What to Do when You Hate Your New Hair Color

by Catherine Q. O'Neill

Fairchild Archive
Fairchild Archive

Kim Kardashian and "relatable" don't exactly go hand in hand, but when she tweeted about being "so annoyed" that she'd dyed her hair dark? I felt her pain. (In the last three years, I've gone from brown to blonde to reddish and back to brown--with more than a few second thoughts.) Here's what I learned to do when I hated my dye job:


Speak up. The first time I hated my color, I left the salon mute. When I finally mustered the courage to book a corrective appointment three days later, my colorist wasn't upset that I wanted a change--he was frustrated that I'd waited to tell him. He could have fixed it before I left the first time. "Your color isn't done until you're happy with it," he told me. I've never forgotten that.

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Change your makeup. Every celebrity I've interviewed says she's had to adjust her makeup after a major hair-color change. New brunettes might find they need to go heavier on the blush to keep themselves from looking washed out (Olivia Wilde bumped up her cheek color when she went dark). And depending on their skin tone, blondes might need to soften their eye shadow or lipstick shade. Either way, you'll need to experiment a little to get it right.


Consider your hairstyle. When I got ombré highlights, I couldn't stand the way my hair looked blown out straight. But when I curled it or let it dry naturally: sun-kissed perfection. Make sure you tell your colorist how you like to wear your hair, so she can give you color that matches your style.

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Get glazed. Glazes aren't just for shine--they're also amazing color correctors (and much, much cheaper than another dye job). Colorist Kim Vo told me that every one of his celebrity clients gets one before the Oscars, and for good reason: They eliminate brassiness, boost golden tones, and can even deposit just the right amount of semi-permanent brown or red to get you through until your next appointment.


Have you ever hated your hair color? How did you fix it?

For tons more hair ideas and inspiration, check out Allure Hair: The Ultimate How-to Hair Guide, available on newsstands.

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