How to correct hair color that is too dark?

Author: Quincy Cummerata MD  |  Last update: Friday, May 23, 2025

Use Hair Lightener or Toner Hair lighteners or toners are great for lifting darker shades and achieving a lighter shade. Apply the toner or hair lightener to your hair according to the product's instructions. Rinse it out once you've reached your desired color.

How do I lighten my hair after I dyed it too dark?

There are a few ways to lighten a hair dye. You can use a clarifying shampoo, which will help to strip away the color. You can also try using a bleach bath, which will lighten your hair slightly. Finally, you can try using a lemon juice and water mixture, which will lighten your hair over time.

Will Dawn dish soap lighten dyed hair?

Dish Soap

Fortunately, if you go through the effort of using this drying soap on your dyed hair, it can help remove unwanted color. You'll need to do many washes to fade it out, but it is a step in the right direction if you want to remove a color.

How do you get dark hair color out of your hair?

The fastest way to remove hair dye is typically by using a clarifying shampoo or anti-dandruff shampoo. These shampoos contain strong cleansing agents that can effectively strip color from the hair. It's important to follow up with a deep conditioning treatment, as these shampoos can be harsh and drying on the hair.

How to fix a bad hair dye job?

The best way to fix a bad dye job is to use a color-correcting product. Color-correcting products can help reduce the amount of color in your hair to help blend the different tones together and make the new shade look more even.

What To Do If Hair Dye Is Too Dark | 6 Easy Methods To Tone Down Dark Hair Color

How to fade hair color that is too dark?

To make dark hair dye fade faster, you can use clarifying shampoo or a dandruff shampoo, which helps strip away the color. Washing your hair frequently with hot water can also help speed up the fading process. Additionally, exposing your hair to sunlight can naturally lighten the dye.

How can I fix my hair dye wrong at home?

Daily washes with hot water and a clarifying shampoo (not a color-safe shampoo) will go a long way toward washing out your color. Until your hair is ready for another attempt at dyeing, you can use a cool-toned gloss to tide you over with short-term hair color correction while also adding gorgeous shine.

What lightens dark dyed hair?

1. Use a color remover. If you're looking to lighten dyed hair—or want to know how to remove a dark hair color from naturally light strands—you'll likely want to use a hair color remover.

Does vinegar remove dark hair dye?

Many people use vinegar as a scalp cleanser, but it can also remove hair dye, so use caution if that's not your intent. If it is, you can mix white vinegar with warm water and apply it to your hair to remove hair color. Allow it to sit for ten to fifteen minutes, then rinse.

Can you color over dark hair?

If you have dark hair, transforming your locks with hair dye can be intimidating, especially if you bring bleach into the mix. Fortunately, you don't have to commit to bleaching your hair—there are plenty of hair dyes for dark hair that add color without requiring you to lighten (and damage) your mane.

How can I lighten my dyed hair fast?

How to Lighten Hair Dyed Too Dark with a DIY Approach
  1. Mix equal parts baking soda and lemon juice in a bowl to form a paste.
  2. Apply this mixture to your strands.
  3. Leave it on for 45 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
  4. Shampoo with a color-safe shampoo and condition as usual.

What happens if you put Dawn in your hair?

“Dawn dish soap has a high pH level so it opens the hair cuticle, allowing color molecules to be washed away and can, therefore, be used to remove or lighten hair color on your hair,” licensed cosmetologist Laura Dale told Stylecraze.com while reviewing the trend.

Will head and shoulders remove hair dye?

Can Head & Shoulders remove hair dye? Simply put: no! One of the most common myths online is that Head & Shoulders strips colour from your hair more than typical beauty shampoos. All of these claims have something in common – they're not based on science.

What is the least damaging way to lighten your hair?

Natural bleaching agents like apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, chamomile tea, or cinnamon and honey can lighten hair gently and naturally with minimal damage.

How long does it take for permanent hair dye to fade completely?

The length of time that permanent hair dye will last depends on a few different factors, including the health of your hair, how often you wash it, what shampoo you use, and the type of hair dye you use. Generally speaking, though, you can expect permanent hair dye to last anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks.

Will purple shampoo lighten hair dyed too dark?

It's important to note that the pigment in purple shampoo isn't a lightener or hair dye but a gentle toner that works overtime. So it can't darken your hair or make it any lighter. For this reason, if your hair tone is too dark, it won't make it any brighter.

How to fix hair color that is too dark?

Bleeding the color out is the optimal solution providing that you have the right product on hand. A regular or clarifying shampoo would be the best product in this situation, and ideally, you should keep washing it until enough dark dye has bled out of your hair that you're happy with the resulting hue.

How long do you leave vinegar in your hair to lighten it?

For a gentle approach, combine one part apple cider vinegar to six parts water. You can leave this in overnight and repeat until you get the lightening results you want.

What is the best homemade hair dye remover?

Baking Soda and Lemon Juice – Mix two teaspoons of lemon juice to each two teaspoons of baking soda. This is a little messier to apply than some of the other solutions, but it's all-natural and can lighten the hair significantly.

How can I make my dark hair dye fade faster?

Ways to Fade Hair Color

Wash your hair with clarifying shampoo as soon as possible after dyeing it, then rinse with hot water to strip away the color. Try exposing your hair to the elements as well, like the sun, salt water, and chlorinated water. As a last resort, apply a chemical color remover to strip the dye.

Does Dawn dish soap remove hair dye?

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.

What is the best way to lighten dark hair naturally?

For a natural way to lighten dark hair, try using lemon juice and baking soda. Mix them to form a paste, apply it to your hair, and sit in the sun for a while. This is probably the easiest way to lighten your hair with lemon juice and baking soda.

Why do hairdressers hate box dye?

Certain harsh chemicals in popular box dyes have given many stylists pause. Common concerns include: Ammonia - This mixing agent lifts cuticles to deposit colour but is quite drying over time. Peroxide - High volumes like 30+ developer cause more damage to delicate hair.

How to darken hair dyed too light?

1) Apply a darker shade to your hair

Check the result every five minutes or so. When you feel your hair has reached the desired shade, rinse. Tip to remember? Opt for a hair color of the same brand used initially because it will probably contain similar ingredients.

How do you reverse bad hair color?

Some possible fixes include re-dying the hair (either the same colour or darker), nourishing your hair to improve the condition, using toner to touch up the patches, or using gloss treatments.

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