Disappointing hair dye, can I go from dark to light?

[JudithS]

On the grand scale of human suffering, a disappointing professional hair-dye job is as nothing, but I thought I'd seek advice!

My hair was naturally mid-brown and a bit chestnutty. As I aged, I got some noticeable white hairs, plus the rest of my hair lost its pigment and just looked dull and "colourless". So for years I've had it highlighted with blonde and caramel to blend in the grey.

Highlighting is expensive to top up so I thought I'd get my hair all dyed brown again so the roots would be less noticeable. I went to my usual hairdresser, who I really like and who has done a great job with the highlights. She picked the colour she thought would match the dark roots.

It looked OK in the salon but a couple of days later, I now think it looks too harsh for my middle-aged complexion. I also don't think the roots will be any less noticeable than with the highlights, not least because the dye is slightly reddish.

Is it possible to go back to a lighter colour? I reckon if I just get highlights on top of the dark brown dye, at best I will get weird orange stripes and at worst my hair will all snap off.

My hair is below my shoulders at the moment and I don't want it cropped to get rid of the dye, I don't feel right with short hair. Mind you, I am not comfortable with this colour either!

So much for saving money.