Dyeing your hair is always a risk. You might end up with the wrong shade or a completely different color. For example, while dark brown is not much different from medium brown, it’s far from green.
Unfortunately, green is the color many women see when trying to turn their locks from blonde to brown.
Why Does Brown Hair Turn Green?
There are a few reasons your hair might’ve turned green:
You Used Ash Brown Hair Dye Over Blonde Hair
If you previously lightened your hair with bleach (which adds yellow undertones) and then decided later to go dark with brown hair dye, you’ll see green because any ‘ash’ shade of brown hair dye has blue pigments.
When hair is blonde or another really light color and ash brown hair dye is added, the tones in brown dye mix with blonde and make green.
High Porosity Hair
If the ends of your light-colored hair are split, dry, or rough, then they absorb color easily because they’re weak (also known as high porosity). When you dye your hair brown, the ends will absorb the brown’s undertones, which is why you see green.
Other Factors
Chlorine and salt water can react with hair pigments which can contribute to turning your brown hair grey. Also dirt or oils can also be the culprits.
The Annoying Pigment Treatments
All our hair colors have remaining natural pigments. For example, blonds have a pigment, which is yellow.
So when they try to turn brown, their color becomes orange. That’s why many blonde women are looking for ways to counter the brassy color.
Brown hair also has an orange pigment; however, it’s redder than the case with orange. So when you dye your hair, you need to remember the opposite colors of the spectrum.
- Red – Green
- Orange – Blue
- Yellow – Purple
Girls with brown hair have orange pigments that can be neutralized by blue. Blondes need some purple. But if you give the blondes some blue, you end up with green. The pigment math might be tough to grasp.
However, the annoying results are easy to fix if you know what you are doing.
How To Get Green Out of Your Brown Hair
Many have faced the problem of hair turning green after dying it brown. It is because of the natural pigments of human hair that behave differently with brown color dye.
Whatever the reason is, it is pretty annoying for most of us. However, there are some easy and quick solutions to get green out of your brown hair.
1. Fast Food Maniac
You’ll be amazed at the easiest, cheapest, and quickest way to neutralize the annoying green color. Did you guess? Find a red shade somewhere. One of the sources is ketchup!
Here is what to do:
- Buy a big bottle of ketchup and get ready for a fairly unpleasant experience
- Squirt the ketchup on your head and massage it into the hair
- Cover the head with a shower cap
- Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes (the longer, the better)
- Take the cap off and take a long shower
This quick fix method is suitable for situations where you don’t have access to professional hairstylists and hair products.
It won’t make your hair get the perfect shiny brown color you’ve dreamed about, but it can neutralize the green effectively until you get to the professional’s chair.
The copper color attaches itself to the hair shaft, and by oxidizing it while dying, you get green hair.
Ketchup is made out of tomatoes and vinegar. Both contain acids that can neutralize the reaction, which causes your hair to turn green.
Remember that this trick will work only if the problem is moderate. It won’t yield any results if the green is overwhelming.
2. Another dyeing session
Now that the red color has neutralized the green, we can select the right hair dye to fix the problem. You need a red-based hair color, which is a good match to the darkness of your hair.
For example, medium brown hair needs medium chestnut color and so forth. Don’t forget that you shouldn’t look for red hair color. Your goal is to find a color with a red base. Take a look at popular brown shades. Many of them have red bases.
- Put on your gloves and mix color and developer in the bowl at a ratio of 1:1.
- Divide your hair into 0.5 by 2-inch sections. It can help you apply the color evenly.
- Take a look at each section and only cover the greenish parts with color. You might want to use the brush. Such a dyeing process might require you to get help from a friend to make sure that all the green parts are covered.
- Wait 15 minutes for the color to settle.
- Apply the dye to the rest of the hair.
- Wait another ten minutes.
- Wash your hair as usual. Shampoo it twice to get all the unnecessary dye out.
3. Bleach It
If when you see your brand new greenish locks, you suddenly change your mind about becoming a brunette, it’s perfectly understandable.
A simple way to get rid of the greenish pigment is to get rid of all the color altogether. Then, you can consider bleaching your locks to get the desired results.
Even though this method can help you 99% of the time, it means you have to damage your locks and forget about dying your hair brown for a while. However, it might be an excellent choice for avid hairstyle experimenters.
Green in your hair is not a problem, so don’t panic. Instead, calm down and use one of the above methods to make your hair shine again. If your hair is still greenish and needs color correction, don’t worry; a professional hairstylist can always get it fixed if you fail at home.
FAQs
Will vinegar get rid of green hair?
A paste of vinegar and baking soda can help remove green tones from brown hair. Apply it onto dry hair and let it remain for 20 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.
Use a hair conditioner afterward. Multiple applications might be required, but allow your hair to rest for a few days each.
Does baking soda get rid of green hair?
Yes, baking soda can also be used by itself to neutralize green shades in brown. Mix it with warm water to make a paste and apply it to the hair. Wait twenty minutes before rinsing after which your hair will be clean as if you used shampoo.
Don’t forget to use a conditioner, though, because even though your hair will feel smooth, baking soda is still damaging.
What color cancels out green tones in brown hair?
Red is the most common color used to cancel out the green tones in brown hair. Another product you might try is a pink toning conditioner.
Will ketchup remove green out of brown hair?
Yes, many people use ketchup to remove green from brown hair. Ketchup works because it is red, and red is opposite to green on the color wheel.
Will clarifying shampoo fix brown hair turned green?
Not really. A clarifying shampoo only works when brown hair is tinted green. It won’t completely remove all green hair dye, but it’s a good solution to help it fade.
You May Also Like
- How to Stop Brown Hair Color From Turning Red
- Hair Turned Green After Dyeing Silver
- Hair Turned Green After Dying It Blue
- Blonde Hair Turned Brown: How to Fix It
- Explore The Possibilities of Brown Hair Dye
- Get Orange Out of Blonde Hair
FAQs
3 Easiest Fix: Hair Turned Green After Dying Brown? ›
These products include baking soda, lemon, apple cider vinegar, aspirin, and even ketchup! If you're going for baking soda, mix it with water into a paste, massage it into the affected area, and let it sit for several minutes. Then simply rinse it out using shampoo and conditioner.
How do you fix green hair after dying brown? ›Red Shampoo
Using red toning shampoo is the quickest and most potent way to remove green tones from your hair for good. It's designed to deposit red pigments onto your strands to cancel out the green ones and refresh your hair color.
When it comes to what color cancels out green tones in hair, red is your answer. This is because red sits directly opposite of green on the color wheel and these two colors effectively cancel each other out, and the warm tones help prevent green tones.
How do I get the green out of my hair? ›Mix 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup of baking soda with water to form a paste. Once your paste is ready, apply it to the areas that have turned green. Let it sit for three minutes, then rinse out with shampoo and conditioner. You may need to reapply the paste a few times, depending on how intense the green is.
Will dark brown cover green hair? ›Most green hair dye users go for Dark brown hair color look also to remove the effects of green hair color. Brown looks soothing and coffee-like on the hair. Green when covered with Brown hides to about 80%.
Does clarifying shampoo get rid of green hair? ›How to remove the green color from blonde hair? If the discoloration isn't too bad, you might have luck with a few home remedies. You can try a clarifying or swimmer's shampoo, allowing it to sit on the hair for a few minutes before rinsing.
What color cancels out blue green? ›So what color cancels out blue-green hair? If you look at a color wheel, the shade opposite blue and green would be orange and red. So you'll need to mix equal parts copper and red hair dye to cancel the color out.
Why is my hair green after dying brown? ›What causes a greenish hair tint in brunette locks? This may happen if you dye too porous or damaged hair, and your base hair color is more on the cooler side or has ashy undertones. Most often a greenish undertone happens when you dye your hair from light blonde to dark.
Does vinegar remove green hair dye? ›One of the most popular and effective ways to remove green from your hair is using apple cider vinegar. Simply mix one part apple cider vinegar with two parts water, apply it to your hair, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.
Does ketchup get rid of green hair? ›When your hair is green, you need to neutralise it with red. But finding a red toner that won't colour your hair can be difficult. That's why tomato ketchup is your quick and easy solution. I know, it sounds crazy but it works.
What is the natural remedy for green hair? ›
Lemon juice – Saturate your hair with lemon juice and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before shampooing and conditioning as normal. Lemon Kool-Aid – Mix the Kool-Aid with water and apply it to the green areas in the hair and let it sit for several minutes. Shampoo and condition normally.
Does baking soda damage hair? ›In general, baking soda is abrasive and can leave your hair and scalp dry. Using the powder as a shampoo is more likely to be effective for people with extra oily hair. People with dry hair should consider following the rinse with a conditioner to moisturize the scalp.
Can blue shampoo turn hair green? ›Yes it can. If your hair is pulling a heavy yellow tone and you use a blue shampoo, you get green. Same as when we were kids in school learning about primary, secondary and tertiary colors. I am unfamiliar with your terminology, but you should use a anti-yellow shampoo if hair is too yellowish.
Can I put black hair dye over green? ›Black is a pretty dark colour able to mask any undertones. However, bleached hair tends to be porous, where your black will fade faster. As long as you green fades faster underneath, it will not have muddy tinge.
What does green hair color mean? ›Green hair represents the cycle of reproduction and change. Greens also tend to be rejuvenating characters: healers. Yellows are also rejuvenating characters, but they tend to focus on the emotions while greens heal the body. Green hair, like red-heads, have sexual connotations.
What is the best color to dye over green hair? ›First, purple is one of the best colors you can use to mask off the green shade in your hair. You can try purple highlights even if you don't want to go all purple. This color is an excellent option for people who like bold colors and badly need a break from green.
Will the green in my hair fade? ›Keeping your hair vibrant at the shade you want can be a frustrating process, especially since green tends to fade pretty quickly. By using the right products and protecting your hair from damage, you can make your green color last longer and spend less time worrying about your hair color.
How do you prevent your hair from turning green after dying it black? ›If you want to dye your blonde hair black, and not get green, you must start with a color filler. To do this, you must simply apply a permanent dye of an intermediate shade, without using peroxide.
How do you stop green hair dye from bleeding? ›Use conditioner to keep color dyes from bleeding onto lighter hair. During the dyeing process, coat lighter hair in conditioner to protect it. The conditioner will act as a shield when you rinse the dye itself out, lessening the unwanted contact that the dye has with your hair.