Darken Hair Color

Woman who is coloring her own hair
Photo: 26kot/Shutterstock
Q: My usual hairdresser was having surgery and referred me to someone else to do a semi-permanent hair color touch up. This person had my color formula but just put it on. The result is that my hair became much lighter than I wanted on top. I don't trust this person enough now to go back there and get it "corrected" and my hairdresser won't be returning until August.
 
Is there any simple home product that I can use to darken it up to more of a light soft brown like the rest of my hair until my hairdresser returns? I would be fine with something that simply lasts from shampoo to shampoo because I don't want to over-process my hair.
 
A: First of all, if your hair became lighter at all during the color process, you did not get semi-permanent color. Semi-permanent and demi-permanent hair colors are deposit-only and don't involve lightening the hair at all. With these color formulas the color is deposited and gradually fades over the course of 8-12 shampoos.
 
As for adjusting the results of the hair color you ended up with, you can visit your local beauty supply store and look for a temporary color rinse or temporary color mousse that will cover the lighter portions of your hair until your regular stylist returns to work.
 
You will want to find a color that is lighter than your normal color and remember that these "deposit only" colors will "stack" with the existing color of your hair. This means that when you add the color it will darken not only the hair that is lighter, but the hair that is darker as well.
 
Choosing the lighter shade will minimize the effect, but you can further improve the results if you can isolate the lighter hair from the darker sections.
 
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See also:
 
Hair coloring
 
What is a hair rinse?
 
Potential hair color problems in a salon setting