When hair appears too dark after being colored, it’s because a color was used that’s not within two shades of your natural hair color. When you color your hair dark, it will always lighten up after the first few washes, but it may not lighten up enough.
Hair that appears very dark, like with Dita Von Teese, can look inky and be a shock to your complexion, washing you out and making you look pale and ghostly. Furthermore, color that’s too dark or cool can bring out the lines on your face as well as darkness and bags under the eyes.
Although fair skin can look lovely with very dark hair, it helps to have blue or green eyes. That said, most people cannot pull off this look in a very flattering way.
To fully correct too-dark hair, the excess pigment needs to be removed. Celebrity colorist Kim Vo recommends washing your hair with dishwashing detergent 15 times in a single day, followed by a deep conditioner for 20 minutes. This combination strips away the color to lighten it.
You colorist can use a professional color remover, or he or she can counteract darkness with subtle highlights.