Perhaps, changing the color of our hair is so popular because it is in fact a great fun! You kind of transform yourself turning from one person you have always seen in a mirror into someone else, unknown and mysterious. However, such experiments sometimes tend to end up with regrets, especially if something went wrong and the final color appeared to be not quite (or completely different from) what you expected.
This is why the requests like dying over blue hair appear so frequently! And in this article we will share a detailed guide about how to cover blue hair, and what color cancels out blue.
The Best Color to Dye Over Blue Hair
When it comes to defining what shade is the optimal one to cover blue, be sure that brown dye over blue hair, as well as brunette and dark red colors will be the ideal solutions. Also, you can try out any shade that includes orange notes in it, for instance, copper.
You might have heard lots of myths about covering blue hair with other tints, especially about how blue works with yellow and orange shades. Nevertheless, the truth is that among all the possible shades you can dye over blue hair, orange ones may give you the biggest chance for success.
This is why, to surely cancel blue tint on your tresses, consider opting for a color that is based on orange. As for the yellow-based shades, those may work, too, but we would not be that confident, to tell the truth.
See, blue (no matter what shade it is, light or dark) is quite a stubborn color ro apply to your locks. To be precise, it is among the most difficult colors to get rid of along with green, which is the worst one, and the red color as well.
Check out the comparative color chart to see how different blue tints will combine with dyes applied on top of them, and what color we will get in the end.
| Light blue | Medium blue | Dark blue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | Brown | Brown | Brown |
| Red | Purple | Purple | Purple |
| Black | Black | Black/blue | Black/blue |
So in order not to mess up and completely ruin your chevelure when experimenting with colors, we would strongly recommend consulting a good specialist in a salon for what shade you should apply to get rid of the boring blue.
Will Black Dye Cover Blue Hair?
An issue of dying other colors over blue hair is a frequent point of concern for many of those who love taking risks and experimenting with their appearance.
Usually, people go for radical changes and steps when the color they applied on their strands becomes hard to get rid of. For instance, when you dye your mane green or any other crazy color, and then, after multiple yet useless attempts to strip it out, all that you get is a faded but still visible greenish tint with some hints of blue.
In such a case, the only possible way out seems to be dying that blue hair black. However, here comes another trouble: will black cover the blue? Well, basically, if your hair is not too damaged already, and if it takes color well enough, there is a big chance for success! It would be better if you take a red-based black though, since it will cover the blue tint much better.
Applying Red Dye Over Blue Hair. Possible Or Not?
Technically, everything is possible! However, when it comes to coloring one tint over another on your own hair, everyone tends to become more or less serious since if we do a wrong move, fixing the problem may cost us way too much, too much of everything from time to nerves and money.
So what could possibly happen if we apply red hair dye over blue? If you go on the internet and do a small research, you will see lots of different opinions and theories. Some say that the resulting shade will be purple since, according to the theory of color, red mixed with blue gives exactly this shade.
However, folks that are experienced in hair color transformations assure that, if we dye red over blue, we will most likely get a weird mixture of purple and blonde which will be either patchy or stripey!
Surely, this is not the most welcome perspective, so our advice is to be brave and go to a salon that you trust. Simply ask a professional what you can do with that blue you are already tired of, and how you could perform the new transformation without completely destroying your hair.
Will Purple Hair Dye Sit Over Blue?
Those who have ever applied purple dye over any blue tint know for sure that such a procedure may often end up in some greenish hints appearing here and there on the strands.
To have a perfect purple over blue hair, the best solution is to simply apply that purple several times to make sure no green will show up. However, remember that bleaching is not recommended since it will transform your blue into green making the whole color changing procedure way more complicated!
How to Color Over Blue Hair
So, we finally approached the most thrilling question of how to cover blue hair. As we already figured out, the optimal color replacement would be brown, and now it is the right time to learn more about dying brown over blue hair step by step.
Basically, the process will be pretty much the same as when you dye your hair:
- Grab that brown dye kit you chose keeping in mind that it must be either permanent or semi-permanent.
- Get your mane ready. First of all, remember that each of these dyes (perm and semi-perm) must only be applied on dry hair! So brush your locks thoroughly detangling each strand, and make sure there are no knots or kinks left, otherwise, the pigment will not be applied smoothly and evenly.
- According to the instructions attached to the coloring kit, blend the components and prepare the dyeing mixture. Ensure the substance you get is homogenous.
- Now put the gloves on, and off we go! Start applying the coloring mixture accurately moving from roots to the hair tips. Be very attentive since not a single inch of the hair must be skipped! Some say it will work even better if we gently rub the coloring substance into the tresses with our fingers just like we do with the shampoo, but in our opinion, this is totally up to you. At least, even if you don’t follow that piece of advice, the final result will not be worse.
- After all the dye is applied, let it stay and work on your head for half an hour, but not longer than forty-five minutes.
- Finally, there is the ending stage of the performance! Rinse your freshly-colored locks until the water is clear and better avoid using a shampoo or anything else since it can lead to the newly applied pigment being stripped out of the hair. However, a hair conditioner will be a good option for hydrating your locks.
As you can see, there is nothing difficult in covering one dye with another. The biggest fuss and concern is about what shade to pick up, and for this one, you’d better ask a professional unless you are the one yourself.
Handy Tips to Consider Before Heading to Coloring Process
It is not a secret that coloring hair often ends up with a disaster. Ruined locks, disgusting colors, and total disappointment tend to come to those who are new to hair dyeing stuff since newbies often either skip some important rules or simply are not aware of them at all.
So, to save you from any possible hazards, we picked up the most useful tips that will help you to avoid any unpleasant effects on your strands when changing their color from blue to brown.
- Bleaching over blue hair is not necessary in this case! When you apply bleach, there is a big possibility that bleaching out blue hair dye will turn the blue into green which will make the further coloring even more complicated. Besides, bleaching is super aggressive for our hair.
- For transforming your mane from blue to normal brown, make use of either permanent or semi-permanent dye. This also excludes the need of bleaching the mane.
See, semi-permanent pigment will be a more preferable solution in case you are very strict about your hair routine. It contains no ammonia which means you will be able to refresh your mane’s color more often with no gross effect.
However, if you tend to forget things, better stick to the permanent option since it will allow you to skip those frequent and regular refreshing dyes.
- For an easier and better result, we would recommend you to wait until your blue locks fade a bit. The less blue pigment remains in the hair the simpler the upcoming transformation will turn out to be.
- Consider what tone of blue you have right now. If it is a very dark tint, then for making it brown, opt for a brown 4. In case you have a light-blue shade, using a brown 6 will be absolutely fine. Simply speaking, the darker the blue on your mane, the darker the brown must be to cover it properly.
- To better pick up the brown tone, double-check what blue you have right now. If it is a very deep blue also known as midnight or navy blue, your best brown will be brown 4.
In case your blue is what we usually call a middle tone (for instance, ocean or marine blue), stick to medium brown 5 tone.
Finally, lighter blues like baby blue or sky blue tints will require the same light brown 6 tone to cover them.
Taking Care Of Freshly Dyed Locks
All right, so you have successfully got rid of that blue tint on your locks, and now what? Right, now it is the right time to think of how to revive them after such a massive attack of coloring pigments and stuff.
Any color change that implies using chemicals is a great stress for our tresses, this is something that needs no additional explanation. Respectfully, proper maintenance is a must to keep the mane healthy and good-looking.
And even if you undergo this procedure seldom, being aware of what steps to take to make your tresses happy will anyway be handy:
- Avoid washing hair too often, two or three times a week is more than enough. This will mostly influence the fresh dye, but anyway, your hair needs some rest now, so leave it alone.
- Skip shampooing. Yes, you got it right! Try to stick to only your conditioner for a while, and you will see how shiny and soft your mane will become.
- Shift for a color-protecting shampoo. The less pigment is washed out the less frequently your tresses will need color refreshment. Proper washing – less stress.
- Provide the recently colored locks with enough hydration and nourishing. Your locks will say thank you for that, and you will be pleased with their healthy look.
- Remember to protect your mane from heat! Blow dryers and styling tools are better to be used along with special protecting sprays. Your hair is already too dry, don’t make things worse.
- Protect your hair from being exposed to the UV-rays even in winter to prevent the color from being faded too soon. The same is true for the swimming pools: always wear a swimming hat when visiting them.
- Finally, consider eating healthy. Our hair reacts to our food quality a lot, so the more fresh foods you have (fruits, veggies, dairy, etc), the healthier and stronger your locks will be.
So now you are well aware of how to transform the fantasy blue tint on your hair into something more common like brown. No matter which type of dye you choose, better head to the salon to have it done right since fixing improperly re-dyed locks may turn into a true nightmare!
Good luck!
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