How To Be A Hair Colorist

Every day, we receive tons of questions nigh lightening colored hair—Can I practice it by myself? Tin I go from black to blonde all at once? What'due south a "lifter" anyways? We're here to give you our expert insight into lightening hair that's already been colored.

01 Can I lighten already-colored hair at home with pilus dye?

Generally speaking, hair dye won't lighten previously-colored hair. Why? Because it's not designed to! Hair dye is created to just add color to your pilus, non to lighten or remove color. Remember of information technology this way: Once yous add colour to your hair, the pilus molecule becomes filled upwards with color. To change your colour, y'all accept to let the molecule compress over fourth dimension, aka, let your color fade before you lot "fill it back up" with a different color. It's like eating a big meal—when y'all are full, there is merely no space left. Now, if you want to lighten your previously-colored pilus, there is added complication to consider and understand.

To lighten your hair, not just do you have to wait until the hair molecules shrink, but depending on how lite you're looking to get, you may also demand to "strip" abroad your pilus undertone. What's an undertone? Each hair follicle is essentially made up of two layers. The outset layer is your underlying paint, which is the tone at the base of your pilus. The second layer is your hair shade, for example, black, brunette, or blonde. Together, both layers create your "overall color." Your undertone makes all the difference in your results. More often than not, when going lighter you take to strip your undertone to brighten it upward, and then add your desired shade (aka pilus dye) on top!

02 What'due south the all-time way to lighten already-colored pilus?

To lighten previously-colored hair, we recommend y'all do one of two options. The showtime option is to employ a strong lifter—treatments that have a volume of ingredients like ammonia, peroxide, bleach, or alternative chemicals that clear the hair molecules of color. Then after yous have lifted your pilus, y'all can utilize your desired color. The upside of selection one? It's a fairly quick process, depending on how much you wish to lighten and tone. The downside? Strong lifters that significantly lighten hair are pretty invasive treatments that can cause damage and thinning, and it'southward a pretty tough process to pull off at abode, so we advise you lot go it washed at a salon. (Note that low-peroxide containing lighteners tin be used safely at home to highlight hair, but is not brash for getting and maintaining an overall lightened shade.)

The second choice is to wait 8-10 weeks after you lot initially dyed your pilus, to allow time for your pilus color to fade and your pilus dye molecules to shrink. Once your hair color has faded, you can then dye your hair at home. With that said, after assuasive the time for your pilus color to fade, at-home hair color typically only allows 1-2 shades lighter. If yous are looking to dramatically lighten your hair, say, 3-5 shades, see option one (bleaching).

If you've chosen to go with option ii, there are things you can exercise in the meanwhile to maintain your roots or give your hair a lightened feel. The first thing you tin do is use a root coverage spray. This is a great option for people who are waiting for their color to fade but still need root coverage for grays and regrowth. You can likewise utilise highlights at home, to give your hair a sunkissed, lightened look while you're waiting to go full throttle with an all-over lightened color. Need aid deciding which option is best for you lot? Email us at [e-mail protected] or simply give one of our colorists a ring! They're ever here to help.

Image of hair color swatches going from darkest on the right to lightest on the left, showing how light or dark you can go with hair color.

03 Why do you recommend lightening already-colored hair in a salon, versus at home?

Unless you are professional person, lightening your hair at home can be very tricky. That's because information technology involves bleaching, which tin exist a very invasive and involved process that tin can very easily cause damage if not done correctly. Too causing harm, you may not become the results yous were hoping for when self-lightening at habitation. Like we mentioned before, that's considering when yous bleach your hair, you are stripping your hair of all color, revealing your undertone, or what fancy colorists call your "underlying exposed pigment." If your hair is on the darker side, your undertone may be a dark, warm, red tone. If your hair is on the lighter side, information technology may be a stake xanthous or ashy shade. Undertones aren't very pretty on their own, so y'all demand to add a pilus color on top of it. This is some other tricky function when lightening your hair at home. When applying color on top of exposed undertones, you lot may have problem getting results that aren't overly brassy or muddy. A professional will accept a trained eye and experience so that your results aren't unexpected.

04 Is there a way to lighten already-colored hair without bleach?

We get it. You're impatient, and you don't feel like waiting for your current color to fade. And using bleach doesn't exactly sound like a spa day, either. We exercise happen to accept a few recommendations that can assistance speed upwards the fading process and then that you lot tin lighten your hair sooner. Commencement, you tin use a clarifying shampoo in place of your regular shampoo to help elevator the darker color from your pilus. Yous'll notice your color will gradually fade and lighten quicker than if you were to utilise a color-protective shampoo. 2d, if your hair is the same color from root to tip, you can try to remove the colour with Colour Oops or Colourb4. These formulas will help remove the color from your hair, but aren't as abrasive as bleach—and of class, won't lighten your hair like bleach would. After the color has been removed, work with your colorist to pick the shade and tone you want to encounter in your hair.

We hope you've learned all the ins and outs of lightening upward already-colored hair. It may seem tricky, but if you lot're patient or willing to see a professional, your results will be worth information technology. Every bit always, let united states of america know if you have any questions at all. We're the pros, and we desire yous to be i as well. As a care for, we're giving you a chance to try our Light Set for but $14.