If your first reaction after botching a DIY dye job is “how long should you wait to dye your hair again“, take comfort. Perhaps there won’t be as much waiting as you anticipate.
In most situations, you’re going to need to wait two weeks before you can book an appointment to re-dye your hair.
Learn how long you should wait before getting your hair colored again by reading on.
How Long Should You Wait to Dye Your Hair Again?
You should wait at least two weeks after your last dye session to re-dye your hair, regardless of the reason.
By doing so, it will be ensured that the initial application has had adequate time to penetrate the hair shaft and won’t fade too quickly.
Additionally, it gives you a chance to correct any application errors or tone down any overbearing traits from earlier applications.
After all, you wouldn’t want that flawless blonde shade to turn green as a result of not waiting long enough between colors, would you?!
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Why Do I Have to Wait to Re-dye My Hair?
If you’re using demi-permanent or permanent hair dyes, it’s extra important to wait two weeks before re-dyeing your hair.
Generally speaking, the longer a hair color change lasts, the more harm it does. A color-depositing conditioner and demi-permanent hair colors, which are more temporary hair coloring methods, do not penetrate the cortex and thus do less harm. The disadvantage is that they don’t last as long in your hair and aren’t as vibrant.
Because they penetrate your hair cuticle and color your strands from the inside out, demi-permanent hair dye, permanent hair dye, and hair bleach all last longer. Overprocessed hair may feel dry and brittle due to lifting the cuticle, which can lead to damage.
The cuticle can remain lifted if you bleach or dye your hair repeatedly without taking a break, leaving the vulnerable cortex of your hair strands exposed.
The best thing you can do for overprocessed hair is to give it a break from bleach and dye. Certain care techniques, such as rinsing with cold water and using the right products, can help smooth lifted cuticles.
What Happens If I Re-dye My Hair Too Soon?
If you dye your hair too soon, you can cause permanent damage to your hair cuticle, which will make your strands feel dry, frizzy, and rough. Common signs of overprocessed hair include:
- Drastic changes in hair texture
- Hair breakage
- Increased cowlicks and flyaways
- Increased split ends
- Hair loss and thinning
It’s crucial to visit a stylist you can trust if you’ve overprocessed your hair to develop a plan to mitigate the effects.
A final dye session to restore your hair to its natural color, suggestions for restorative products, and a recommendation to stick with protective styles until the damage has healed are all possible recommendations from your stylist if you are exhibiting multiple signs of overprocessing.
At-Home Color Correction Tips
If you’re still not sure that it’s time to visit the salon, you can try adjusting your color on your own at home. To help you flawlessly correct your current color issue, we have some useful color correction advice.
Don’t Overlap Color Or Bleach
If your color was uneven, patchy, had lines or bands, or was applied too far from the roots, you will need to go over the missed areas with bleach or the same color dye to correct the problem.
However, when using bleach or dye, you should exercise extreme caution. During your second pass, watch out to avoid coloring or bleaching any previously colored or exposed areas twice.
- If you overlap color, you’ll get the dreaded “halo effect” or color banding effect. It consists of a band of overlapping color that appears darker than the rest.
- Overlapping bleach results in the overlapped area being processed twice, severely damaging it.
Fixing Botched Black Dye Requires a Pro
If you used black hair dye, just know upfront: Even with home color correction techniques, it probably won’t change. A professional usually needs to strip black box dye over the course of 1-2 salon visits.
Many people claim that the best outcome of removing black dye is getting the hair to a light yellow or orange color so it can be recolored or lightened to a pleasant shade.
Use a professional dyeing service if you’ve previously dyed your hair black and want to fix it. Too much processing could weaken and noticeably break your hair, making it weak and brittle. In order to minimize damage to your hair, a professional can perform the procedure.
Lighten Too-Dark Hair Dye at Home
If you’re itching to re-dye your hair because it came out too dark, wait! Without recoloring or bleaching, which will further harm your hair, there are ways to lighten your hair dye.
It’s best to avoid doing this right after dying your hair because chemically stripping it is just as damaging. Instead, you can lighten your color using natural techniques like a white vinegar hair mask or a shampoo slurry with baking soda and dandruff.
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Give Brassiness the Boot With Shampoo
If your color came out too warm or brassy, it can be tempting to re-dye your hair to cover it up. However, you’ll need a quick fix for brassiness because you’ll need to wait at least two weeks before dyeing it again. It might work if you use a toning shampoo.
Purple shampoo targets unwanted yellow pigments that appear in bleached blonde or gray/silver hair. Orange pigments that are unwelcome and appear in brunette shades are targeted by blue shampoo.
Determine which type of toning shampoo you need and use it 2-3 times a week to get rid of any brassiness. If the brassy pigments are still present after two weeks, you might want to use a cool-toned demi-permanent toner.
Follow Up With a Damage Repairing Hair Mask
Whether you decide to hold off on dying your hair again, visit a salon for color correction, or go ahead and take the risk of dying it again too soon, your hair will have been damaged to some extent. Pick up a hair mask for damaged hair—that’s the best thing you can do.
Keratin or other protein sources will be found in damage-repairing hair masks to repair the bonds in your hair that have been broken by bleaching or coloring.
Conclusion: How Long Should You Wait to Dye Your Hair Again
It’s difficult and risky to correct colors. You don’t want to dye or bleach your hair once more too soon because that could result in permanent damage.
After applying one color to your hair, it is advisable to put off another color treatment for at least 2 weeks.
Keep in mind that hair dye is an extremely alkaline substance, and this fact alone will harm hair strands to some extent. Adding developer to the mix, which aids in lifting the topmost cuticle layer to let the dye molecules inside, creates a recipe for significant breakage and damage.
Read More: How Long Does Temporary Hair Dye Last?
FAQs
Can I Dye My Hair Again the Next Day?
You can dye your hair again the next day. In contrast, you’ll probably need to switch up your previous color.
How Long to Wait for Hair Dye to Set?
In general, dyes should stay on for 30-45 minutes max before rinsing out with cool water and shampooing as usual.
How Often Should I Dye My Hair to Cover Gray?
If you’re dealing with a lot of gray hair, you should touch up every four to six weeks.
