- If your hair looks the same after dyeing it, it’s time for some analysis. For example, you probably didn’t color it properly, the dye may have been out-of-date, or you may have chosen an incorrect hair dye.
- In any case, you’ll have to dye your hair again.
- If you wanted to change your look but chose the wrong color, you should dye it again with two levels lighter or up to three darker levels.
- However, you shouldn’t dye your hair right away. You’ll have to wait at least three weeks to undergo a new coloring session.
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I dyed my hair but nothing happened. Why did this happen? What can I do?
Does your hair look the same after coloring?
I understand your frustration because you don’t even know what happened.
I promise you that I’ll help you understand. But let me tell you that you aren’t to blame. Actually, we tend to believe that changing hair color is as easy as breathing.
We watch TV, and beautiful ladies show us gray hair covered with a magic dye in less than five minutes. You go to the supermarket, and you’re offered dozens of hair coloring kits, with three-step instructions to dye your hair.
Of course, you buy what they sell you.
However, hair coloring is a science. Hair color doesn’t change by magic. Hair color changes because a chemical reaction takes place when you color it.
Several things can go wrong during that chemical reaction.
Do you want to know why your hair looks the same after coloring? I invite you to dive into the mysteries of coloring to find out.
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If your hair looks the same after dyeing, you may have chosen the wrong color or hair dye
Let’s start with the choice of color. Hair dye can change hair color, but it has certain limits.
Dyes are identified with numbers. Black is 1, and the extra light blonde is 10.
Let’s look at some examples with this scale in mind.
- If your hair is brown 4, and you apply light brown 5, you won’t notice the difference.
- If your hair is a very light blonde 9, and you apply light blonde 8, you won’t notice the difference.
- If your hair is a dark blonde 6, and you apply dark ash blonde 6.1, you won’t notice the difference.
When you choose hair dye, you should choose a color two numbers lighter or darker.
I’ll give you two tips:
- If you want to lighten your hair more than two levels, you should bleach it. I recommend you go to a salon because you could burn your hair if you made a mistake while bleaching your hair yourself.
- Alternatively, if you want to darken your hair, don’t do it all at once. Start by choosing a dye three numbers darker than your base color. If you don’t like the way your dark hair looks, you’ll have to bleach it.
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Another common mistake when coloring your hair is not choosing the right hair dye to achieve the color change you want.
For example, although, semi-permanent hair dyes don’t need a developer or contain ammonia, they can’t be applied to dark or dark blonde hair. In other words, if you want to use semi-permanent hair color, your hair must be:
- Light blonde 9
- Extra light blonde 10
So, you won’t notice any color difference if you use it on any other base color. The semi-permanent dye depends on the color over which it’s applied.
The same is true for demi-permanent hair color. This hair color is applied with a 6-volume developer and doesn’t contain ammonia. Therefore, it doesn’t cover gray hair or change hair color.
It only renews the color you already have.
If your hair looks the same after coloring, you may have made a mistake during the application
Do you want to know the most common mistake women make when coloring their hair on their own?
They don’t respect the exposure time. And this is a serious mistake, once you apply the dye, you must wait 45 minutes before rinsing it out. And those 45 minutes start counting from the moment you finish applying it.
If you rinse the dye out before 45 minutes, your hair will look the same as it did before you dyed it. Or it may even look faded or uneven.
Of course, you shouldn’t improvise during the coloring process.
If you want your hair to look different after coloring, you must mix the amounts of developer and dye, as indicated by the manufacturer. And you cannot add water to the coloring mixture to lighten the color.
If you want a long-lasting color, you must follow the instructions that are included in the dye kit.
Finally, did you check the expiration date of the dye before applying it?
Your hair may look the same after coloring because you used an expired dye. Dyes have a shelf life of five years if sealed, or two years if used and stored properly.
Conclusions
If your hair looks the same after coloring, you may have made a mistake. If you want to dye your hair again, I advise you to wait at least three weeks. That way, your hair will have time to recover from the chemical process.