How can I make store bought red hair dye actully come out red in my hair?

My hair is a dark brown. I've tried to dye it red before(not the bright red) and it never actually comes out red, only a shade lighter. Is there anything i can do to get the color to come out like it shows on the box? I don't want to go to salon just yet.How can I make store bought red hair dye actully come out red in my hair?
Store bought (box) permanent color will usually give you only 2 levels of lift. Usually you can look at the box and tell what you color results will be on your hair.





If want to get something in a truer red, go to Sally's and get something specifically for darker hair. Those will usually provide you with 3-4 levels of lift in a single process %26amp; you can get the red shade you want without pre-bleaching :)How can I make store bought red hair dye actully come out red in my hair?
bleach it.
If you have dark brown hair and the red isnt showing it could be for a few reasons.. 1. your hair is to dark or the colour you chose doesnt actually have as much red as you thought there was in it. 2. Your hair could be like some peoples where it regects reds so in this case you would have to lighten or try using a colour with double the amount of red than what you chosed. 3. You may not be picking the right colour you need at the store lots of people have a hard time doing this for the pictures arent very reliable on the boxes to tell ya the truth I've had to fix a lot of people hair from box colours. All box colours have approximatley a 20 to 40% developer solution in it which is what lightens your hair 2 -4 levels so keep that in mind when getting colour. (I have a friend like this we have to lighten her hair for it to show anything shes got dark brown to.) you must lighten your hair first to the desired level you want it to be before applying any reds for it seems like your hair is just way to dark to show up or the colour selection is wrong. As for further info I'd have to see your hair for it can be for a number of reasons..





If you were to go to a salon and the problem was due to it being to dark:


I would suggest doing a shampoo bleach which is just a softer more gentler way of lightening the hair to the level you desire then apply the exact colour you wanted. If your hair is the type that doesnt take reds easy a bit of a red booster to the desired colour would do the trick.





(Random info: Using a lighter over colour doesnt always work due to the fact that colour cant remove colour. It is possible in some cases depending on the level of the hair and colour that is used but keep that in mind)





Good Luck for I know it can be frustrating I've been all sorts of colours from box colours - salon in my life.
Store bought color doesn't work very well unless you're dying your hair a darker color than it is naturally. Try going to a beauty supply store and buying Wella creme color in 6R Red Terra Cotta and 5WV Cinnamon. Buy a bottle to mix them in and buy either level 20 or 30 Developer to mix it with. The ratio is 1:2 so you'll mix a total of 3 ounces of the creme color (each bottle is about 1.5 ounces) with 6 ounces of developer for a total of 9 ounces of hair color. Make sure to mix the two colors with the developer really well. Apply to you hair evenly, starting at the crown and ending at the tips because they develope faster. Follow the directions on the inside of the box as to developing time. It will look beige/gold and then tomato red while it's developing but it won't come out that color, don't worry. It comes out a natural looking auburn shade. Don't let your hair process for more than 45 minutes though. More than that will damage it.
Store bought dye isn't good for changing more than a shade or two. Dark brown is hard to make it show up on unless you use something dark. Red dye also is the fastest to fade, so it's a lot of upkeep once you get it there.