Changing hair color from time to time is a tradition as old as man. It is easier changing some hair colors than others, but what happens if you put blonde dye on red hair?
Putting blonde dye on red hair does not produce an all-out blonde result. Instead, it gives your hair an orange-red color. Yellow is a warm color and a major component of blonde dyes. Red is also a warm color because it contains orange – a combination of these two colors creates orange-red.
So, how do you achieve a blonde shade on red hair? Do you need to bleach your hair first? There is always a way to get around this if you want to achieve a blonde hair shade with your red hair. Read on to find out.
Can You Dye Your Hair Blonde Over Red?
If you are gunning for blonde hair, dyeing your hair blonde over red would not produce the result you want. To achieve a blonde result on red hair, you should use bleach or highlights your hair first.
Putting blonde dye directly over red would turn your hair orange, but using the right quantity of highlight or bleach would do the trick.
Can You Dye Red Hair Blonde Without Bleach?
No, you cannot dye red hair blonde without bleaching it first. Going from darker colored red hair to lighter colored blonde hair requires a certain amount of organic or manufactured bleach.
If you want blonde hair, you would have to strip your red hair of its natural pigments using a bleaching agent. Below are the bleaching levels and agents you could use in lightening your hair color;
- Hair color remover: This helps rid hair of artificial pigments like dyes. It might bleach your red hair but not strong enough to remove all the color.
- Bleach Bath: Bleaching hair using a bleach bath could give your hair a good base for the blonde look you require. Using this method is gentler on the hair than using full-scale bleach. It also has the added advantage of lifting your base 1-2 levels.
- Regular Bleach: If you discover your hair requires lifting by more levels, then using regular bleach might be the way to go to achieve your desired blonde color.
It is important to note that you would need hair toners to stop your hair from fading and that bleached hair would still contain warm tones.
How Can I Turn My Red Hair Blonde Naturally?
You can turn your red hair blonde naturally by using natural bleaching agents. Honey and plant extracts like lemon juice, apple cider, chamomile tea are all bleaching agents that can help bleach your hair naturally without damaging your hair and scalp. So, how do you bleach hair using these natural products?
Mix Conditioner with Lemon Juice
Using Lemon juice as a bleaching agent has its pros and cons. One of the major advantages is its effectiveness in stripping hair of its color. On the downside, it has a high acid content which could burn your hair if applied inappropriately.
The best way to use lemon juice as a bleaching agent is by mixing it with natural oil or a conditioner, which would help dilute its acidity. After applying the mixture to your hair, you need sunlight to hasten the process.
Using Vitamin C
Vitamin C contains citric acid, which serves as an effective bleaching agent. Using Vitamin C helps lighten hair color and eliminate mineral build-up from hair.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Using cider vinegar as a lightening agent produces slow but better results. It is gentle on the hair and helps dissolve oil and eradicate residue build-up on the scalp. There is minimal risk of hair damage while using Apple cider vinegar as a bleaching agent, and for optimal results, you can apply it as much as two times a week.
After applying Apple cider vinegar to the hair, you should leave it for about 15 to 30 minutes. Afterward, rinse hair thoroughly in running water.
Cinnamon and Honey Mask
Honey contains glucose oxidase and traces of hydrogen peroxide, a powerful bleaching agent. A combination of honey and cinnamon results in a chemical reaction that activates these components of honey, which could make your hair color become one or two shades brighter.
To get the best result, create a honey mask by mixing one tablespoon of cinnamon and two tablespoons of honey. If hair is dehydrated, add one tablespoon of Olive oil to the mix and let it stand for 30minutes to allow the cinnamon and honey to mix properly. Apply the mask to your hair and let it stay for at least 4 hours while covered with a shower cap.
Chamomile Tea
Using chamomile tea as a natural hair lightener has its advantages, like reviving hair’s shine. This tea prevents hair from producing melanin (a compound that darkens hair). While chamomile tea can lighten your hair on its own, it becomes more effective when mixed with honey.
To bleach hair using chamomile tea, brew a few bags and let it cool. Mix the brew with one or two teaspoons of honey and apply to your hair. Let the mixture stand on hair for 1 hour and rinse thoroughly to prevent hair from drying out.
How To Dye Red Hair Blonde Without It Turning Orange?
Below are the important steps to dye hair blonde without turning orange.
Bleaching
This process can effectively remove orange and yellow tones from your hair to make the blonde dye effective. If your red hair is very light, a high-lift dye might be an option for you, eliminating the bleaching process.
For very deep red hairs, two rounds of bleaching might be necessary for all the orange tones to disappear. Since hair bleach damages hair to some extent, you should apply essential oils to your hair a day before the bleaching process.
- With your gloves and cape on for protection, bleach and developer mixed in the right proportions, section your hair section into parts. Sectioning makes the bleaching process more straightforward.
- Use a soft brush to apply the bleach on your hair, use foils and metal clips to mark the sections of your hair where you have applied the bleach to ensure every section is saturated.
- Check your mirror every five minutes to know how much lighter your hair has become. Wash bleach off hair with shampoo to ensure no trace remains on hair to avoid burning and scalp irritation.
- If the hair has an orange tone after bleaching, you would have to repeat the process until your hair has a yellow shade that appears pale.
You must note that before you bleach hair again, you must wait for some weeks to allow your hair to recover. Moisturizing hair daily as well as protein treatments can help hasten the process.
Toning
Toners are dyes that eliminate the warm tones present on your hair. A purple toner is ideal for getting the blonde look you want as it helps neutralize the yellow streaks present in hair. After toning, your hair becomes light blonde while skipping the orange phase.
After toning, you must wash with toning shampoo to maintain and manage your new blonde hair. Using a regular shampoo that contains sulfates would strip your hair of the blonde dye and reveal the warm tone underneath. Also, staying for too long under the sun would bleach your blonde hair if you are not using the right shampoo.
The purple shampoo helps eliminate yellow streaks, while the blue shampoo, on the other hand, takes care of orange streaks. Washing your new blonde hair with these shampoos will keep it looking vibrant for longer.
How To Lighten Dyed Red Hair To Strawberry Blonde?
To lighten dyed red hair to strawberry blonde, here are some steps to follows;
- Shade: first, you have to ascertain how deep your hair shade is as it determines how many bleaching sessions you would need. Light red shades require one to two bleaching sessions. Medium red requires two to three sessions, while dark red shade requires three to four sessions.
- Hair condition: If your hair is not in optimal condition, you shouldn’t bleach it. You have to repair hair conditions like frizz, split ends, tangled hair, and roughness before considering bleaching it. If your hair condition is optimal, get these supplies: Bleaching powder, 30-Volume developer, Hairbrush, hand gloves, and plastic container, and follow the steps below
- Section hair: This involves separating your hair into sections (four) from ear to ear and your forehead to your nape. Separate each session with the use of hair clips.
- Mix Bleaching agent: Using your plastic container, mix your bleaching powder with the 30-volume developer.
- Apply Bleach: Using your gloves, apply the bleach mixture on your hair from its roots to its ends. Do this for each section, ensuring you cover all parts of the hair. Then cover hair using a shower cap to maintain temperature.
- Wash bleach off: After about 20-25 minutes, rinse the bleach off hair thoroughly using plenty of cold water and shampoo to ensure no element of bleach remains on hair.
- Apply strawberry Blonde hair dye: After bleaching hair, moisturize hair intensively for about one week before applying the strawberry blond hair dye.
Red pigments are difficult to remove from the hair and would require you to bleach before you apply any dye. Putting a blonde dye on red hair without bleaching it would result in a red-orange tone, far from the desired blonde. To achieve the perfect blonde hair, you have to strip your red hair of color, and you can do this naturally using honey or plant extracts like Lemon Juice, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, and chamomile tea.
