Dear My Hairdresser,
I’m about to use Colour Remover for the first time and I wanted to know what should I expect my Hair to be like afterwards? Honestly, I have a lot of questions and I was wondering if you could answer them. Here’s the list.
Is doing it once enough?
Does Colour Remover smell?
If I leave it on longer, will it remove more?
Will it lighten my Natural Colour?
How long after can I Colour?
Is it true that my Hair will go orange?
And, if my Hair is orange, should I Tone then Colour? Can I Tone straight away?
Thanks in advance,
Millie
My Hairdresser
Hey Millie,
I'm going to put it out there, we are Colour Remover fanatics. We’re obsessed with watching the Hair transition right in front of our eyes and get excited at the prospect of our next CR session. It's always fun to have a first timer amongst us, seeing the panic before and the relief once it's done. So let’s answer your questions to turn you too into a believer.
It differs from person to person how many times you will need to Colour Remove. Your Hair may be cleared out the first time, or after 2 or 3 goes. It depends on key factors: how long you have been Colouring your Hair, the type of Colour you're Removing (eg: Black / darker Hair Colours will take longer to remove) and your amount of Colour Build Up. It's really important for your Hair’s health and future Colour’s vibrancy to get that Colour Build Up out, so keep Colour Removing until it's all out. (Have a look at our Colour Build Up page for all your questions)
Colour Remover definitely has a distinct smell. The key ingredient that gets the work done and removes the Colour is the smelliest (typical). It will go after a few good shampoos.
If you leave Colour Remover on for longer than instructed, it will not remove more Colour.
Colour Remover is bleach free, so it does not have the ability to lift/Lighten your Hair. There is no point wasting that liquid gold on your Natural Hair, keep it on the areas that need to remove the Hair Colour.
We like to wait at least 48 hours before Colouring and longer when you are lightening the Hair. After Colour Removing your Hair shaft is completely open, so it absorbs anything you put on your Hair. This can make your Colour a lot darker. So when reColouring, choose a Colour 2 shades Lighter than your desired Colour outcome.
Your Colour Removed Hair will be warmer than your Natural Colour. This brassiness is from the Developers / peroxides you used in your previous Colours. It’s a part of the process.
Once you have Colour Removed, only Tone your Hair if you are happy with the Colour level/Lightness and just want to eliminate the Warmth. We advise to wait 48 hours to let the Hair settle. If you can’t wait, remember your Hair shaft is open and extremely absorbent, so keep a close eye on your Hair during the process as it may not need to be left on your Hair for as long as normal.
Alternatively, if you want to Colour your Hair and remove the orange/Warmth, wait 48 hours and choose a Natural or Colour with a Cool Tone (a Colour with Ash or Beige) to Tone down the Warmth.
Good luck Millie, make sure to send us some before and after pics!
