Coloring your hair can be a big commitment, often involving bleach and significant changes to your hair’s health. While a new hair color can be fun, you may want to go back to your natural look later.
With this in mind, you may ask, does dyed hair return to its natural color? Read on to learn more about transitioning from dyed hair to your natural shade.
Does the natural color return after dyeing?
Yes! If you have colored hair and long for your natural locks, fear not – your natural hair color will eventually return. You can get your natural hair color using different methods, including lightening shampoo, additional hair color, and simply letting your roots grow out.
Letting your roots grow out is the obvious way to restore your natural hair color. Although your hair color will gradually fade, the only way to get your pure, original hair color back is to let your undyed hair grow.
Growing your roots is a slow process that requires a lot of patience – after all, most hair only grows about half an inch every month.
As your natural hair grows out, you may want to get highlights to make the transition more attractive. A blush or ombre look, for example, might be better than a thick mass of different colored roots.
You can also speed up the fading process of your hair color by using a good lightening shampoo. Regular use of a cleansing shampoo will help lift the color and fade your painted color faster.
Will my natural hair color return after using a semi-permanent color?
Semi-permanent color penetrates your hair less than permanent color, and thus fades relatively quickly. Between your hair growing out and the semi-permanent color fading, you can expect your natural hair color to start returning in at least two months.
As a less aggressive form of hair color, semi-permanent hair colors begin to deteriorate as soon as you start washing your hair. Every time you wash your hair, the shampoo lifts some of the pigment that the semi-permanent hair color deposited in your hair shaft.
After a few weeks of washing your hair, your semi-permanent hair color will fade significantly in tone.
Remember that if you bleached your hair before applying the semi-permanent color, the faded color will reveal your bleached hair, not your natural hair color.
The only way to go back to your natural hair color after bleaching your hair is to dye your hair a shade similar to your natural color or wait for your roots to grow out.
However, since semi-permanent color causes much less damage than permanent color, you can safely dye your hair to a more natural color while you wait for your hair to grow out.
Does permanently dyed hair return to its original state naturally?
Transitioning from permanent color to your natural hair color is a bit trickier than dealing with semi-permanent color. When you use permanent dye on your hair, the dye chemically changes your hair to deposit the dye.
Thus, the only real way to get your natural color back is to let your hair grow. If you want to dye your hair a new color that matches your natural shade, you should work with a professional colorist.
Adding another color on top of your permanent color can cause serious damage to your hair, and a skilled hair colorist will know how to devise a safe plan to return your hair to a natural shade.
What is the fastest way to restore natural hair color?
There is no real quick way to get your natural hair color back. If you need to quickly change your hair back to a natural shade, you will need to dye your hair a matching color or cut your hair short so that your roots have less length to grow.
If you choose to dye your hair a color similar to your natural hair, be prepared for a gradual coloring process to avoid damaging your hair with excessive chemical treatments.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind losing some length, cutting your hair to a shorter style is a great way to speed up the transition process. When you cut your hair, you remove a lot of the dyed hair and you won’t have to wait as long for your roots to grow out.
So, can you return your hair to its natural color after dyeing?
In short, your dyed hair will grow back to its natural color. If you want to speed up the process, you can cut your hair short or use color to match your natural shade.
Otherwise, you can wait patiently for your roots to grow out and use a clarifying shampoo and highlights to allow for a smoother transition.