How to Color After Grecian Hair Dye?

I recently had this Grecian hair dye question from John G:

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How do I change from Grecian hair dye to a regular dye in my hair?

This is a good question. The answer is . . . don’t color over it! You cannot color over Grecian hair dye with a semi-permanent or permanent hair color without the possibility of significant damage to your hair! Doing so will damage your hair and some hair color experts will say it can actually, “melt” the hair.

Grecian hair dye is a metallic dye like product, made up of lead acetate and sulfur. It’s called a progressive hair dye because it gradually builds up on and in the hair shaft, darkening the hair a little bit more with each application. This subtle way of covering gray is attractive to men especially, where they can avoid a sudden overnight hair color change.

The problem with using Grecian hair dye is twofold and any hairdresser who has dealt with customers using it, will quickly share these testimonies with their client. This metallic dye leaves a greenish . . . need I say, unnatural, cast on the hair. The only hair color that the formula can deposit is varying degrees of black, depending how often you use it. The result of these shades of black with a greenish tint, have a definable and rather surreal look on the hair.

The other problem is metallic dye leaves the hair brittle, dried out and stiff.

“Grecian hair color,
grow it out and
cut off the hair”

In answer to John’s question, to save your hair, you need to grow it out and cut off the hair colored with Grecian hair dye before switching to a semi, demi, or permanent hair dye. I was curious as to what the folks a Grecian hair dye would have to say. I was dumbfounded when I discovered that the website listed an 800 number that only routes you to an email address.

If you want to be thorough try calling these hot lines for more advice . . .