I grabbed the wrong box of Loreal Preference permanent hair color - but of course didn't notice. Last night I did the deed - the dreaded 2 hour process, which was long over due. I have been pulling my hair through a cap and adding light red to mousy brown hair for 20 years (the ends fade to blonde when it's time to re-do and the roots are grown out - but it ends up looking like highlights once you are done - kind of like reverse frosting). So instead of #7 light auburn, I ended up with intense copper red - which over took all of my hair color. My hair is is great condition, and I really didn't want to use a color remover, or go through the process again with an ash color only to be left with ash and burgundy colored hair - not seemly for a 45 yr old woman. So I thought what the heck - try the vitamin c/shampoo first and see what happens. I was really burgundy - so I added a boost of lemon juice and wrapped in saran and left in on for 1.5 hours. The unveiling was fabulous!!! I am so thrilled that I didn't have to ruin the condition of my hair to get back to looking like me. Thank you all - especially experienced gals for posting your results!! Happy Hair!

Well here I am, I have had light blonde colored hair for years now; I had a bee in my bonet and thought I'd look good as a strawberry blonde! So...I used permanent strawberry blonde hair color and thought I looked really good! Well two days into it I looked and mirror and thought "What was I thinking????" My hair was pretty much orange. No matter how you tried to slant it - wasn't pretty - just orange. People at work didn't say anything TO ME but they probably have been saying "Oh My God!" when I came into the office Monday morning. I was resigned to just dealing with my insane woman looking new hair until I came upon this blog tonight! So after reading all the commentary here; especially on the part of the women who had RED hair, I took 4 vitamin C tablets and ground them up (not easy this grounding part) and I added a tsp of shampoo and put it in my hair. Not much seemed to be happening and I could barely soap it up so I took another 4 and small amt of more shampoo and this time I got my hair to lather up all over! I kept checking my hair in the mirror - I was really nervous about doing this - and in about 45 minutes plus or minus I finally decided to wash it out - and....my hair looks almost like it did before I did this! I'm flabbergasted that it worked! Especially since red is impossible to get out of your hair!I love the internet! It saved my appearance today; but of course most of all the women who wrote on this site to begin with...you ladies gave me the courage to try this and I thank you sincerely for writing in this blog in answer to these questions! It worked for me!

My hairdresser told my boyfriend that you can add baking soda to your normal shampoo and leave that soak on your hair. You can also try Dawn dish soap and Tide laundry detergent. Anything that deep cleans will strip your hair of the hair dye as good as you can without going to a salon. After doing this you need to deep condition though because it strips your hair and damages it. I like to use a mayo and olive oil mixture and let it soak for 30 minutes to 2 hours. You can also use hot vegetable oil by pouring the oil into a ziplock then setting it in a cup of HOT water to heat the oil then massaging the oil into hair, also let this set on hair for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

actually i ahve found one way of gradually taking the color out use baking soda and ur shampoo mix equal parts and massage in your hair for 5 minutes wash out and condition do this once a week and it will gradually take the color out of died hair but keep in mind it will not fully take it out just maybe lightrn the died hair back to a more subtle and naturaL color. good luck

Be very careful if you go to the drugstore and purchase something. I went and used a "Hair color remover kit" and it took the color out of my hair but it also burned my scalp, and I literally had orange, yellow, WHITE!!, black, red and brown hair when I was done. there were spots and stripes, it was awful. I would suggest going to a perfessional myself. I had to go the the store, with a towel on my head, and purchase a hair color - dark red-bergundy, to cover up the mess. it worked, but the whole process fried my hair and I was right back were I had started, a head full of coloured hair.

I used to be a hairdresser but and have heard and take note I only have heard that if you mix vitamin c powder one part powder to two parts shampoo that this removes colour from your hair

Heres the exact recipe I have just found it

put in a bowl a nickel or quarter size dolop of shampoo ad vitamin c powder while mixing with a fork to form a frothy paste. Add to your hair thoughroughly work through leave in for half or three quarters of and hour then rinse out, repeat the process if nesacarry. Shampoo with normal shampoo afterwards and condition as usual