Anything more than damaging to your hair results from leaving hair color on for longer than necessary. Your hair may suffer complete damage. Read the directions thoroughly. Set the alarm or a stopwatch to assist you with the time factor.
What Happens If You Put Purple Dye Over Green Hair | Interesting Hair Dye and Color Theory Facts
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What happens if you put purple dye over green hair? Find out in my article below if the purple cancels out green and tones your hair and how to properly color your green hair over.
If you’re a novice to hair coloring you should know that you can’t simply color one hair dye shade over another and expect it to work.
And no, I’m not talking about the obvious ones like putting blonde dye over pitch black hair. I’m talking about color theory which a few people know about when it comes to hair coloring.
Color theory basically comprises the color wheel which tells us how different colors (primary, secondary, etc.) interact with each other. This means that certain colors are complementary and may cancel each other out while others might make a whole different shade when layered over one another.
For example, if you have reddish hair and use blue over it then the blue cancels out the red. This is why so many hairstylists use blue shampoo or toner after bleaching your hair to remove the brassiness.
Now, what happens when you put a color like purple over hair that is already dyed green? Well, let’s find out!
What Happens If You Put Purple Dye Over Green Hair
Purple is a secondary color that is a combination of red and blue which are primary colors (shades that exist in nature on their own and aren’t a combination of other colors).
The shade of purple you’re getting (lavender, mauve, wine, aubergine, etc.) will depend on the ratio of red and blue used to get the purple shade.
Now a lot of people know that putting purple color over yellow blonde hair will cancel out the yellowness, which is why yellow shampoos are so popular. Yellow and purple are on the opposite ends of the color wheel which indicates that they cancel each other out!
But what about the color green?
Well, green (just like purple) is another secondary color. It is created by mixing blue and yellow together. So theoretically, using purple dye over green hair will remove the yellow tints from your hair, leaving it blue.
However, in reality it can be more complicated than this.
What color your green hair ends up after you put purple dye over it depends on:
- The shade of green that forms the base color of your hair
- The shade of purple you’re going to apply on your hair
- If you’re using a developer along with the hair dye
- The strength of the developer you’re using.
This is because,
If you’re using a light purple dye (such as lavender) over green hair, the green undertones might overpower the purple and you’ll end up with a greenish-blue color.
If you’re using a dark purple color (like aubergine, plum, wine, etc.) then the color pigments in the dye might be strong enough to cover the green completely and only after a few washes will it turn bluish-green.
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If you’re using a lighter purple shade and are using a developer, the hydrogen peroxide in the developer can remove the existing green color by opening your cuticles and can make hair the shade of lavender you want, despite the base color.
Also, if the developer happens to be a strong one, (such as a volume 30 or 40 developer) then it removes dye and lightens your hair, making the application of dye easier. However, this can be too harsh on hair.
- Related: What Color Will Cover The Green Hair Dye
- Related: What To Do When Bleached Hair Turns Green
- Related: Can Purple Shampoo Work For Green Pool Hair
Can You But Blue Dye Over Green Hair
Green, as I’ve explained before, is made up of blue and yellow, two primary colors. So using blue, which is essentially a parent color for green, will give better results than using purple.
But even here, if you’re using a strong shade of blue (like electric blue, navy blue, midnight blue, etc.) over a lighter shade of green than you can easily dye over green hair.
However, if your existing hair is a strong, bright emerald green, or forest green or other such dark colors than the blue dye won’t take, especially if you’re going for a blue that is lighter.
Your only choice in this case is to completely remove the dark green hair dye or at least bring it to a level of lightness which will make it easier for the blue to cover it.
Some hair colors, especially those temporary, direct deposit dyes, can go away in just 1-2 washes if you use a strong, sulfate-based clarifying shampoo.
However, if you have used a semi-permanent or permanent shade of green, you might need to use a chemical hair color remover to strip the hair dye first before using the blue dye over it.
Which Colors Cover Green Hair Dye Well
Hair colors are always complicated, especially if you’ve never dyed your hair. There is much to consider, from the length of your hair to the volume and texture.
Things get even more complicated when trying to get rid of green hair. Green hair requires dedication to maintain. It’s challenging to get it out of your hair once it’s there, just like blue.
The good news is that other hair dye colors can hide green hair without having to bleach the color out. Warm, reddish-orange tones are the antithesis of cool, blue-green hues, according to the hair color wheel that all hair color science follows.
Some of the colors you should try to cover green hair dye include:
- Blue- midnight blue, electric blue, and pastel shades.
- Purple- Burgundy, lavender, and maroon.
- Orange- Ginger and copper.
- Brown: mahogany, chocolate and ash brown.
Depending on the shade of green your hair is currently, the type of hair dye you used, and how long the color has been in your hair, these colors may or may not be effective.
Always perform a strand test to ensure the color is effective before dyeing your hair all the way through. You might need to remove the green color from the hair to change it from green to a natural brown or blonde.
However, you can skip removing the green color and try covering green hair directly with dye if you want to continue dyeing your hair into some unnatural colors.
Here are some methods for changing the color of green hair:
- Visit a hair salon and leave it in the hands of the experts.
- Try using homemade remedies to remove the color and dye your hair at home with a box of hair dye.
- Apply the principles of color theory by using some dye on top of the green.
- Learn how to strip color from hair and do it yourself.
We strongly advise letting the hair professionals at the salon help you in this process.
What Happens When You Apply Purple 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.
Simply put, if you apply purple hair dye to your green hair, the color automatically changes to purple. And the good news is that you don’t have to bleach your hair first. You can apply the purple dye to your hair and get a new funky look.
Methods of Changing Green Hair Color to Purple
According to experts in hair coloring, green is the most challenging color to remove from hair. You need to consider a bleach bath if you want to return to natural colors or bright colors that need to be dyed on a very light base.
A skilled colorist has the knowledge and experience necessary to develop the best strategy for achieving the desired color for their client.
It depends on the hair’s state, the dye applied, the color’s intensity and the desired outcome. Dark tones might be simpler to achieve than blonde. It usually requires several sittings to make the bleaching process less damaging for hair.
The hair is dyed with red dye to lessen the green after each bleaching. It is typically advised to use additional products to restore the hair’s structure and remove the green stain.
Professional hair colorists know the newest and most efficient hair products to solve problems and minimize hair damage when changing colors. The best and most secure way to achieve the ideal shade and maintain healthy hair is to put your trust in the colorist.
The most efficient method of changing your hair from green to purple is overlapping the green dye with an intense purple dye. As mentioned above, you don’t need to bleach your hair to transition from one deep shade to another.
You only need the skills of a good colorist to help you achieve that fantastic look.
How to apply dye to green hair so that it becomes purple
As we covered in the beginning, if you apply purple dye to your green hair, your hair will end up purple. And this always happens when we’re talking about fantasy color dyes.
What do stylists mean when they say fantasy color dyes?
- All shades beyond the conventional color palette. Colors like green, electric blue, fuchsia, or purple.
Have you ever seen all those hairdos on Instagram where the colors remind us of mermaids or the realm of unicorns?
Those colors have resulted from applying a fantasy dye.
Do you have a friend that changes her hair color every 15 days?
- She’s most likely using these types of dyes because they’re very easy to apply, they don’t contain peroxide, and their consistency is gelatinous.
And because they don’t contain peroxide, they only settle on the cuticle’s external part, so they disappear gradually when you wash your hair.
Once you apply the fantasy shade that you picked, it lasts for approximately two to four washes.
- If you ask me what the best fantasy shades are, I will tell you two things: there is a wide range of pastel and vibrant colors available, and none of them will damage your hair in any way.
Because the color will fade each time you wash your hair without needing to remove it by bleaching as with other types of dyes.
But what happens if you want to change colors?
You don’t have to make any prior arrangements, you only have to apply the new tone, and you’re set.
Because if you have the fantasy dye as your base and apply a new color that’s also a fantasy dye, you won’t have any problem.
While I’m writing this, I’m reminded of Anna, one of my clients who came to apply a green dye to her hair about two months ago. Of course, I applied a fantasy dye.
I was surprised that twenty days later, she returned to the salon and asked me if I would bleach her hair.
I asked her why she wanted to bleach it, and she said that it was because now she wanted to have purple hair.
At this moment, I explained to her that it’s not necessary to bleach your hair—simply applying a purple dye to your hair will be enough to cover it up.
After picking her customized purple dye, we covered her green hair with it, and the result was amazing.
Her green hair had disappeared completely, and it had given way to an intense purple that complemented her huge green eyes.
Do you want to cover your green fantasy dye by applying purple?
Do it without hesitation because the purple tone will completely cover the green color!
- You only need to buy the purple fantasy dye and apply it, but I also recommend that you wait until the base tone has settled, in this case, the green, so that the purple turns out much better.
- And if you’re not going to go to the salon to change your green shade, you should buy the same brand of dye because you’ll already know how to apply it and the time it takes for the dye to work.
- The purple shade will cover any green tone you may have as a base, whether it’s a light green or dark green.
- Lastly, remember that it’s always recommended to start applying the dye to the long part of your hair and then afterward to the new growth because, in this way, your hair will absorb the pigment evenly.
Now that we’ve clarified that if you dye your green hair with purple fantasy dye, your hair will turn out purple, let’s go over the other alternative.
Do you put gray tones in your hair?
If so, then you’ll notice that if you always apply the same tone, it’ll get saturated, and you’ll end up with greenish colors.
You can slightly tone your hair to neutralize these greens by applying purple toner. Only in this case, your hair will not end up being purple.
Do you want to know why? Keep reading because this technique has its secret tricks.
How to dye your green hair with purple toner
I’m going to start explaining this technique by telling you about one of my clients’ example.
Her name is Sylvia, she’s 65 years old, and for a long time, she’s come to the salon to dye her long hair an ultra-ashy blonde color.
If you have gray hair, you must retouch your color every three weeks.
As time passed, some parts of her hair were becoming green, and as a result, she entered the salon feeling desperate one day because her hair had started to look green. And that scared her.
Of course, if you don’t want to have green hair, anyone in her situation would get scared.
- I explained that she shouldn’t lose hope, that this was a logical problem, seeing as by applying the ultra-ashy blonde, the color had become saturated, and it had started to look greenish.
Then, I explained that what we could do was apply a purple toner to her hair. She looked at me as if I were from outer space, suggesting that we go on a oneway trip to space.
- Of course, she thought that her hair would end up being purple. But when I told her that the toner would just simply take out the green, or that’s to say, it would neutralize it so that her hair would look as blonde as always, she calmed down.
Even so, while I put the purple toner in her hair, I could tell she was very nervous, but after I washed out the toner, her smile returned to her face. And she also was relieved because the green was already gone.
And, of course, the purple wasn’t there either.
- If you are like Sylvia, you can apply a purple toner to fix green tones.
That said, you must be very careful if you want to dye your hair using purple toner because your color is becoming too ashy green, given that your hair could end up being purple.
Toner is a pigment that is used to neutralize undesirable colors, like green or orange. And it can always be applied after dying or bleaching to take out these undesirable tones.
Conclusions
Now you know what happens if you apply purple dye to your green hair.
- If you want to cover your green hair with purple fantasy dye, your hair will be purple.
- If you want to neutralize the greens after applying an ashy tone, you can use purple toner to get rid of these greens. And your hair won’t end up being purple because it’ll just simply neutralize the green.
So, which of these situations is most like your own? Why do you want to apply purple dye to your green hair?
