What looked like a gorgeous auburn on the box turned your hair a Little Orphan Annie orange. Or your desired platinum color is more of a puce hue. Regardless of what you’ve done to your once-pretty hair, the good news is that a bad dye job can usually be reversed. The best advice is to go to a stylist and have it fixed professionally. It’s crucial, however, to go as soon as you can. If your hair color needs to be stripped, then it’s most effective to do so within 72 hours of coloring. But if there’s no time to see a stylist, then you may need to take matters into your own hands. First, try rinsing your hair with lots of hot water – it sounds too easy to be true, but hot water can fade haircolor, particularly if it’s fresh. Head to the kitchen for extra virgin olive oil and heat it up. Be careful that it’s not too hot – you don’t want to soak your head in boiling oil! – then follow with a volumizing shampoo and conditioner.

These formulas open the hair cuticle and may speed the process of getting the offending color out faster. If you’ve got a green hue to your hair, you could try soaking it in tomato juice to neutralize the green parts. If you’re truly desperate, head to the store to find Clairol’s The Uncolor System Haircolor Remover. And if you colored during business hours, try the hotline on the box. Representatives from the company that manufactured the offending color may be able to make recommendations to help you out. The bottom line is – always do that strand test you tend to skip over in the color instructions, especially if you’re trying a new color or brand.