Color banding - how to fix it?

[Cherry]

Whenever I dye my hair, about a one-inch section (my roots and a bit beyond them) absorbs more color than the rest. It's not apparent at first, but after a few washes it's clear that the first inch of my hair is a deep red while the rest is slightly lighter and less vibrant. I suspected that this was due to re-lifting too much on the ends of my hair, so I began using 20vol developer on my roots and 10vol for the ends, which I coat with dye and let sit 15 minutes before rinsing my whole head. This has helped a little, but the color banding still occurs. It's just less obvious now. A woman in a beauty supply store once told me that I could substitute shampoo for some of the developer on my ends so that less lightening occurs... but I'm skeptical. Anyone know if this will work? If not, can you suggest any other ways to fix it?

Thanks in advance!

[Judi]

Cherry what is your natural color and could you give me more info on how long you leave the dye on your roots and how long on the rest of your hair.
This will help me find a correct answer for you.

[Cherry]

My natural color is dark auburn. It almost looks dark brown, but in the sun my red highlights pop out. I leave the dye on my roots for roughly half an hour, maybe a bit more, and on my ends for about 15 minutes. Will that help? Oh and I'm using Ion Color Brilliance creme in Intense Red: http://www.ioncolorbrilliance.com/Pe..._Color/Shades/

[Judi]

• You have chlorine in your water. Buy a water filter to clean out the chlorine
• Your hair may be too porous. If your ends are fading, this is most likely the case. Here's how to make the stay. Use what is called color filler. You can buy these at any professional beauty supply store. They come in clear and primary colored pigments such as red, blue, and yellow. Opt for the clear if doing this yourself. Apply filler to ends of hair and let set for manufacturers set time. Then apply hair color as normal. Always read directions!
• It may be the hair color brand. Try switching and see if that helps.
• You may need to pre-soften the hair. This means that you increase the porosity of your hair with a mixture of bleach, developer and shampoo. Do not leave on hair for long! Usually, 5 minutes is enough.
• The types of shampoo you're using can play a big roll in hair color fading. Use a shampoo specifically for hair color treated hair. Stay away from those $.99 deals on shampoos. We all know what brands I'm talking about
Red is a natural warm tone. You'll need to avoid cool toned shampoos and anything that says ash. These will dull your locks. Here's what to look for:
• adds shine
• removes mineral deposits and product build-up.
• adds warmth and vibrancy

[Cherry]

Thanks, Judi. I'm already doing a lot of that but there are some things I haven't tried, like the color filler or pre-softening. I'll look into what you said for the next time I dye my hair