What is Corrective Hair Color?

Coloring your hair is a great way to express yourself, but the process may be more complicated than you expect, especially if you try it at home with box dye. Fortunately, the professionals at Daireds Salon & Spa Pangea in Arlington, TX, offer corrective color services.
New to hair dye and unsure if corrective color is right for you? Let’s take a look at what color correction is and who can benefit from it.

What Is Corrective Color?

Corrective color, also called color correction, uses pigments and chemicals to achieve the hue you want. Why is this necessary? Lingering hair dye can interact with new pigment, creating challenges to control results if you’re unfamiliar with the process. Fortunately, professional hairstylists can use their knowledge and experience to turn drab hair into the perfect shade.

What Is the Color Correction Process?

Depending on your situation, color correction can take multiple appointments over several weeks. This is to give your hair time to recover between applications, as many of the chemicals used are drying or damaging. Your stylist will determine precisely how long it takes to achieve your desired hue.

Even if you only need one salon visit, be prepared for several hours in the chair. Applying the chemicals, waiting for them to process, and washing them out can take upwards of six hours.

Hair Dye

If you want to go from bleached hair to a darker color, your stylist will likely use a two-step dyeing process. Since bleach pulls pigment from your hair, going directly to a dark hue typically results in muddy, uneven coloring. Instead, your stylist will likely dye your hair a shade of red to add warm tones back into the strands. This allows the darker hue applied in the second step to adhere fully.

Dyeing is relatively gentle on hair, so you don’t have to worry about the process of damaging strands. However, your stylist may still advise two sessions due to time constraints.

Hair Toner

Anyone who’s gone blonde will be familiar with this next item. Going platinum, silver, ash blonde, or white results in a stunning effect, but other hues can creep in overtime, turning your gorgeous locks brassy. Many stylists recommend clients use a toner at home or wash it with special shampoo to avoid the worst of it. If you notice brassy tones, a corrective color session can remedy the situation with toner, which can neutralize unwanted hues, returning your beautiful locks to their former glory.

Bleaching Your Hair

Bleach strips color from hair, which is why it’s the preferred method of going blonde or preparing the hair for more vibrant shades. However, the chemicals can be incredibly damaging to hair, so stylists bleach hair in stages. The lighter you want your hair (and the darker your natural color), the more stages you’ll need.

When Should You Seek Corrective Color Services?

How can you tell if your hair color can be fixed with a little DIY or if you should start looking for a professional in Arlington, TX? First, if you’re not sure how to fix your hair, don’t try to experiment — you don’t want to damage your locks beyond resurrection. Second, you should make an appointment if you’re in any of the situations described below.

1. You Don’t Like the Color

If your hair didn’t turn out as you wanted, then it’s best to consult a professional hairstylist — especially if you used box dye. On your own, you may not know exactly what went wrong, which means you can’t figure out how to fix it. A trained colorist will be familiar with the chemical processes that yielded those results and can use corrective color to shift your shade in the right direction.

2. Your Color Is Fading

No matter how diligent you are with upkeep, eventually, your color is going to fade. Fading is especially noticeable with vibrant and unnatural shades.

So why not just dye your hair the same color again? Depending on the hue, you may need to take extra steps. Dye rarely fades to a lighter shade of the original hue — instead, certain tones tend to go first. For example, teal usually fades to green, purple usually fades to red, and blue usually fades to gray.

3. Hair Coloring Is Uneven

Whether it’s the result of a bad beauty parlor visit or difficulty applying dye to your hair, you should seek corrective services if your coloring is uneven. Uneven coloring can look patchy or streaky, ruining an otherwise beautiful shade. Fixing the issues requires finesse and expertise, which is why you should seek the help of a professional.

4. You Want to Lighten Your Hair

Bleach is easy enough to come by, but few DIYers know how to use it correctly — a quick Google search will show you just how easy it is to ruin your hair. If your locks have been chemically treated, the risk of damage is even higher.

Instead of potentially frying your hair, see a professional. Licensed cosmetologists understand how to apply bleach for minimal damage and know what products are necessary to revitalize hair after the bleaching process.

5. Your Dip-Dye Didn’t Turn Out

Ombre has been a hot fad for a while, but it can easily go wrong in unpracticed hands. If your dip-dye turned out blocky or didn’t fade as intended, you need a professional’s help. Ombre requires careful application, so it’s best to let someone with experience and training fix the issue.

6. Your Highlights Look Like Stripes

Highlights can add depth and make dyed hair look more natural. Unfortunately, they can also look like stripes if not placed correctly. Since this involves hair that’s already chemically treated and potentially additional bleaching, you definitely shouldn’t attempt to remedy the situation at home.

7. Platinum Blonde Is Going Yellow

We’ve mentioned brassy tones before and the miracles that toner can work. Yellowing is a similar issue, with blonde strands gradually going corn-yellow rather than orange. In this case, your hairstylist will use a purple toner to neutralize the yellow, bringing your locks closer to their intended shade.

How Can You Prepare for Color Correction?

If your hair is extremely dry or damaged, you’ll want to spend a little time taking care of it. That means giving it a few weeks to recover from the first coloring process and nourishing it with moisturizing conditioners and a hair mask every week. However, the day before you go to your color correction appointment, you’ll want to change up your routine with clarifying shampoo.

People with colored hair are advised not to use a clarifying shampoo, as it can remove pigment. However, if you’re going in for corrective color services, this is exactly what you want. Clarifying shampoo won’t remove all the pigment, but it will clear away many product buildup and leave your strands ready to absorb new colors.

Get Hair Color Correction in Arlington, TX

Do you need help with a hair color disaster? The professionals at Daireds Salon & Spa Pangea in Arlington, TX, can transform your locks with the shade you’ve always dreamed of. For more information on our services or schedule an appointment, give us a call at (817) 465-9797 or contact us online.