Advice needed - highlights too light and salon is closed for summer!

Hi all

I hope you can help me!  I have naturally medium brown hair, but have been dying it for a few years, to cover grey hairs.  I have been dying it dark brown.  I decided a couple of months ago that my hair was getting too dark, and wanted to lighten it up a bit.  My hair stylist told me that due to my hair being pre-coloured, the only way I could get a lighter effect, was to get highlights.  What I really wanted was an overall lighter colour - medium brown, closer to my natural colour.

The first time, the highlights were quite subtle, so it looked ok, though most of my hair was still very dark - so not quite what I wanted.  The second time, the highlights have become way too light, and the faded dark hair is looking quite red. 

I need to fix this, but the only salon available to me has no appointments for the next two weeks, and I have a lot of greys coming in so I really want to do something about it as soon as possible.  I'm thinking about doing an overall dye myself, but I'm not sure how the highlighted hair will react and I'm also not sure which colour to use now!  I still really want a medium brown rather than dark brown.

I hope this all makes sense - I know it's a bit of a long-winded post!

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

I am no hair care expert, but I would not recommend dying it yourself.  I recently went through a similar issue and I ended up lightening my roots and the rest of my hair stayed the same...thank goodness JC Penney's salon was open on Memorial Day or I would have been miserable.  They explained to me that when box dye has been sitting in a store, you have no idea how long it has been there or if stock has been properly rotated, etc.  If you have old dye it can do weird things to your hair.  Also, if you continually dye your hair (like I did for several years) it will gradually get darker and darker each time.  The only way to go lighter allover is really to have it done by a professional.  Really, there is no way to know how box dye will react to your gray growth or your highlights.  Even though it is difficult to wait, I would wait for the salon to have an appointment.  It is very possible they will have a cancellation, or a stylist will stay late or go in early if you offer (tip accordingly!)  

I know you are uncomfortable with your hair right now but trying to fix it at home might make it worse...you never know. 

I am a hair stylist and I would not do this on my own. Look arround for other salons or sadly you have to wait. Go back to whoever did it and complain about it, cause if you're not satisfied they have to re-do it!!

Since your hair is now more than one shade and the color can come out so wrong. If the highlights has a ashy undertone the hair can even get a green-ish tint to it. 

Sorry my english btw If I mispelled. Hope you understand what I mean /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

If you don't like it, they should take you in.  You shouldn't have to wait 2 weeks for a correction.   Yikes!   But, it doesn't sound like they have done what you have wanted the last few appointments, so it may be another investment elsewhere.  This happened to me many years ago.  I spent about $200 at a salon that had been doing my hair.  Not sure what happened but, I left looking like Paris Hilton with this platinum hair and I am no spring chicken.   I never got my hair like that before so, not sure what happened.  During the process I asked, are you doing low lights?  Yep, I was told.   Well, I wore a a hat for 24 hours until I could go to another salon and spend more money for a correction.  Good luck!

I wanted to add, maybe you shouldn't go back to that same place. I know you said they are your only option but maybe ask for a different stylist.  Telling you that your only option is highlights sounds like inexperience on the part of the stylist. 

Well, first and foremost, a salon is always your best bet.  So if you're able to tough it out until then, I'd recommend it.  But I know that we gals just can't make it sometimes and so we take matters into our own hands.  Sometimes we are pleasantly surprised with our homemade results.....sometimes it's a bigger disaster than what we were trying to fix in the first place!

So here's what I would do:

First, make an appointment at the salon.  Now all you have to do is limp your hair through til then.  If you have a Sally Beauty Supply nearby, stop in there and ask the sales clerk for a semi-permanent hair colour.  Ion has a good one and it's pretty cheap.  This type of colour simply lays on the hair cuticle, staining it temporarily.  It will not lighten your colour, it will slowly rinse out with each shampoo and it is temporary, so it will get you through til your appointment.

To apply it, all you do is wash your hair, apply the colour until your hair is fully saturated and then cover with a cap and process.  The bottle should have a processing time, and make sure you throw a towel over your shoulders and use gloves because semi-permanent dyes tend to be pretty thin and runny.  *Side note: semi-permanent dyes do not need a developer.  You just apply the product straight from the bottle to your hair*

As far as tone goes, I'd consult the sales clerk at Sally's.  Since I'm not able to see your colour myself, it's tough for me to recommend a particular shade, but a medium brown sounds like a pretty safe bet.  I will tell you, though, that the shades on those bottles are misleading....at least in my experience.  It never turns out as dark as you think it will.  Because it only lays on the cuticle, it's not totally opaque, so your natural colour will show through a bit.  So the highlighted pieces of your hair will be a shade or two lighter than the rest still, but hopefully with better tone and a bit less contrast.

Good luck to you!!

I agree with @@Theblondeangel, purely because she is a stylist and would most likely know best. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

All I can say is good luck and don't go to that stylist again unless your getting it redone from a complaint you laid. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />