The opposite of red on the color wheel is green, which means that green can cancel out red tones in the hair. However, it's essential to note that adding green to your hair will result in a brownish color.
I would recommend you fade the red as much as you can with plenty of hot water washes, clarifying shampoo, even hair colour remover before attempting bleach, and do this over time with plenty of breaks and rest for your hair, treatments in between steps ideally.
Banish Unwanted Red Hair Forever with Electrolysis
Electrolysis is the only method approved by the FDA for achieving permanent hair removal, even for red hair.
Baking Soda Paste
Baking soda can be an effective way to remove permanent hair dye naturally because of its lightening properties. Try mixing baking soda with lemon juice, which is acidic, to create a paste. Then, work the paste through your hair, allow it to sit for five minutes, and rinse thoroughly.
Depending on your particular color combination, your hair will likely range from auburn tints to a rich, deep mahogany brown shade. If you want to minimize the red tone altogether for a natural brunette hue (less auburn or mahogany), you will need to use a neutral or cool/ash brunette shade to counteract the red tones.
As you can see in the chart above, to neutralize red and reddish orange tones, you need to use green and blue-green. Ash Grey Additive Contains a mixture of green and blue pigments. The best way to use these colors is to add a little (about an inch) to your regular base color.
If you're interested in trying a hair color remover, we suggest giving the L'Oréal Paris Colorist Secrets Haircolor Remover a try. The salon-inspired formula helps remove unwanted pigments from both at-home and salon dyes, leaving your strands ready for your next dye job.
Nd:YAG Laser
This long-pulse 1064 nm laser is the gold standard for treating red hair. Its longer wavelength can penetrate deeper to target the reddish-brown pheomelanin. The Nd:YAG delivers energy through a large spot size, which helps cover more surface area during treatment.
You can try washing with Dawn dish soap. It may remove some of the new dye If done quick enough. If you can't afford to go to a salon or there are none open for you to go to, you can try using a toner that will help tone down the new hair dye color.
Purple Shampoo on Red Hair:
If you have naturally red hair a purple shampoo may not make much of a difference but it can help those with chemically dyed red hair. Purple shampoo will not fade or remove red color but can impact its visual effect. A purple shampoo used sparingly can help remove bronzy and brassy tones.
Red dye, like any other color dye, penetrates the fibers of the fabric, making it challenging to remove.
“Also look for ash-based colors (blue or green) to neutralize the underlying red/orange pigments that everyone has.” Once you reach your desired hair color, it's important to have a hair-care routine to help maintain it.
Regardless of whether your hair is naturally red or has been dyed that color, you can achieve a beautiful shade of brown from the convenience of your own home. Decide what color you'd like your hair to be, do a bleach wash if applicable, and then apply the dye of your choice.
Tips to Remove Red Hair Dye
Use a clarifying shampoo for best results. A clarifying shampoo cleanses your hair deeply, so it may help to strip the red from your hair. Vitamin C powder is much less damaging than other methods. You may need to repeat the application to get rid of all the red dye.
The biggest cause of red hair fading and turning brassy is over-shampooing. Water and shampoo both affect the cuticle, which causes hair colour to dull. This is especially true with red hair. Hold onto your hue by shampooing as little as possible.
Your best bet is to dye it an opposite color.
Green or cool ash dye will cancel out hair that's dyed red. If your dyed hair is on the warm orange side, use a completely blue hair dye. If your hair dye is a true red, then a green dye will be the most effective.
Baking soda can work effectively as a hair lightener and remove hair dyes.
“Red is the largest color molecule,” explains Jill of this tricky tone. “And that's why getting it out of the hair is equally as hard as getting it to stay in.
Even with the most talented colorists in the best salons, red hair dye will noticeably fade in around four weeks. It can even take a few attempts to get the red pigment to stick to your hair. And even then, red hair is prone to fading and looking orange or brassy.
To take any colour that is darker than blonde to blonde, you would need to have the starting colour lifted. So, in your case going from dyed red hair to blonde, a colourist would first need to lift out the red pigment, usually using bleach, and then placing your desired blonde on top.
Hot Water and Frequent Washing:
This is the least damaging method but requires patience as the results are gradual. Washing your hair more often can significantly speed up the colour-removal process. Use a strong shampoo that does not contain conditioner.