Hair help needed

I had my hair highlighted two weeks ago and it was way overdone. My
natural haircolor is dark blonde and the highlights were too light and
too many. I went back to the salon last week and asked for lowlights
to get rid of a lot of the highlights. Now the lowlights are too dark
and too many. Instead of dark blonde hair with medium blonde
highlights, I have medium brown hair with dark blonde highlights. Is
there anything I can put in my hair to wash some of the brown color
out? I don't want to put a permanent dye or a bleach in my hair, just
get rid of some of the color that was added. And I don't want to take
all the color out or I'll be back to having the too many and too light
highlights again. Is it possible to correct this?

David RL Gärtner, RMT...

i'm sorry to hear about your predicament. it would be very
difficult, IMO, to correct your hair at this point. i say that
mainly because you now have three very different colours in your
hair. you could try using a clarifying shampoo, or (from what i
hear on the street) Dawn dishwashing liquid, to try and get some
of the brown out of your hair. but you'll need to use a bunch of
conditioner afterwards. as a stylist, i don't usually recommend
that people use dishwashing liquid on their hair, but i've heard
it helps strip colour. or Prell shampoo.

pattymaci...

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I had some Dawn and I said what the
heck, I'll try it. My natural hair is super soft, very shiny, and very
limp, so I wasn't too concerned about conditioning after. The Dawn
lightened my hair enough that I can live with it until I get it
professionally done. I've been depressed for two weeks about my hair
and last night in bed, as I was falling asleep, I thought of
alt.fashion! I got up, posted, and went back to bed. Signed on this
morning and there was the answer. What a great place this is.

David RL Gärtner, RMT...

yes, it is a great place! i've learned so much from reading here
in the last five years. and actually, the Dawn trick i learned
about here, too.

The salon I've been going to for years closed recently so I tried some
place new and much more expensive. What a mistake. This morning I
tracked down my former hairdresser at her new location about a half
hour away and I'll be going there. Unless you're thinking of
relocating to Mass, lol.

David RL Gärtner, RMT...

i'd love to live there, but it just doesn't seem to be in my
future. i visited Providence in 1995, and i loved it! and i got
to march in the parade in Boston that summer. that whole part of
the country is so incredibly beautiful, it takes my breath away.

if you're still thinking of correcting what's been done to your
hair, find a competent stylist first. i wouldn't recommend
returning to the salon where you had the first two processes done
- no telling what they might do to you. talk to your girlfriends
who've had colour done and ask who they recommend. find out if
they've ever had any "disasters" and ask who they went to for
colour correction. find out what the salon used on your two
visits, and have that information ready for you new stylist.

i would NOT recommend that you try correcting this at home.

i hope this has helped you some. try not to be discouraged, or
disheartened.