Stripping Hair Color

What is professionally known as 'color correction', is actually a procedure for stripping hair color, that you may resort to when you opted for a hair color that didn't quite turn out the way you wanted it. This is quite common, as the final result can never be guaranteed, neither by you, nor by the best professional around. Those of you who are absolutely unhappy with the final results, may choose to strip your hair color, and then dye it to a color that is better suited. While this procedure is best done professionally, there are also some ways in which you can follow it at home.

Stripping Hair Color at Home

Hair color can be effectively, but not completely, stripped only if it is darker than the actual shade of your hair. Else, when another color is applied to restore the natural hair color, the effects may be unexpected. If the hair color is lighter than the actual hair color, you may have to apply another hair color over it. That is the only way an unwanted lighter hair color can be taken off. Further, if you want to strip your hair of its color, consider the type of color you applied, and time that has lapsed between the hair color application and the procedure of stripping the hair color. The sooner you take action, the easier it will be for you to get rid of the unwanted hair color. If the hair dye you applied was semi-permanent, it will quickly fade out on its own, without you having to take specific measures. Take a look at some of these remedies for stripping hair color at home.

• Start the procedure by washing your hair with hot water. Hot water opens up the cuticles of the hair, and allows the color to get washed away.
• Follow this up with the use of an anti-dandruff shampoo, or a shampoo meant to eliminate build up. Such a shampoo will easily strip the hair off the undesirable hair color. Before you follow this procedure, apply lots of olive oil on your hair, and let it remain for at least half an hour. This will slightly reduce the damage caused by the chemically loaded products you are going to use. Also, always condition your hair after using all these products.
• For a more effective treatment, mix a good amount of baking soda with a clarifying shampoo and wash your hair with this mixture. Your final mixture should be thick, but not paste like.
• You may purchase a hair bleaching kit, so that all the hair dye is permanently removed. However, this will also affect the natural color of your hair, and when you try to apply another hair color, the outcome is likely to be different than expected.
• Another way of stripping hair color naturally is to apply fresh tomato juice on the hair (not on the scalp), and leave it on for an hour. Then follow it up with your shampoo and conditioning routine.
• The regular application of 3 parts lemon juice, mixed with 1 part of a conditioner suitable for your hair, on colored hair followed by shampooing and conditioning after about 30 minutes, will also get rid of the excess pigment of the unwanted hair color, over time.

Helpful Tips

The process of stripping color also takes away the natural moisture of your hair, and makes it extremely weak and brittle. For this purpose, take a look at some tips on hair care while following the procedure to strip hair color.

• Though the tips and tricks to strip hair color at home have been mentioned here, it is always advisable to consult a hair care professional to take care of this problem. Attempting to do it on your own can worsen your problem sometimes.
• Following any of the above-mentioned procedures to lighten hair color is going to take time. While it does, it is important to care for your hair else it will lose all its natural shine. To take care of it, always follow a deep conditioning treatment to maintain the natural moisture of your hair. You may do this under the guidance of a professional, or simply apply lots of olive oil on your hair overnight, and wash it off in the morning. When you are not applying a shampoo to strip hair color, try to use a mild shampoo for your hair.
• For the purpose of stripping hair color, products are plenty and easily available in the market. However, these can badly damage your hair. Avoid the use of these at any cost.

Though hair coloring is the norm of the day, there is a reason why people say there is beauty in simplicity. Instead of getting your hair dyed in the wrong color, and then having to go through the procedure of stripping hair color and causing further damage to your hair, wouldn't it just be simple to stay natural and be who you are?