Yes, you can dye your hair after using a color remover, but it's crucial to wait and take specific precautions to ensure the best results and minimize damage.
Using a hair color remover lifts artificial pigment from the hair. This process can leave your hair porous and in a delicate state. Applying new dye immediately after can lead to uneven colour, unpredictable results, or further damage.
Why You Should Wait Before Dyeing
After using a color remover, your hair goes through a process of adjustment. The hair shaft, which may have been opened during the color removal, needs time to settle and close. Rushing into dyeing can prevent the new colour from depositing evenly and potentially cause more stress to your strands.
Recommended Waiting Time
Based on expert advice, it's best to give your hair a significant break before applying more colour. If you decide to proceed with dyeing relatively soon after, you should wait at least 48 hours.
- General Advice: Leave your hair as long as possible to settle and allow your hair shaft to close.
- Minimum Wait (If Dyeing Soon): Wait at least 48 hours.
This waiting period allows your hair cuticle to lay flatter and helps prepare the hair for the next chemical process.
Choosing Your New Colour
Hair that has been treated with color remover often takes colour differently due to its altered porosity. The reference suggests a practical approach when choosing your new shade:
- Select a shade that is 2 shades Lighter than the Hair Colour you want to be.
This is because colour remover can sometimes leave an underlying warm tone (red, orange, or yellow), and the hair may absorb the new dye more intensely. Starting lighter allows you to assess the result and potentially adjust later if needed, reducing the risk of going too dark or getting an undesirable tone.
Other Important Considerations
Before dyeing, keep these points in mind:
- Hair Condition: Assess the health of your hair. If it feels dry or brittle, consider deep conditioning treatments before dyeing.
- Porosity: Hair that has had colour removed is often very porous. This means it can absorb pigment quickly and intensely. A porosity test (dropping a strand of hair into water to see if it sinks quickly) can be helpful. Highly porous hair might need protein treatments to help even out the cuticle before dyeing.
- Strand Test: Always, always perform a strand test before applying the new dye to your entire head. Apply the dye mixture to a small, hidden section of hair (like underneath) to see how it develops. This is crucial after using a color remover, as results can be unpredictable.
Summary Table: Dyeing After Color Remover
| Action Recommended | Detail | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Wait to Dye | Ideally as long as possible. Minimum 48 hours. | Allows hair to settle and shaft to close, reducing damage and improving result. |
| Choose New Colour | 2 shades Lighter than desired. | Accounts for increased porosity and potential underlying warm tones for a better outcome. |
| Assess Hair Condition | Check for dryness/damage. Treat with conditioning if needed. | Prepares hair for processing, helps achieve a more even result. |
| Perform Strand Test | Apply dye to a hidden section first. | Essential to predict the final colour outcome on color-removed hair. |
By following these steps, especially the waiting period and shade selection advised, you can increase your chances of successfully colouring your hair after using a color remover.
