What is Hair Color Correction?
Published Nov 28, 2021
If you’re obsessed with those fantastic-looking hair with gorgeous colors on Pinterest, you’re not alone. So many of us have a certain hair color we always dream of having. But a botched dye job can quickly turn that dream into one of our worst nightmares.
Unfortunately, a botched dye job is all too common nowadays, especially for DIY hair colors. This is why hair dyeing, particularly complex ones, should be left to professionals. After all, they’re called professionals for a reason.
If you’ve been a victim of a botched dye job, your hairstylist has probably recommended a hair color correction.
What is Hair Color Correction?
In a nutshell, hair color correction is a hair styling procedure used to fix damage caused by careless hair dyeing.
Botched hair dyeing jobs usually leave you with uneven colors or brassy tones that make your hair look more orange than blonde. Sometimes, the color you end up with is just a tad too light or too dark than what you originally wanted. A poorly done bleaching job can also cause visible dark patches. Color correction hair helps you get rid of these so you can finally get the hair color you want. Or at least make your hair look more presentable.
Color corrections are common in any type of art that deals with mixing and matching colors. From painting to makeup and hair dyeing, each has its own way of correcting coloring errors. But unlike makeups, hair colors tend to be more permanent. So the color correction process for hair is a lot more complicated.
How Color Correction for Hair Works
Correcting a hair color isn’t exactly a straightforward process. There’s no silver bullet to correct all types of hair dyeing mistakes. There are several factors you need to consider, such as:
- the color you’re aiming for
- your current hair color
- the condition of your hair
If you get professional help, the first thing the hairstylist will do is assess the damage. For example, is your hair color too light? Too dark? Patchy? Or perhaps it’s too brassy?
Depending on the damage, the process usually involves applying purple shampoos and toners. Purple or blue neutralizes yellow colors and brassy undertones. If you’re dealing with patchy colors thanks to a botched bleach job, another round of bleaching with a special focus on the darker areas may correct it.
For simple issues like brassy undertones, you can easily remedy them at home. But if you’re not that confident with your hair dyeing or bleaching skills, better not risk it and consult a professional.
Color Correction by Bleaching
Your strands are not monochromatic. Instead, numerous underlying red, yellow, and orange pigments combine to create the color you see in your hair. And if you’ve ended up with an unflattering brassy orange or garish yellow color in your hair after attempting to lighten it with bleach, the chances are you didn’t leave the bleach in long enough to remove those unwanted pigments.
After a week or so of allowing your mane to recover from the bleach, you can attempt to lighten your hair further. However, exercise caution! Bleach depletes essential proteins and nutrients from your hair, and repeated exposure can be extremely damaging. A skilled stylist can assist you in maintaining healthy, lustrous hair while achieving the bombshell blonde look you desire. In addition, a restorative hair mask can aid in the protection and restoration of your bleached mane.
(Related: 5 Reasons You Should Be Using Shea Butter For Your Hair)
Color Correction with Toner
Hair toner is used to tone down brassy tones, resulting in a more fabulous blonde or light brown hue. The color toner you should use is determined by the brassy shade left by your poor bleach job.
If your hair has become more yellow in color, you will require a purple toner or purple shampoo. If your mane is more orange than you anticipated, you’ll need a blue-toned toner.
Color Correction with Dye
Often, the least invasive and most effective color correction for bleached or too-light hair is to dye it darker. A skilled stylist will first “fill” your hair, reintroducing pigment into the strands, imparting warmth, and preventing your final color from appearing flat and muddy. Then, a second dye session will achieve the desired color and depth for your mane.
Bleach tends to happen. Fortunately, there is always a way out. So now, go ahead and rock that perfect shade!
How Long Does It Take?
Hair color correction usually takes hours, depending on what process needs to be done with your hair. Sometimes it can take up to 6 hours, especially if you’re going for a specific color. While some correction processes like lightening a darker shade can take several sessions.
What to Avoid When Doing a DIY Color Correction Hair
As we mentioned countless times in this post, hair color corrections are much better left to professionals. But if you insist on doing it at home, here are some common pitfalls you should avoid:
- Do your research. Before you buy a purple shampoo or add another color to your hair, do your research first. Different hair types react differently to dyes. So that color you see on the label may not necessarily be what you’ll get.
- Avoid the sink. It does not have enough pressure to remove all the excess dye from your hair. So you may end up with even more uneven patches.
Space out your bleaching sessions. This is usually a rookie mistake. If you’re bleaching your hair, don’t do it all at once. Otherwise, you’ll end up bald or with burnt hair.
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About The Author
Krizzia Paolyn is a professional blogger whose work has reached millions of people worldwide. She has a bachelors degree in Psychology and a passion for beauty trends.
