How to dye your bleached hair brown without it turning green?

I already had bleached hair and I decided to dye it brown.

Do you want to know what happened?

Some pieces of my hair had turned green.

 

I couldn’t believe it!

I had done all the steps correctly to bleach my hair so that nothing weird would happen.

 I had applied coconut oil before the bleaching mixture so that my hair wouldn’t get destroyed by the chemicals. 

I carefully watched the time my hair was exposed to the bleaching mixture.

And everything seemed okay.

 

Until I applied the brown dye to my hair.

When I rinsed the dye, there wasn’t any brown.

In it’s place were horrible green streaks.

How had this happened?

 

I ran to read the box.

It clearly said brown.

So, what had happened?

Was the dye labeled wrong?

Had it expired?

 

I quickly called my friend Liliana, an expert in coloring.

She’s been coloring hair for years, and something like this had never happened to her.

And then, I understood a lot of things.

And what I had done wrong.

 

 Did you bleach your hair and now you want to dye it brown? 

Then take a few minutes and read what I’m going to tell you here.

Because I want to help you so that what happened to me doesn’t happen to you and you don’t end up with green streaks.

 

I will tell you:

 

 

Why bleached hair dyed brown end up green

Bleaching is a process where the melanin of the hair is eroded to lighten various tones of the hair up to three tones.

Since this process really damages the hair, once you apply the color, the hair doesn’t absorb it in an even or uniform way.

So, on one hand, we have the state in which the hair ends up after bleaching.

In the other corner of the ring, ladies and gentlemen, we have color theory.

Also known as colorimetry.

 

 So, when those two fighters come together, if we don’t manage to even out the hits, the only loser is your hair.  

Which will end up green.

There are three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue, which when mixed generate three secondary colors: orange, violet, and green.

When you think about coloring, you should think about the tones, subtones, or shades.

Which when mixed, form new colors.

That generate specific highlights.

 

To understand it better.

The base, meaning, that color that you choose to dye your hair, is the primary color.

That can be blonde, black, or brown.

While the shades will be the color that generates the light, meaning, the highlights.

All dyes have shades.

And if the colors have an iridescent shade, then tend to turn violet.

Did you realize that?

 

Colors work by mixing them and making new colors.

These new colors dye or neutralize the highlights.

So that you understand, if you mix any color with an ashy shade, which is associated with blue, over a blonde, you will get green.

 

 Applying ashy or cold colors on bleached hair will give the result of a greenish tone or green streaks in your hair. 

This is due to the fact that brown hair has almost equal parts of the three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.

The bleached hair, that is blonde hair, has absolutely no red pigments.

If you apply a cold color with a green or blue base, the result is blue, green or blue-green hair.

Which is the color opposite green on the color wheel.

 

Exactly: red.

Why?

Because it is the primary color that isn’t a part of the mix.

 

 So, how do I dye my bleached hair brown without them turning green? 

I wish I had known the answer before.

But know that I know, I can share it with you.

There are two roads.

As you can see the topic isn’t so simple.

 

It was difficult for me to understand it at first.

But in the end, coloring your hair is a game of formulas, combinations and contrasts that are dominated after a lot of practice.

 

So, now I’m going to explain these two alternatives simply.

 

How to prepare your bleached hair to apply chestnut or brown dye

Before applying the dye you should fill the hair with red proteins.

Red-protein fills are especially good for bleached hair because they help normalize the porosity of the hair.

Also, it prevents the colors for dyeing the hair irregularly.

 

Always use gloves before applying a protein fill to your hair.

On your damp hair, not soaking, towel-dried, spray the protein fill all over your hair.

Use a spray bottle for this step.

 

Once all your hair is covered, let the protein fill sit for twenty minutes.

Once the time has passed, you can apply the brown dye to your hair.

 

The greens won’t appear because they will be neutralized with the red protein fill previously applied.

But there’s another method.

 

Step by step how to dye your bleached hair with semi-permanent dye

Here, everything will depend on the chestnut or brown color that you wish to get.

If you want a warm brown, you should keep in mind the highlights of the dye and choose those that have copper subtones. The tone of the color should be one tone lighter than the one you want to get.

Now, if you want an ashy brown, you should choose a tone that is two tones lighter than what you want.

 

 And of course, the subtones should always be red. 

The reason for this is that you need a red tone in the hair so that the ashy color doesn’t turn green.

 

In the end, you should find a color that has a red base.

 

Once you have chosen the tone you want, you can apply the color.

Divide your hair into sections.

And always follow the instructions that come in the box of dye.

 

You should mix the color and the developer in a 1 to 1 proportion until you get a creamy consistency.

Start applying the mixture covering every part of your hair avoiding the scalp.

Once you have covered your whole hair, you should wait thirty minutes.

 

After the time has passed, you should rinse.

Always with lukewarm water, until there aren’t any residues of the dye.

 

How to care for your hair so that the color looks intense and shiny for longer

As the first measure, don’t wash your hair for at least two days after applying the color.

The reason is simple.

 

The color is still working.

 

 If you wash it before forty-eight hours the color can lighten.  

On the other hand, the washes contribute to color loss, meaning the color fades.

I recommend that you wash your hair every four days if possible.

 

If you notice that your hair gets very greasy, you can always use dry shampoo so that your hair feels and looks clean.

Use shampoo and conditioners made especially for colored hair.

 

As dyed hair tends to lose moisture, once a week, you should use a deep hydration treatment.

And if you can, avoid the flat iron or hair dryer.

Remember that your hair has suffered through a bleaching and coloring process.

And it’s still fragile.

 

Now, you know how to prevent your bleached hair from turning green when you dye them brown.

 

Do you want to know how to eliminate green highlights from your hair?

I used a natural remedy.

I mixed two tablespoons of baking soda with four tablespoons of apple-cider vinegar with a cup of lukewarm water.

All of these ingredients are mixed until you get a lump-free paste.

 

I applied it to my hair, letting it sit for forty minutes.

And after the time has passed, rinse abundantly with water.

I repeated this process every three days for twenty days and finally, I got rid of the green.

 But, do you want me to tell you the truth?  

 

I don’t play with my hair anymore.

Coloring is basically a science.

I know that at a salon, the coloring service is always more expensive.

But I prefer to pay a professional than expose my hair to trial and error experiments.

 

Have you ever colored your hair brown and ended up with green highlights?

How did you solve it?