FAQ: Can I Color Very Dark Hair To A Red Shade?

Question:
I have been bleaching my hair, which I got tired of. I decided to color my hair dark brown (my natural hair is dark with reddish tones) to give my hair a break from bleach. But now, I would like to color my hair red. Can I use red color over my colored hair?

Answer:
This is a little complicated issue. If you just colored your hair dark brown and then decided to go red, you need   to lift the dark pigment to lighter shade with the help of hair color remover or bleach first. Then use the desired mixture to tint your hair desired color. Unfortunately, lighter shades in regular permanent tint (color) will not lift your dark pigments from your hair.
If you colored your hair dark brown a while back, then you are dealing with a natural color at the root area AND a deposited color on your previously colored hair. Then you need to remove color from a previously tinted hair only to a lighter shade, and then color the hair with the desired shade all over. However, the natural hair at the root area may give you a slightly different shade than the section of your hair that you removed color from with a hair color remover/bleach.
Down the road, you may also experience the color fading from the area that you used bleach on.

Credit:
The above image is a property of Schwartzkopf.

Note:

This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.