3 Quick Ways to Remove Stubborn Hair Dye!

There comes a time when a girl just needs to move on. But how can you kick that pesky green or blue hair to the curb when it refuses to leave? Find out now!

I remember back when I didn’t believe that blue or green hair dye was the hardest to remove. Boy, have I learned my lesson over the years! I’m not a person who avoids a beautiful color because it may not fade as gracefully as others, it’s hard to maintain, or it’s “hard to remove”. The harshest reason I could give for not dying my hair a certain color is that it’s too dark or too light for a season or for my current vibe. After much research on how to remove stubborn hair dyes, I found myself in the forums of a fashion resale app asking for advice. The advice I got changed my life!

Technique 1: Use Splat’s Semi-Permanent Hair Dye Remover

Can you say, holy grail? This is my go to when I want every speck of dye stripped from my hair to go a lighter color or pastel. Pros: it’s easy to use, you get gloves plus a plastic cap in the kit, it’s Ammonia/bleach-free, and the formula is very strong but still does very little noticeable damage to hair. It already comes premixed, you just cut the nozzle, shake it up, and apply! You only have to leave it on for an hour, but I like to leave it on for 1-3. If you have any extra product, you can save it for later! You can re-dye immediately afterwards! Cons: it’s very expensive for the amount that you get. I normally purchase it at my local Walgreen’s, and FYI the price fluctuates from about $17 to $9. But don’t despair!

Technique 2: Mix Head & Shoulders shampoo with baking soda.

Bam! This is a cheaper and fairly strong method to remove a dye that tries to defy your wishes. I use this most often, because the Splat dye remover is pretty expensive for my budget. I think this mixture is really similar to Splat’s product; give or take a few chemicals. The trick is to use the original Head and Shoulders formula, because it is 100% white in color. If you can’t find the original, try to find the store brand version of Head and Shoulders or the Head and Shoulders Shampoo+Conditioner Almond formula (it’s white too). I’ve used the Green Apple formula of Head and Shoulders before I knew the difference (which was slightly green) and it left a light green tint in my hair (which isn’t bad if you’re going to dye your hair a green color or a dark color). You can find boxes of baking soda in the baking aisle of your grocery store for cents on the dollar. I usually need 2 boxes of baking soda for all my hair. Pour the baking soda in a bowl, and mix in a little bit of Head and Shoulders at a time until the consistency is a bit wetter than wet sand and everything is incorporated. Too much shampoo will ruin the effectiveness of this mixture. Keep trying until you get the hang of it! I like to apply this mixture a few times and let it sit on my hair for about 5 hours each time (you don’t have to wait that long, an hour at least is fine too). I like to deep condition after this technique because it’s kind of drying on the hair. Then I apply whatever dye I want! This "hair mask" is not for the faint of heart!

Technique 3: Wash your hair with a strong, sudsy cleansing shampoo in really hot water!

If you’re really strapped for cash, use what you’ve got! If you don’t have a cleansing shampoo, use the strongest shampoo you have. If you’re not sure which is strongest, think of the shampoos you avoided when your color was fresh. Any deep conditioner, shampoo/conditioner, or other product that makes your dye bleed will do. Once you’ve found that magic product, use it a few times to get as much color out as you can! Head and Shoulders shampoo by itself is great. I usually keep a huge bottle on hand for this technique and technique 2.

I hope these techniques help you get rid of all those stubborn dyes that you no longer want! Let me know what you think of these techniques or if have some you want to share in the comments below!
Talk to you soon,