Things To Consider Before Hair Color Removal That Are Safe To Use

In today’s era, there are a lot of modern trends. One of these trendy styles is colored hair. A study showed that about 75 percent of American women and an increasing number of men have colored their hair at least once.

However, if there has been a hair color mishap, or you should want to go back to your old color, it is possible to consider hair color removal. There are commercially available hair strippers and a lot of home remedies as well which can be used to fade or remove the dye.

Stripping vs bleaching

Stripping and bleaching are two different chemical processes that you can use for hair color removal.

Bleaching uses alkaline chemicals including hydrogen peroxide or ammonia which break down the melanin present in the cortex of your hair. Your hair appears whitish-yellow once melanin is removed.

Stripping is the process in which the bonds between hair dye are broken. This results in melanin giving you your natural color. Stripping does not fade your natural hair color but only the hair dye.

In case you bleached your hair before dying your hair, it will not be possible to regain your natural hair color. This is why bleaching your hair should be avoided, as non-bleached hair also makes the hair color removal easier.

Products needed for stripping hair color at home

To avoid damaging your hair or having a hair color removal mishap, it is recommended to get your hair stripped by a professional. However, there is nothing wrong with trying it at home. You can use any of the commercial hair strippers to fade the dye.

1.Sulfur-based hair strippers

Hair strippers which have sulfur as base open your hair’s cuticle and break down the molecules of dye attached to your cortex. This makes it easier to be washed away. These products are known to target the hair color without changing your natural hair color. This proves to be useful to lighten your hair.

2.Clarifying shampoo

Clarifying shampoos are formulated to deep-clean your hair. These also remove the product that has been built-up in your hair over time. The said shampoos might not have a dramatic result in your hair color removal process. However, they fade the dye over time. If you are using clarifying shampoo for hair color removal, do not use the clarifying shampoo which has “color-safe” written on the label.

3.Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a tried and tested product to fade hair color away. The plausible ascorbic acid lightens the dye by a shade, or maybe even two. Keep in mind that vitamin C doesn’t return your hair to your natural color.

To use vitamin C as a hair dye stripper, you can mix the clarifying shampoo with about a cup of vitamin C tablets. Apply it on your hair and leave it for 30 minutes to an hour. Proceed to rinse out and apply a hydrating conditioner.

Home Remedy for stripping hair color using baking soda

A 2015 research review concluded that alkaline substances, e.g. baking soda, can penetrate the cortex of hair. This helps to remove the hair dye. Some people are skeptical about this method, but baking soda is likely to work better at removing semi-permanent dyes. It might also be able to fade permanent dyes slightly.

You can make a paste using one tablespoon of baking soda with just a little bit of water. Apply it on your hair for about 20 minutes and then rinse out.

Get your hair color stripped by a professional

If you do not want to go through the trial-and-error hair removal process, you can always contact a professional possibly at a salon. They are qualified to strip the hair color and can even assess the damage to your hair to suggest the best treatment. Wrapping it all up, commercially available hair strippers can potentially lighten your hair dye. Home remedies like baking soda can also be tried, but it might not be as effective as properly formulated products for hair color removal.