Beauty

[Summer Shine]

i have medium to dark brown hair, light to medium complexion with green/ blue eyes. I used to color my hair at home with a dark golden brown Demi  permanent but decided my hair was looking all over too dark so I decided to try highlights. I've had them done several times but have not been happy with them, they look orange. I am going to a master stylist with lots of training in hair color,  what is the problem? This last time I told her I didn't want them to look orangey so she tried a more neutral color but my hair still looked a bit orange and my once dark hair now looks just blah mousey  brown with no shine. The look I want is a medium dark shiney base with honey highlights to warm up my complexion. My hairsyle is a short bob. I love my stylist, she's great with my cut. I quess it could take some trial and error to see what works but I really want to get it iright this time! Any advise?

[Ms X]

You could add shine yourself if you used Redken Shades EQ in CLEAR.  You can get it on Amazon.  Does your hairdresser use this brand?  It's a semi-permanent dye that comes in a wide range of colors as well as the clear.  I've been told that you need to select a lighter color swatch than what you expect the end result to be on your hair.  For example, if you want your hair to be 4N you might select a 5N.

There are other products in the drugstores that are like the clear Shades EQ, but I haven't used them to add shine.  Maybe someone else has.

[Summer Shine]

Thanks  for your reply MsX. It isn't just the lack of shine , its that my once dark brown hair now looks all over lighter brown, dull blah  color and no shine. I defiantly want to fix the base color, I had roots only dyed last time. Wondering if I should get an all over base color along with highlights or maybe just go back to one all over color. 

[Ms X]

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@Summer Shine wrote:

Thanks  for your reply MsX. It isn't just the lack of shine , its that my once dark brown hair now looks all over lighter brown, dull blah  color and no shine. I defiantly want to fix the base color, I had roots only dyed last time. Wondering if I should get an all over base color along with highlights or maybe just go back to one all over color. 

_________

There are a lot of hair experts on this board, so I'm sure someone will be along with advice on that.  I just wanted to let you know what I do when I want to add shine to my hair.

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[Carmie]

The orange color is showing through because she left your hair too gold when she lightened your highlights.  She needs to lighten your highlights enough so that they are not gold before she puts on the final color. They should be a more pale color of blonde.

If she has a bottle of blue color she could mix in few drops in with the color.  Blue will cancel out the orange... And no, it won't make your hair blue. Colors like green, blue and red are colors used to custom mix.  They are not used by themselves

blue cancels orange color

green cancels red

purple cancels yellow

she should have these colors in her arsenal

[I am still oxox]

Hi lights are done after or at the same time as color not before

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@Carmie wrote:

The orange color is showing through because she left your hair too gold when she lightened your highlights.  She needs to lighten your highlights enough so that they are not gold before she puts on the final color. They should be a more pale color of blonde.

If she has a bottle of blue color she could mix in few drops in with the color.  Blue will cancel out the orange... And no, it won't make your hair blue. Colors like green, blue and red are colors used to custom mix.  They are not used by themselves

blue cancels orange color

green cancels red

purple cancels yellow

she should have these colors in her arsenal

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[Carmie]

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@I am still oxox wrote:

Hi lights are done after or at the same time as color not before

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@Carmie wrote:

The orange color is showing through because she left your hair too gold when she lightened your highlights.  She needs to lighten your highlights enough so that they are not gold before she puts on the final color. They should be a more pale color of blonde.

If she has a bottle of blue color she could mix in few drops in with the color.  Blue will cancel out the orange... And no, it won't make your hair blue. Colors like green, blue and red are colors used to custom mix.  They are not used by themselves

blue cancels orange color

green cancels red

purple cancels yellow

she should have these colors in her arsenal

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highlights are done with either power bleach or a liquid bleach.  When hair is lightened, many layers of natural hairy color is removed.  When your hair is brown, you must remove many shades.  If you don't remove enough color, you are left with brassy gold/orange hair.  A color is applied to the bleached hair to get what looks best.  This iIs a two step process done during the same visit.

Many times with lighter hair color, you do not have to apply color over the bleached hair.

since the OP is getting orange hair, her colorist needs to bleach the highlights it to a lighter shade than she is now doing,then apply a toner in the desired color....Adding a drop of blue to combat the orange.

Some people colt their hair, then add highlights or low lights and other people keep their natural color and just high light or lowlight.

I am a licensed hairdresser who specialized in corrective color.  I know my stuff.

I don't know why you are telling me that hilights are done the same time as the color

And not before.  

[Kat 213]

Hi, @Summer Shine. If you want to try coloring/highlighting yourself, I have had excellent results with Loreal Color Experte (box includes highlighting kit).  Your hair color sounds similar to mine and I also get mousy with brassy results with other products sometimes.  I live in a small town with not a lot of shopping options, but Walgreen's carries these.  Check out Brioche and Almond Roca.  I usually use Brioche but the base may not be as dark as you want.  This summer I used Feria Hi-Lift Brown and loved it.  It gives an allover shimmery brown color.  I usually get highlights from the sun anyway.  I have only had my hair colored in the salon once or twice in my life.  In my opinion, you can get the same or even better results with store bought color.  Unless I decide to go blonde one day, then I will have a professional do that!!!  I always get compliments on my hair color.  I can't justify spending big bucks if I can do it myself. Hope these help!!

[I am still oxox]

I have been coloring and hi lighing my dark hair of 25+ years and 50% of the time my hairdrsser will apply my base and then do the the hi lights at the same time. Other times they will do my base wash my hair dry it and then do the hi lites, I am usually short of time so the first method is prefered

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@Carmie wrote:

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@I am still oxox wrote:

Hi lights are done after or at the same time as color not before

---

@Carmie wrote:

The orange color is showing through because she left your hair too gold when she lightened your highlights.  She needs to lighten your highlights enough so that they are not gold before she puts on the final color. They should be a more pale color of blonde.

If she has a bottle of blue color she could mix in few drops in with the color.  Blue will cancel out the orange... And no, it won't make your hair blue. Colors like green, blue and red are colors used to custom mix.  They are not used by themselves

blue cancels orange color

green cancels red

purple cancels yellow

she should have these colors in her arsenal

---

---

highlights are done with either power bleach or a liquid bleach.  When hair is lightened, many layers of natural hairy color is removed.  When your hair is brown, you must remove many shades.  If you don't remove enough color, you are left with brassy gold/orange hair.  A color is applied to the bleached hair to get what looks best.  This iIs a two step process done during the same visit.

Many times with lighter hair color, you do not have to apply color over the bleached hair.

since the OP is getting orange hair, her colorist needs to bleach the highlights it to a lighter shade than she is now doing,then apply a toner in the desired color....Adding a drop of blue to combat the orange.

Some people colt their hair, then add highlights or low lights and other people keep their natural color and just high light or lowlight.

I am a licensed hairdresser who specialized in corrective color.  I know my stuff.

I don't know why you are telling me that hilights are done the same time as the color

And not before.  

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[Campion]

Get a rec in your town for a colorist. They may not be a good haircutter, but they will have a reputation for coloring hair.

Get a consult. Tell her (or him) that you get orange highlights and you don't want that. They will know how to concoct the color to neutralize redness or brassiness. 

My colorist (before I learned to do my own) always put blue in my color because I need ashy tones. I have no red or blonde in my dark hair. I do my own now with violet-ash tones (Madison Reed) because I could finally find a color I can buy that doesn't have yellow or red. Most over the counter drug store color has no ash or blue or neutral because that color is difficult to manage. So they don't put it out there.