- If you want to neutralize green hair, you can use red dye to make your hair brown. And below, you’ll find exactly what shade of red dye to use.
- Don’t use red dye if you want green hair to turn red. First, you’ll need to get rid of the green dye. And to do this, you can use a clarifying or detox shampoo.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: What color cancels out teal hair? Red, but don’t forget this…
What color can you dye faded green hair? Find out here when to apply the new color.
Thinking of using a red dye on green hair? I can see you’re one of those who bring the Christmas spirit even to their hair.
But before you apply red dye to green hair, please wait a moment and read what I have to tell you. That way, you might avoid ruining your hair color.
The most important thing before deciding whether to use red dye on green hair is to think carefully about what you want to achieve.
But to know what you want to achieve, you need to know your options for using red dye on green hair. And you have two: you can end up with either brown or red hair.
Which of these two options do you choose? Let’s see how to achieve them both.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY READING: Can I apply pink dye over my green hair, or will it turn out horrible?
If you want your hair to turn brown, use red dye on green hair
You probably have some knowledge of colorimetry and know how the color wheel works if you’ve chosen this option.
You know that according to the color wheel, all colors have an opposite color that neutralizes them. Violet neutralizes yellow, blue neutralizes orange, and red neutralizes green .
Therefore, if you use red dye on green hair, you’ll achieve an immediate mid-brown or chestnut brown without needing a bleach bath or bleaching.
What shade of brown will you get? It all depends on the shade of green you currently have in your hair and the red dye tone you want to apply.
The darker your green hair is and the darker the red dye you use, the darker the brown will turn out.
I recommend you do a strand test to see what color your hair will turn out. I’ll tell you how to do this later.
Also, don’t forget you should use a semi-permanent red dye. You can choose a red dye from MANIC PANIC, ARCTIC FOX, and OVERTONE. Each has several red dye shades.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO READ: What’re the differences between Manic Panic, Arctic Fox, and oVertone?
If you want your hair to go red, wait for the green to fade before using red dye
You already know that semi-permanent hair dye fades with washing. But if you don’t want to wait for your green color to fade, use a clarifying shampoo to fade it quicker.
Clarifying or detox shampoo is designed to remove any remaining hair products from your hair, from conditioner to semi-permanent hair dye.
- Wet your hair with warm to hot water, as hot as you can stand, letting it run through for three minutes.
- Apply the clarifying shampoo to the lengths and ends, massaging thoroughly. Rinse the shampoo out. At this point, you’ll begin to see the green dye fade from your hair.
- Reapply the clarifying shampoo all over your hair and leave it on for ten minutes, gently massaging your hair.
- Rinse with warm to cold water to close the hair cuticles.
Finally, whether you want to use red dye to turn green hair brown or red, I recommend you do a strand test before coloring your hair.
- If you want to turn your hair brown , you can do the test immediately.
- If you want to turn your hair red , you should do the test after using clarifying shampoo.
The strand test is widely used in salons. It lets the colorist know how bleach will work or how a color will look on your hair.
How do you do the strand test?
- Gather your hair into a ponytail.
- Release a small back section of your hair and apply the red dye of your choice.
- Wait for the indicated time, then rinse the dye out.
Once your hair is dry, observe the color. If you’re satisfied, you can apply the red dye all over your hair.
What if your hair is still brown after the strand test but you want to dye it red? I recommend you rewash your hair with clarifying shampoo to finish eliminating the green pigments.
Conclusion
Now you know what can happen when using red dye on green hair. And depending on what you want to achieve, decide whether to apply the red dye directly or wait for the green dye to fade first.
