10 Best Hair Color Removers You Can Use At Home

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No matter how extensively you research store-bought hair dye or how thoroughly you go over those inspo pics with your stylist, sometimes, your hair color simply doesn’t turn out how you expected it to. But whether it’s an at-home dye job gone wrong or you’re just not in love with your latest salon highlights, hair color blunders can be fixed—and, no, you don’t have to grow your hair out or wait months for the dye to fade.

“The biggest request to remove color is when results are too dark or off-tone,” explains Mark DeBolt, a celebrity colorist and co-founder of Mark Ryan Salon in New York City. Clients also might seek color removal when highlights have been toned too cool or too dark, leading to a grey or greenish tint, he explains.

Meet our experts: Mark DeBolt is a celebrity colorist and co-founder of Mark Ryan Salon in New York City; Rita Hazan is a celebrity colorist and owner of Rita Hazan Salon in New York City

While our experts recommend leaving color removal to the professionals, especially if you’re looking to avoid unpredictable results, there are a number of at-home products that can help ease the process along for the determined. Read on for some top picks.

Extra Conditioning Hair Color Remover

Coloring hair can be incredibly drying, and that’s even more true when removing color, so it’s important to keep your locks as hydrated as possible. That’s what makes this bestselling remover from Color Oops so great. With moisturizing ingredients, like soy protein and aloe vera, the formula will keep hair from getting damaged, as it quickly and effectively removes semi-permanent and permanent color.

Quick Fix for Color Correction

A favorite of DeBolt’s, Malibu C’s Color Correction is designed to fix color that’s a little off rather than remove it completely. “The crystals work to subtly remove glosses that processed too dark or to start to slowly slough off the excess color deposit,” the colorist explains. “All of the Malibu products contain vitamin C that uncouples permanent dye molecules, which works brilliantly for many correction scenarios and leaves the hair in great shape.”

Hair Color Intensity Eraser Size

Formulated to erase even the most stubborn and vivid of colors, this one-step remover is enriched with Keratin to deeply hydrate and strengthen hair while it lifts dye. Just apply to your locks and leave on for 30 minutes to remove color and leave hair healthy and ready for its next dramatic transformation.

Hair Colour Remover

Free of bleach and ammonia, this kit is perfect if it’s not your first hair color rodeo. The remover tackles not only unwanted semi-permanent and permanent dye but also product buildup and pollution, and the included conditioner leaves hair nourished, thanks to moisturizing baobab oil.

Color Delete Permanent Haircolor Remover

This heavy-duty color remover from Scruples is great for hard-to-get-rid-of permanent dyes, be it a bold, bright pastel or a dark black. As strong as it is, though, the remover also calls upon the powers of avocado oil, bamboo oil, and a protective complex to minimize damage and dryness. You can cater this product to your exact needs by tweaking the mixing ratio, with more water for a slight color removal or less water for a total color removal.

Phase-Out Gentle Dye Decolorizer + Intensive Hair Mask

Akin to a leave-in conditioner, Color X-Change’s decolorizer and hair mask is ideal for those looking to remove one color before recoloring with another. Simply mix the decolorizer crystals with water to form a gel, and then apply it to freshly-washed, towel-dried hair, and leave on overnight (or at least eight hours). After that, you can leave hair as is or apply a new color and then use the intensive hair mask to lock everything in.

Argan Oil Colorfix Hair Color Remover

Specially formulated to remove permanent dye, this three-step system is strong enough to target color that’s fresh or color that’s been in hair for a while. With customizable options based on the length and density of your hair, as well as your removal goals, One ‘n Only Colorfix can offer full or slight color corrections, and it will leave hair healthy and conditioned, thanks to added argan oil.

Clean Touch Hair Color Stain Remover

Perfect for the multitaskers among us, this remover accomplishes two things: removing color build-up from your ends and cleaning up any dye stains on your skin or clothes. Carefully rub the creamy formula through your ends to lift extra dye so they don’t look darker than the rest of your hair, or dab it on your scalp, hairline, neck, or clothing to quickly get rid of any stains. Try not to overdo it with this one, though, as the remover contains ammonia and shouldn’t be used all over your hair.

Hair Color Stain Remover

If you frequently dye your hair at home, you're likely very familiar with the pesky stains that dyes can leave on your. forehead, hands, and neck. This gel formula is specifically designed for stain removal to help you get any unwanted color from your dye job off of your skin.

The Fader Shampoo

If you’re looking to fade your color to a lighter shade but don’t want to remove it entirely, this fading shampoo is exactly what you need. The vegan and cruelty-free cream formula fades color while hydrating the hair with rosemary oil.

What to look for in a hair color remover

When shopping for hair color remover, it pays to:

• Select based on dye type: Not all hair color removers are created equal, so look for labeling that can help guide you based on the type of dye you're trying to remove. For example, people attempting to remove temporary or even semi-permanent dye won't need to use something as strong as those trying to remove permanent color.

• Avoid products with bleach or ammonia: Stylists warn that hair color remover can be very damaging, especially when used by newbies. If you're forging forward at home, opt for formulas that don't contain any bleach or ammonia, since they're inherently very drying and damaging.

• Look for enriching ingredients: Some formulas contain proteins like keratin or oils like avocado or argan to help counteract the damaging effects of color stripping products.

How is hair color remover different than bleach

Both bleach and hair color remover can strip strands of color, but generally the difference is that color removers are designed to be gentler than bleach. These products can help fade—and even remove—color without the same harsh chemicals as bleach.

Are some colors harder to remove than others?

It’s usually not a problem to remove most color, but black dye and vibrant dyes, like blue, green, and purple, are typically more difficult, if not impossible.

When to see a colorist

If you're trying to remove very dark color, it's a good idea to see a stylist. “Black hair color is the hardest, and sometimes, it will break off before it completely disappears, so you have to be very careful,” warns celebrity colorist Rita Hazan. “If removal is done properly, it should not damage your hair.”

Can you color again once you use a remover?

In most cases, when hair is healthy, it’s okay to color it again immediately after removing color, but it can skew the color and make hair feel too dark. “It’s never a pretty color underneath, and it usually takes a lot of corrective color after,” Hazan warns.

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