Clarifying Shampoo
If you’re wondering how to remove semi-permanent hair dye without damage, clarifying shampoo is a great way to do so. It is usually used as a product to remove build-up from your hair and scalp left by products used in the past and provides a good detox, however, clarifying shampoo will also target your semi-permanent colour. As mentioned before, semi-permanent hair dye does not target the centre of your hair cuticle and rather sits on the outside of the strands; clarifying shampoo will detect this as a sort of foreign object within the hair and do its best to remove it.
Using a deep cleansing clarifying shampoo is highly effective and safe when trying to remove your hair dye; however, we would recommend conditioning well after using it to ensure you get as much moisture back into your hair as possible. At Manic Panic UK, you can get our ‘Prepare To Dye’ Clarifying Shampoo. This is a clarifying shampoo to remove hair dye, specifically semi-permanent hair dye and is fortified using only vegan and cruelty-free ingredients that do not damage or cause harm to your hair, and as a bonus, it leaves your hair smelling beautiful thanks to its grapefruit extract.
Clarifying shampoo isn’t a colour stripping shampoo, rather it is a gradual solution to removing your hair dye and you will find that the darker and more pigmented your colour is, the more sessions it will take to remove. However, be patient with this product as it is a highly efficient and kind way to successfully remove your unwanted colour.
Keep Washing Your Hair
It might sound silly but as a precaution to stop your colour from fading, we always recommend washing your hair as little as possible so if you’re looking for the opposite effect then water really is your best friend! When water comes into contact with semi-permanent dye it tends to slightly fade the colour anyway, but if you're seriously trying to get that colour out then there are some extra steps you can take in the shower to make that happen!
Wash your hair as much as possible using warm/hot water. Warm water will penetrate the small molecules within your colour and the pores of your hair strands which releases colour and allows it to wash out and fade. Cold water will do the opposite; a cold temperature of the water will actually help to seal the pores protecting the colour from as little fade as possible. Alongside this, if you are skipping a day for your clarifying shampoo, a regular shampoo is a great option for removing colour too as this will also play a part in targeting your colour and gradually removing it.
Colour Remover
Possibly the quickest way to remove hair colour if you are looking for a more dramatic change after just one application: a colour remover. This method is a much more intense and effective way to remove both semi-permanent and permanent hair colour, however, it can leave the hair feeling very dry and sometimes straw-like so we definitely recommend investing in a good hair mask or treatment to get that moisture back into your strands.
A colour remover works by entering the hair shaft, identifying any artificial pigment and dissolving it. Breaking down the pigment takes away the colour's gripping agent allowing it to be washed out when the hair is rinsed.
A colour remover does not contain bleach or ammonia so is non-damaging on your hair and if the plan is to apply a fresh new colour straight after, this can usually still be an option but it’s best to read the instructions. We would recommend doing your research about your chosen colour remover as some can work better than others as they are designed for all types of colour-changing products.
Visit a Professional
If you find that the above options are not working for your hair, then it could be time to take it to a professional. A professional is trained in all things hair including the best way to remove hair colour. With their extensive training, they could have a solution that would work perfectly on your hair that you may not have thought of or couldn’t be executed in a DIY style.
Professionals could use several ways to remove your hair dye from high-quality colour removers to actually lighten the colour to lift the existing pigment out. We do not recommend bleaching semi-permanent dyed hair AT HOME to remove your colour; if not done properly you could drive the colour further into the hair shaft and cause serious damage to the condition and integrity of your hair.
Removing semi-permanent hair colour can be a process of ease or one that might require some patience, either way, we want you all to ensure you are doing it in the safest and least damaging ways possible. If you need further help or advice on how to remove semi-permanent hair dye from hair, please feel free to drop us a message on our social media channels or email us at sales@manic-panic.co.uk. Our team and professional ambassadors are always happy and willing to help you however we can!
