Going from dark to light?

[Cambria]

I apologize in advance - I don't know a whole lot about hair coloring! So if my question has a really obvious answer, it's just cuz I'm clueless. I was just told on another board that if you dye your hair darker than it's natural color, you can't just dye it a lighter shade after. You have to either get it bleached and then re-dyed, or have the color professionally lifted. So say I was to just dye my hair like one shade darker than it's natural color and decide I don't like it and just want to dye it back to my natural color. Would a small change like that work? I'm wanting to dye my hair darker, but not if it's gonna be that much trouble if I end up not liking it! What happens when you do try to go lighter from a darker color? Nothing? Or does it turn your hair orange or something like that?

[Cambria]

I apologize in advance - I don't know a whole lot about hair coloring! So if my question has a really obvious answer, it's just cuz I'm clueless. I was just told on another board that if you dye your hair darker than it's natural color, you can't just dye it a lighter shade after. You have to either get it bleached and then re-dyed, or have the color professionally lifted. So say I was to just dye my hair like one shade darker than it's natural color and decide I don't like it and just want to dye it back to my natural color. Would a small change like that work? I'm wanting to dye my hair darker, but not if it's gonna be that much trouble if I end up not liking it! What happens when you do try to go lighter from a darker color? Nothing? Or does it turn your hair orange or something like that?

[FiestyFemme]

I guess it'd be depending on how dark you go. It's recommended to stay within a 2-3 shade range of your natural hair color when going darker or lighter at home. Anything more, especially going lighter, should be done by a professional since most drugstore kits wouldn't have enough bleach to lift the color, which is why people end up with orange hair. So, I think it'd be safe to dye your hair a shade or two darker - hair color always fades and settles. I dye my hair from medium brown (which is my dyed hair color) to a dark brown (my natural color), and it always ends up fading back to the medium brown. Just know that even if you don't end up liking it, it will fade. I hope this helped some... I feel like I was just rambling, LOL

[cutehairdresser]

Erica is totally right about the fading factor. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to go back to your lighter shade after you dye it darker, just make sure it's not too much darker(more than a shade or 2 is gonna be hard to remove if it's dark) If you do decide to go more than 2 shades darker and you are not comfortable with it, send me a message and I'll help you fix it by recommending some stuff from Sally's or your local beauty supply store. You don't need to go spend $50 on re-doing your haircolor when I can just tell you what to buy for $10. I will always be more than glad to help you out whatever you decide to do!

[Cambria]

Thank you both soooo much!

Erica (can I call you that? http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_razz.gif ) you totally helped, and you weren't rambling!! lol I say if you can do it, so can I! I'm gonna give it a shot.

cutehairdresser, I will definitely be requesting your help if I totally screw up my hair and/or just don't like the darker color on me!! Thanks a ton! I'm all for saving money right now!

[DarleneH]

If I were you, I'd try a very temporary color this first time. Aren't there some that wash out in just a couple shampoos or a week? If you like the overall effect, then move on to something more long-term.

Dar