I have dark brown hair and I had my hairdresser put a bunch of blonde highlights in so it looks blonde, and she also did something called "breaking the base" where it lightens the little bit of brown I have so that there isn't so much contrast...
My hair has looked great the past few times I've gone, but I went yesterday and this time a majority of my blonde is now grey. My hair looks absolutely dull and grey, and I need help because I'm at a wedding this weekend.
Can I dye my hair blonde myself without my brown parts turning a funny colour?
please help!!
Kelly, USA
Hi Kelly,
Breaking the base is a great way to create a more overall blonde effect, but it must be done carefully or else the hair goes drab. Unfortunately, this seems to have happened here. Your lightened blonde pieces will have absorbed some of the base break colour. So, let's get into it...
Why do my blonde highlights look grey?
It is annoying when you have had your blonde freshly coloured, only for those blonde highlights to look grey. Highlighted hair is often porous and can take on ash tones heavily – the hair then appears greyish or sometimes even silver.
When you say your blonde highlights look grey, it is often because they take on a grey-blue tone, sometimes all over and sometimes in patches. Sometimes the grey hint can be what you are going for, but usually, the ash tone refers to the absence of warmth in the blonde and is often used to help combat brassy tones – especially when going from dyed brown hair to blonde. Grey tones can also appear due to too much toner being applied or colour bleed through and absorption. Regardless of the result, fixing an ash tone on dark coloured hair with blonde highlights is always a job best left to the professionals!
How to fix blonde highlights that have turned grey
Applying a blonde hair dye will only make the problem worse. Why? Because you are simply only depositing more colour on top, which can not only leave you with a worse looking blonde, but it can also lead to hair breakage. For blonde highlights that have turned grey, I strongly recommend you take a trip back to your salon and get them to sort out the colour. They have access to the right sort of products to fix this sort of problem. I would expect this to be at no extra cost to you. Applying a hair dye at home to correct a salon colour is never a good idea, as it is always difficult to achieve your desired colour depending on the current level and state of your hair. This type of correction is best left to the professionals!
Can I fix blonde highlights that have turned grey myself?
Colour wise, especially with blonde highlights that have turned grey, no! Please do head back to the salon to get the colour corrected. We often get asked ‘how to dye brown hair blonde at home without bleach’, the answer to this is always, do not attempt it. But there are a few things that can be done at home to counteract the grey. Simply washing your hair can help fade the grey tones, so can washing with a clarifying/cleansing shampoo. Cleansers remove colour and product buildup, but do go easy with these, as using them too much can cause the hair to dry out. Shampoos that also have a slight pigment in them can also help to tone colours safely at home. These can come in the form of colour depositing hair masks, such as those available from Maria Nila. These are great at maintaining colour and correcting tones.