Have you been box-dying your hair black since you were 14?

Maybe you’re having a bad hair-day and you have decided that a box hair dye would fix your hair.

Don’t be afraid! Here’s what we can do to help you.

We’ve seen many clients walk in with different colours in their hair that they do not have any idea what they should do about. They’re looking to change their hair, however they’ve box colouring their hair themselves for many years and now they have numerous layers of hair dye. It’s starting to look like the floor of local panel beaters.

We’ve already done it. Don’t worry about it. Here’s what you can expect.

For all these years, there are typically two kinds of box colours that enter our salon’s doors. Yes, you are right, there are the Red & Black colours! There’s a distinct process for each of these colours and a different amount of commitment and patience is required for each.

Another thing you’ll require to do is to purchase salon professional shampoo and conditioner for maintaining your hair’s strength throughout the process as well as a deep conditioning treatment. Supermarkets and even some salon hair products will not work, they’re too soapy and can dry your hair, and the concentration of the treatment and conditioners are not powerful enough. It’s not practical to invest a substantial amount of money to lighten your hair with low-cost shampoo to save a few dollars. You’ll end up with damaged hair that will be much more difficult to lighten fast enough (or not at all) and the entire process can take a lot longer and more expensive….so be assured that quality salon professional shampoo and conditioner are absolutely worthwhile!

For those of our clients who are using high-quality, professional products, their hair is able to be lightened more quickly and more manageable due to their hair being well-conditioned. Most important, the hair will be in top condition at the completion of the process and that makes it easier to manage!

It is important to understand the fact that red is much simpler to take out of hair than the black. However, it is still challenging and tricky at times. Many redheads have faded parts, orange and other shades that run through their hair due to years of DIY.

The majority of red box dye tends to lighten the hair slightly. This is why the slight patchiness you may experience occasionally ….or when you’ve applied the colour starting from the roots to the ends, it’s the reason for the stunning red roots you are having now.

The box dyes layers will also build up when you’ve been using it for a long period of time. Similar to black and red regardless of how careful you apply it to your roots the box dye develops faster than professional dye and is produced in a different way, which is the reason it is able to grab onto the ends of hair when washing it off. It is possible that you’re doing it right by applying the dye to hair roots. But it’s not really making any difference as it is grabbing onto and laying up at the hair ends when during rinsing, the water will flow down from the roots to the hair ends.

What we typically do to eradicate the red tints is using a gentle bleach method which is a slow and low technique of using a lower developer that is 15vol or lower and letting it sit for a longer period of time, instead of applying the more concentrated developer and hoping for it to be the most effective. Our colourist will apply the bleach all the way to the starting point of the red, so that we can effectively clean out the box dye completely. We also apply the Bond Fusion repair treatment, newly invented in the last couple of years, which helps to protect against damage to a certain extent during bleaching.

This bleaching process is gentler than conventional methods since it won’t damage and dry out the hair. This in turn allows your new hair colour to hold in your hair for longer because healthy hair can hold colour much better than damaged and dry hair.

This method generally gets all of the red colour out in one visit and then we will colour your hair to the desired shade you want. If the shade you want is towards a very light blonde, it may need two sessions to achieve that perfect, pure blonde with the exception that the health and condition of your hair is in very good state and the box dyes have already faded out significantly already.

Here’s an example red box dye that was left to fade out. It is possible to lighten it to a light beige blonde in just one appointment by using the slow and low bleaching procedure. But most of clients aren’t as fortunate.

Here’s a more common finishing result from a red to blonde. It is evident that most of the red is gone, and we’ve toned* the remaining shades with a darker more natural-looking hue of blonde. We’ve darkened her roots, and harmoniously blended into the blonde to give the appearance of balayage so that there won’t have to constantly get highlights since there will be no regrowth.

*Toners: they are semi-permanent or demi-permanent colours that get washed out of hair, but they can also effectively mask any undesirable tones, like yellow or orange that are visible. They will get washed out and thus re-toning may be required each 4-6 weeks until the red has been completely cleaned out.

Another favourite way to change the colour of your red box dye is to switch it up by going bright! This is much simpler to accomplish since they can be achieved in just one appointment because the bright hue will be masking any orange tones leftover from the red dyes.

BLACK or DARK BROWN box dyes, on the other hand, is a totally different situation.

To get dark brown or black out from your hair will need some perseverance and dedication.

If your hair is strong and healthy, it is possible to do it in a couple of visits following the same procedures we apply to our reds…however it may be longer if the hair is thicker, finer or you’ve been using these box dyes for many years.

Usually, in the first salon session, we can make it become lighter to a caramel-like type of tone. We employ the semi-permanent toners to achieve an appealing hair colour finish so as to avoid the common blorange and acid yellow tones. These tones will get washed out and it is easy to lighten up the next session without needing to bleach out the toner again. However, since the semi permanent toners get washed out, it needs to be toned again when the orange tones come through. These toners are not expensive and most importantly, it will save you from having to endure horrible hair colours while you have to wait to have your hair lightened!

The image below shows the blonding JOURNEY for about a year! Yes a YEAR! When going from dark to light especially with box dye it’s so important to have full trust in your colourist! It takes lots of PATIENCE, time, and MONEY. Moreover home care is extremely important as well and be consistent with the appointments. Over the year the black has been stripped twice (two different appointments), and 3 separate lightening sessions with toner/conditioning appointments in between. Within a year a healthy blonde goal has been achieved.

The biggest mistake you could make is to become impatient after the first bleaching and then you perform a black box dye again as you can’t tell the difference. …..DON’T do this. You’re almost there and patience is very important!

The amount of lightening you can get on your hair during a single appointment depends on what’s in your hair as well as the condition of the hair. We often hear about “my hair does well with bleach “…..this might be true in the case of virgin hair that isn’t coloured however the degree to which bleach can lighten your hair depends on how well to which the colour or the dye product present in your hair will be lightened as different brands of box dyes tend to react differently too.

The image above is an example of the first bleaching of dark-coloured box dye. As you see, there’s no way to get rid of the copper or warmth on the hair, however what is achieved is to base it on it to reproduce an appealing colour. If you aren’t a fan of too much warmth, you can tone it to slightly darker shade and create a more “coffee” coloured medium-ash brown, until the next session.

Another possible stunning option is to tone to a rose gold kind of colour. It is extremely trendy at present and comes in many shades. It is usually a harmonious blend of pink and copper tones to achieve a blush-like tone. It is a perfect tone when you are performing the box dye lightening since it can cover any orange tone nicely.

There are many other possibilities of “in-between” colours including dusty pinks, violets and more natural colours. Therefore, it is recommended to think about what you’re willing to do once you’ve seen the lightness it has gotten.

We’re usually unable to provide you with a precise idea about the result of the first bleaching procedure in the event that we haven’t bleached your hair prior to that. Because it differs for every person, based on the type of box dyes and the hair products that you have used in your hair, whether it was professional or at-home dye. Therefore, the best approach is to just be patient and be willing to give it a go.

It’s definitely worth the wait as when the dark box shades are gone from your hair, you’re completely free to experiment with any colour you desire :)!