Black Hair Dye Removal & Dawn: Hair Care Question of the Day

Black Hair Dye Removal & Dawn: Hair Care Question of the Day

Black hair dye removal and a Dawn Dish Detergent query has once again crossed my inbox, although different than what has been posed in the past. A reader would like to know if the common household item would remove her black hair dye.

Happy Hump Day hotties, and welcome to Ask the Pro Stylist’s Q&A for the day. Sammie wrote in last week with the following question regarding black hair dye removal and Dawn Dish Detergent.

Hi! I just ran across your blog and wanted your opinion. I have chest-length hair, so fairly long, and it’s actually in a pretty healthy state right now. I’ve had to cut it off before from being fried with bleach. I have black underneath my hair and it’s been underneath for 6 years (so a LOT of black has been applied…. twice a year) and I’m finally sick of it…. I have used a tiny bit of bleach to test out what it did to my hair where some of the black was and I’m fearing that it will fry if I do it all underneath and I’ll have to cut it off again. So a friend recommended dawn detergent to strip the color because it’s not direct bleach, but will strip the color. I have the It’s A 10 Miracle Hair Mask deep conditioning treatment, which has done wonders on my hair, so the dryness wouldn’t be a huge issue, but just curious if you thought it would fry the hair? Thank you.

Thank you for writing in Sammie. Kim Kardashian recently went dark to blonde to dark again. My friends at Matrix offered great advice for drastic changes such as Kim K., and I agree. Not only am I a beauty writer, but also a working professional, so here are my thoughts on how you should conquer the black hair dye removal.

First, let me refer back to a similar question a friend had about using Dawn Dish Detergent as a monthly clarifying treatment.

Anything in moderation is not harmful and a “teeny-tiny bit of Dawn Dish Detergent” would probably not hurt, but there are better products to clarify the hair, than the common household item. EWG has listed the ingredients and a few are allergens, as is many beauty products, but my point is use hair care for hair, and household products for the home.

Once hair leaves the skin it is dead, therefore no product in the world could return it to its natural state of health after black hair dye removal with Dawn or bleach. And let’s be clear, Dawn Dish Detergent cannot remove 6 year’s of black hair dye. It’s a 10 will help its condition, however, only frequent trims with the help of a professional is recommended in your instance, or any for that matter, as I am a huge advocate against home hair dye.

As Matrix Celebrity Hairstylist George Papanikolas stated in a recent interview, “Bleach lightening is the only option to get dark hair light. “Therefore, if you have planned or attempted to use a box from a pharmacy to emulate Kardashian’s platinum blonde hair, forget it and run to a salon for a professional consultation.

To care for such an intense color change, The Matrix master recommends Biolage HYDRASOURCE Mask to “keep hair soft and moisturized because the bleaching process can be very harsh and damaging to dark hair.” Use the mask weekly in conjunction with Matrix Oil Wonders Shaping Oil Cream “to keep the hair soft when styling and prevent from over-drying.”

Going as blonde as Kim Kardashian is not recommended for everyone warns George. “Anyone with a lot of artificial hair color, very dark hair, or hair that isn’t healthy” should avoid a high-lift platinum color. “Not everyone’s hair can be lifted to platinum, especially very dark/black hair. Lighteners can give you up to seven shades of lift, (Dawn cannot) so going past that put’s the hair in danger territory.” It is imperative to visit your favorite hair care professional for an opinion on such a drastic color change.

If platinum isn’t your intended result, try a medium brown/red shade. The black would still need to be removed, however the process isn’t as exacting and should ONLY be done in a salon. Colorists have formulas they use that are mixed with lighteners, yet not as harsh as straight bleach, especially if used at home. This is probably your best bet to maintain the integrity of your hair for your black hair dye removal.

Today’s photo is courtesy of LaBlanc Salon Hairextensions-USA.com. If you have a question similar to Sammie’s black hair dye removal query, please email me at DeirdreHaggerty@gmail.com. Until then, happy styling!