Ugly Re-Growth

Blond with red hair color
Photo: Nastya22/Shutterstock
Q: I have been dying my hair for over 5 years now the same old color blond at the top and red at the bottom. I've had enough, and I'm letting it grow out as my hair is damaged and looks really unhealthy now.
 
My natural color is dark blonde so the re-growth coming through is really ugly looking. Is there a way I can get my hair back to its normal color fast? I hate the re-growth; it's just so ugly!
 
A: Well, you have very limited options given that you acknowledge that your hair is damaged from the frequent color processing you've undergone in the past. My first recommendation is that you should visit your local salon and speak to their colorist about whether your hair would survive a "tint back" procedure.
 
A "tint back" is simply a color procedure to return your hair to something as close as possible to your natural color. It is not possible to remove the hair color you have and leave the hair's "natural color". The best possible hope is to lighten or remove the current color and apply a color that closely matches your natural color.
 
If the stylist at the salon feels your hair would not survive a "tint back" procedure, you can still avoid having to live with the re-growth. You can select a temporary or semi-permanent hair color to give the hair an attractive, uniform color while the old color grows out.
 
If you choose a temporary color, you will need to reapply it every time you shampoo your hair. Semi-permanent hair color will last from 6-12 shampoos, but may last longer on the areas of the hair that are already damaged from prior coloring.
 
I am sorry that I cannot recommend a more immediate resolution, but the important thing is to avoid doing any further damage to your hair.
 
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See also:
 
Hair coloring
 
Damaged hair
 
How to touch up gray hair roots
 
Temporary, semi-permanent and permanent hair color