Gray Streaks after Covering Highlights

Woman with hair problems after covering highlights
Photo: Levichev Dmitry/Shutterstock
Q: I (like an idiot) decided to color my hair. So, I bought some [brand name omitted] for brunettes, and my hair did not turn out the same color as on the box. I got the one with the most beautiful lady on the box. I had blonde highlights that I wanted to cover up because my roots were very dark, my base was light brown and as I said I had blonde highlights.
 
Well, the stupid stuff said that it wasn't for blondes, and I didn't think I was a blonde. I mean they should put percentages on the box - such as not even 15% blondes should use it. NOW I HAVE GRAY STREAKS IN MY HAIR. I DID NOT HAVE GRAY HAIR UNTIL I PUT THAT STUPID JUNK IN MY HAIR.
 
I like the color that it turned out to be, I just don't like the gray streaks that have taken the place of the doggone blond highlights I was trying to get rid of. Is there anything I can do to fix it? It is subtle but still noticeable. Thank you for your help.
 
A: The first thing you should do is relax. This is fixable. What has happened is that the base color used in the kit you purchased reacted to the base color of the blonde highlights to produce a bad color reaction. I'd wager that if you step out into direct sunlight and look at the gray streaks, you'll see a slight greenish tinge to them.
 
What you need to do is go to your nearest beauty supply store and get three things: a bottle of red-orange base hair color in a color level close to the color you wanted or a little lighter, a small bottle of 20-volume developer and a small bottle of a moisture-rich conditioner.
 
You also want to make sure you have gloves and a plastic cap, as well as any color bottles or bowls and brushes you may need while at the beauty supply store. With these products we are going to create a color-correcting "conditioner cap".
 
You want to combine 1 oz. of the hair color formula (they come in 2 oz. bottles) with 1 oz. of the 20-volume developer in a bowl or color bottle. Then add 2 oz. of conditioner to the color and developer and mix them thoroughly. Mark the time you begin applying the conditioner/color mix to your hair.
 
Apply this mix to the gray streaks first, and wait until 10 minutes have passed then apply the remainder of the conditioner/color mixture to the rest of your hair and massage to evenly distribute the mix through the hair. Cover your hair with a plastic cap.
 
At the twenty minute mark, rinse the conditioner/color mixture from your hair thoroughly and dry the hair completely. You should find that the gray streaks are now blended away. If they were particularly stubborn, you can always repeat the process with a new batch of conditioner/color mix, and up the processing time to a total of 30 minutes. I do, however, recommend that you wait a day before repeating to avoid "over-conditioning" the hair.
 
©hairfinder.com
 
See also:
 
How to color hair
 
Can I dye my highlights?
 
What color should I use to cover my blonde highlights?
 
Do I need to use a color remover before I color over highlights?