The Pro-Approved Guide To Fixing A New Hair Color You Hate

Trusting someone with your hair color requires a leap of faith and even a bit of hope — which, every so often, is dashed by a botched color job. Maybe you requested ashy blonde, but ended up with a brassy yellow that just looks off. Or perhaps you envisioned a medium-brown hue with a touch of caramel, but left the salon with anything but warm chocolate. Asked for natural-looking highlights and got skunk-inspired streaks instead?

Although all colorists ultimately want happy, satisfied clients, there’s always the possibility of human error or a breakdown in communication. But before you resign yourself to wearing a hat for the foreseeable future, consider this: Most color catastrophes are completely fixable over time.

To help, we consulted three expert colorists who shared what you can do to fix the most commonplace mishaps. The solution might involve giving your colorist another go (hey, everyone deserves a second chance!), kicking off the correction process with a few at-home products, or simply cutting your losses to find a new colorist for a redo. Read on for exactly what to do if you can’t stand your new hair color.