Hair Color Remover

Older woman with beautiful gray hair — Photo: LightField Studios/Shutterstock

Q: I hope you can answer this one. I am a 76-year-old widow who had what my daughters said was “the most beautiful gray color hair”. I turned gray early, as my mother did. I was coloring it and then I let it just take its course. But I felt it made me look older (I guess not the case).

Recently, I dyed it brown and of course it has started to grow out. My daughters have insisted there has to be something I can use to bring back my gray and take the brown away, and I agree with them. Could you please give us some advice as how to do this? I am sure if I used Clorox it would burn my scalp, right? LOL.

A: Well, you can find color remover kits at your local beauty supply store. These kits are designed to remove “artificial hair color” and work best when used to remove demi- and semi-permanent colors. They work less thoroughly on permanent hair color.

Depending on the type of color you actually used, the color remover kit could give you the results you are looking for, but it is more likely that you’ll get the more common result of a “flat, beige color” to the hair after the kit is used.

I’m afraid that if the color remover kit doesn’t restore your gray color, your only real option is to wait and allow the color to grow out. During this time, you should use ONLY demi-permanent color (which washes out gradually over 6-12 shampoos) to mask the unpleasant color results and let your natural gray grow out under the demi-permanent color. Depending on the length of your hair, the process can take a few months to more than a year.

While I realize you were joking, please do not use Clorox or any other household bleach on your scalp. It will indeed burn the scalp – and the fumes can especially burn delicate respiratory tissues - and if it gets into your eyes can cause blindness.

©Hairfinder.com

See also:

How to color hair

What are the best color removers?

Can I use a product to remove my hair color and go all gray at once?