hi guys!

after a long time of joy i come to you for advice yet again. things have been great with my second system so far, the color match was near perfect when i started wearing my second system. however with the time, the brown became slightly red. actually it became slightly reddish after just a couple of washings, which lead me to wear hats quite alot.

is it time to get a satin pillowcase? could it be that wearing a hat further increases redish color?

but most importantly... how do i get the color back to the original brown? back2natural doesn't seem to be strong enough, should i try leaving it in for a super long amount of time... like an entire night? what shampoos should i avoid? i feel like a dumbass for not having been more careful with my product choice. i really just use "any" shampoo. using real permanent hair coloring is a bad idea, i was told, because you never know if the result is even further from your real hair.

is there maybe an easy to apply product that you can just wash of after the day? i cant be the only one who has this problem but its making me paranoid and uncomfortable.

other than that things are awesome and im really happy with wearing. i cant imagine going for a full cap, and if i cant solve this red discoloring issue i cant see myself wearing in the future ...

please help

my last piece had the same problem, but it was not even close as good of a color match since it was a stock piece so i thought with my new custom piece that wouldnt happen.

A classic case of colour-lift caused by frequent shampooing with the ` wrong` shampoo ...you need sulfate-free shampoo or one specifically formulated for system-hair....such ` treatment` will only exacerbate normal / natural oxidation caused by sun etc.
You can rectify it by using a colouring product... you can use this link to find your shade:
http://www.justformen.com/products/find_shade.asp
Don`t leave this on/in for longer than about 4 minutes max. [apply it carefully to damp hair--keep it off the lace] When the hair is dry, check the ` depth` of colour..if it`s not dark enough, wet the hair again and re-apply .... only leave it on for 2 minutes or so.....you don`t want it to go too dark, or you`ll have another problem. System hair takes colour very rapidly compared to growing hair so ignore the instructions on the pack...proceed as I have outlined. Apply it carefully with a comb which has some of the ` mix` on the spine/teeth....it`s not difficult...just watch your timings.

paul!

glad to see you are still around to help the rookies such as myself, i will try this right now since im heading out for groceries and will report back with the results. thank you so much

oh god guys...

i think i messed this up pretty badly. i left the color sit in my hair for like 10 minutes, and only 3 on the piece. however my own hair hardly changed at all, and the piece absorbed it quite randomly. its very dark and some parts almost black. definitely a very tricky thing.

it still looks better than it did with the reddish glow (thank god) but nowhere near good enough to be relaxed. and let's be real, wearing hair isn't fun if you don't feel 100% confident with how it looks.

i feel like a dumbass for not putting in the time to research and buy the right shampoo, because when the system was new the color match was 99.5% perfect, and im sure it would have become 100% perfect after a couple of washings (with the right product!).

if i tried to lighten the system a bit, i would probably end up doing more harm than good right? i will try to darken my hair a little bit. is there any hope of the color improving over time without the system turning red again? basically after the next 50 washings... will it be the red it was before coloring or will it be a lighter brown?

im sorry for the super specific questions, thanks alot in advance for any helpful comments!

http://www.goldwell-northamerica.com/sit...r-remover/

Order some Goldwell System Color Remover.

It strips off just the last colour you applied and will give you an even base to re colour.

DO NOT use bleach. You'll cause yourself more problems and damage the piece.

The Goldwell is gentle and is safe for your hair, the unit hair and the base.

What product did you use to colour it Waldo? The ` uneven` result could be something to do with what it was originally coloured with.....
I use Koleston perfect http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i...tore%2C200
It needs to be mixed with creme peroxide --this acts as the catalyst to ` develop` the colour ... you apply it to the hair before the colour begins to appear.... and only leave in for 3 to 4 minutes [as you did] before rinsing out.
Have a look at this page on e-bay--on the left-hand margin, you can click /tick in the box which nearest matches your colour..it will then open the list of nearest-matching shades:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R...on+perfect
You simply squeeze out approx. an inch-length of paste from the tube [use a glass dish as it`s easier to clean] .then pour out an equal-length of creme peroxide alongside it...mix them together into a paste --try to ensure there are no lumps i.e. try to get a smooth paste...as soon as it`s mixed, apply it to the hair.....use rubber gloves also. The over-the-counter colouring products available, such as Loreal ` Just for men` should be fine though..many guys use it successfully--am surprised you had a ` blotchy` result
I hope you can iron-out your issue, whichever way you proceed...would be interested to hear what you do/and the result.
I use the 12% Creme peroxide which is the first one on this page:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c...Caps%2C121

Very strange. I have dyed my current piece about four times. The color I use is soft black or brown black by clairol, straight off the shelf for just a few bucks. Always comes out just fine. Maybe I just have beginners luck but the horror stories I read sometimes sound so strange to me.

I agree Amstat... normally there should be /aren`t any problems with the off-the-shelf products...this is puzzling me.... I`m wondering if Waldo didn`t apply it evenly? It`s best to use a comb which has the teeth quite close together so it gets applied to most/all of the hair..it sounds like some hair was ` missed` .... really strange, this one.

yeah... i probably got so nervous about being fast in coloring the whole system (so one side isn't absorbing color alot longer than than the side i finish with before starting the clock) that i didn't apply it evenly enough.

a couple of washings later the colors look quite acceptable now,
thanks alot for the help guys. you never stop learning! and i've been wearing for some time now... i believe im getting close to the one year mark, and still feel like i have alot to learn, and alot to change in my next order!

but hey im getting there

Yeah..no matter how long you wear, you never really ` know it all`...you`ll sometimes come up against an issue you haven`t had before..... glad it`s looking ok now Waldo...it was probably down to it not being applied evenly...it`s all part of the learning-process and you`ll be more relaxed/able for it next time.
As a footnote to my post above, I was talking to a very experienced system-stylist recently, and he told me that the 12% creme peroxide is actually too strong and should normally bleach/lift the colour !! This surprised me as I`ve always used it successfully and it was a salon-owner who originally advised me on how to colour the hair and the 12% is the one they used all the time.
So, just putting it ` out there` for forum-readers..would be interested to hear opinions from those who don`t buy the off-the-shelf products , but who mix the colours themselves.
Glad you`re sorted now anyway..cheers.