9 Hair Color Removers to Fix Your Botched Dye Job

Sometimes the perfect hair color doesn't turn out quite as planned, whether you tried at-home hair color or not. Maybe the red hair color you picked looked amazing in photos, but doesn't necessarily flatter your skin tone. Maybe your color turned a shade or two (okay, or five) darker than you had hoped. No matter what happened, if you're wishing there's an undo option for your dye job, hair color removers help fix color mishaps.

When shopping for hair color removers, celebrity hairstylist Kiyah Wright says that you should try to avoid harsh ingredients (like bleach and ammonia) to avoid damage to your hair and prioritize a product's gentleness. Read the individual packaging to determine how to apply and how long to let the product sit on the hair, as every formula is different: Typically, you can't just douse on your head and call it a day. "Apply it section by section, just like color, on the hair shaft," says Wright. Keep in mind that color removal isn't a blanket fix — you likely won't be get back the color you started with, and the dye may only fade instead of disappearing entirely.

We vetted user reviews and tapped Wright's expertise to find the best hair color removers on the market, whether you used temporary dye, natural hair dye, or otherwise. Below, the picks that will help you erase even your most egregious hair color mistakes. Removers often have a strong smell, so apply in a well-ventilated area, and be sure to follow up with a hair mask to renew moisture as hair color removers can dry out your strands!