Coloring hair often starts with the best of intentions. The result, however, might leave you questioning what on earth you were thinking in the first place. If your hair color turned out to be too light, you can tone down and get what you wanted in the first place.

Picture this: You chose a dye based on the hue displayed on the packaging. You followed the instructions word-for-word, including being extra careful not to over process your hair color.

Despite your best efforts, the shade of blonde hair you’re staring at in the mirror reflection is several times lighter than what you expected.

Now, what? Do you get another box dye kit and attempt the whole process again with a darker hue? Should you wait it out and see what it looks like after a few washes?

Should you throw in the towel and visit your local salon and ask them to fix it? Here’s everything you need to know about how to tone down hair color that’s too light.

How to Tone Down Hair Color If It’s Too Light

We’ll start by saying this – ‘lightening‘ is the sugar-coated term for bleaching. For you to end up with hair that’s too light, it is likely because you bleached it unevenly. At the risk of stating the obvious, bleaching hair is an extremely aggressive and damaging process.

Before you attempt to tone down your hair, ask yourself this: Is this the right time to do it, or should you wait a while before subjecting it to any more abuse?

If it feels brittle, breaks easily, or develops split ends, it’s clear a sign that you need to give your hair a little TLC before you take any steps to tone it down. Don’t try to tone down damaged hair.

In the same way, you wouldn’t force someone who’s just had open heart surgery to run a marathon days after their procedure; you shouldn’t attempt to tone down your freshly bleached hair, especially if you notice signs of damage.