with the bottom half of my hair so the texture, health, and color was different. Choosing to dye my hair back one solid color means I need to make sure the dye is evenly processed and distributed. To help this process, I purchased a neutral protein filler. Protein fillers help bond damaged hair so the dye can evenly process so you'll have one solid color. To use this item, apply the protein filler to your hair and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Do not rinse your hair, just continue to proceed with dying.

The two dyes I purchased and mixed (which is okay to do with the right bases) were Clairol Professional Second Nature in 2V Dark Ash Brown and 2N Dark Neutral Brown.

For those who specifically want to know how to get rid of red/brassy tones, the last item was a cheap little trick. It's called Ardell Unred and Ardell 777 Perfector. They were small, one time use packets that you can add into your hair dye to help prevent red tones and fading after coloring process.

So what were my results? A beautiful, dark, rich, natural brunette! And a happy one too! The color was even, the red/brassy colors I had before were very neutralized. Overall, I'd would recommend this process to anyone looking to do an at-home coloring session and making sure you get the results you want.

My hair color before.

My hair color after!

I hope this post helps anyone who's having issues with their hair like I was having with mine. Also, do you guys have any hair tips and tricks or products you swear by? I'd love to know about them.

-Alexandra