- In the unfortunate case that you dyed your hair and don’t like the color, you should wait two to three weeks to dye it again.
- It takes time for the color to settle in. Also, if you dye your hair too often, you could severely damage it.
- You can only fix your newly colored hair if it turns too orange or yellowish. In that case, a toning shampoo will help you remove those unwanted shades.
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We want results “right now,” “here and now,” as if tomorrow doesn’t exist.
When we send a WhatsApp message, we expect an immediate answer.
Also, when we don’t get an answer with a phone call after two beeps, our heart races.
We try to follow a diet and hope to lose five pounds in two days.
We fall in love and want to know right away if that person will be the love of our life.
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I once read a phrase that has stuck with me forever: “There’s an art in knowing how to wait.”
If you want to achieve the best results, in some circumstances you need to wait.
When it comes to hair issues, knowing that you need to wait is essential to avoid damaging the hair.
That’s especially true when we talk about processes such as coloring because chemical products are used to change your hair color.
That’s why you should be aware of that and take care of your hair.
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If you dyed your hair and don’t like the color, you can’t color it again the same day
Not the next day. Nor after four days.
You’ll have to wait at least two weeks to color your hair again.
There are several reasons to wait that long.
Shall we start with the first one?
It takes two to three weeks for the color to settle in.
You should respect the color settling time to see your final hair color.
When you apply a permanent hair dye, your hair goes through several processes.
What happens when you apply the hair dye?
The developer opens the cuticles of your hair to allow the hair dye to penetrate. Cuticles are tiny scales that protect your hair core from factors that can dry it out.
Once the pigmentation starts to settle in, the ammonia changes the color of your hair at the core.
After rinsing out the hair dye, the color settling process will begin. This means your hair will continue to absorb the dye for the next few days.That’s why I always recommend that my clients wash their hair only 48 hours after coloring it.
It’s because once the new color sets in the core the excess product will start to wash out.
Have you noticed that when you first dye your hair, the color is very intense?
It’s a consequence of the hair absorbing all the newly applied color. Then, after a few days, it begins to expel the excess pigmentation.
That’s when you can see the final color of your hair.
Therefore, you shouldn’t dye it again until the color finishes settling in.
After three or four washes, you’ll notice some differences in the color.
So far, we are talking about waiting at least two weeks to dye your hair again keeping the color in mind.
Now, what about your hair’s health?
Your hair needs to recover lost moisture and nutrients after coloring
Don’t forget that you have just colored your hair. Your cuticles are still open, and your hair has just gone through a chemical process that washed away moisture and nutrients.
Therefore, it’ll be a bit weaker and more brittle.
Does it seem like a good idea to immediately recolor your hair if it’s weak?
Of course, not.
Re-dyeing your hair immediately if you didn’t like the color is like wanting to go jogging if you sprained your ankle.
Even if you have a great competition ahead, you’ll have to wait for your ankle to recover. It’ll happen after a few weeks and proper treatment.
The same applies to your hair.
- If you don’t like the color after dyeing it because it’s too dark, you should wait three weeks to dye it again.
- Alternatively, if you don’t like it because it’s too light, you should wait two weeks to dye it again.
That’s what I’ll talk about next.
If your hair is too dark after dyeing, you should wait three weeks to dye it again
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During those three weeks you should take the time to properly choose the color you want.
Coloring your hair an extra light platinum blonde 10 won’t be the same as a light brown 5.
If you want to dye your hair again two tones lighter, you can apply the new dye directly.
For example, you may have applied a blonde 7 and want a very light blonde 9. Alternatively, you may have dyed it brown 4 and want a dark blonde 6.
But if you want a much lighter color, such as going from light brown 5 to light blonde 8, you should bleach your hair.
In this case, I recommend you do it at a salon. Bleaching is a complex and aggressive chemical process that can burn your hair.
Whether you need to bleach or recolor your hair to achieve the color you want, I recommend you follow this hair beauty routine:
- While you’re waiting for three weeks, apply coconut oil as a night mask at least twice a week.
- Moisturize your hair with a keratin or aloe vera mask once a week.
- If you flat iron your hair, use a heat protectant.
- Wash your hair every 48 to 72 hours to allow it to absorb the nutrients from your scalp.
If your hair is too light after dyeing, you can recolor it after two weeks
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Your hair can’t absorb the new pigmentation before two weeks.
If you apply a darker dye before two weeks, the pigments won’t settle in. So, the dark dye you applied will fade after a few washes.How come?
Because the excess pigment is expelled during the color settling process. At that point, your hair is ready to absorb the new color.
What color can you apply?
There are no limits here. You can choose any color you want, but I recommend that you don’t darken it more than three levels.
If the dye left your hair orange or yellowish, you can immediately fix it with a toning shampoo
Yes, just as you read it.
In this case, you won’t have to wait two or three weeks. You won’t even have to wait a day.
Instead, you can use a toning shampoo immediately if your hair turned orange or yellowish.
Why can you use them immediately?
Because the color toning shampoos don’t contain developer or ammonia. So, they won’t damage your hair.
The pigments in the toning shampoo are deposited on the outer layer of the hair to neutralize unwanted colors.
Which shampoo should you use?
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It all depends on the color you want to remove because blue neutralizes orange and purple neutralizes yellow.
Therefore:
- If your hair is yellowish after coloring it, you can immediately use a purple shampoo and conditioner to fix it.
- If your hair is orange after coloring it, the blue shampoo and conditioner will remove that unwanted shade completely.
Using the toning shampoos is very simple. Here’s a general step-by-step process because each manufacturer advises different exposure times according to the pigmentation strength of the product.
- Wet your hair
- Apply the purplel or blue toning shampoo and massage it into your hair. Leave it on for three to five minutes.
- After the exposure time, rinse with lukewarm water.
- Apply the purple or blue toning conditioner and leave it on for five to seven minutes.
- Rinse with lukewarm water without scrubbing your hair.
Don’t use a hairdryer or flat iron until the third wash to help the pigments adhere to each strand of your hair.
Conclusions
If you don’t like your hair color after coloring it because it’s too dark, you should wait three weeks to recolor it.
Alternatively, if it’s too light, you should wait two weeks to dye your hair again.
You can only correct the color immediately if the dye left your hair orange or yellowish. To fix this, you can use a toning shampoo.
