Wash it a few times in a row, it will lighten considerably. Then evaluate how dark you want to go, possibly get blonde highlights. It's hard to transition but a darker blonde does make you seem less washed out, imo.... That's the way I went and I'm loving it. I do have lots of highlights though.

Here is an unfortunately true story from last winter.... February 4, 2003 Taxes are done and sent, we've our first break in sub-freezing temperatures in a month and life is good. Except I got bored, which is a dangerous thing. So I figured I'd blend a bit of grey hair away with a bit of light brown dye. Not so bad. So it wasn't all one color I figured I'd now add a bit of dark brown dye. Picture Mortica Adams black hair except flaming red where the grey was. Oh that'll never do! No time last night to fix it so off to the drug store this morning. I found a light brown dye with highlighter. Perfect I think, that'll save this blending different colors. If a few highlights are good more are better, and if 15 minutes of highlights are good 30 minutes would be better no doubt. So back to the net to check the news never looking in the mirror I spent a half hour cruising the net. Egads! It is not highlighter in a different color, it was peroxide! Now I have various shades of dark brown hair and large white bleach stripes through it all. Off to the drugstore in a baseball hair, hair still wet, I grabbed some plain brown dye. Now I have a fine head of bright red hair just like Laura Bush. I don't dare touch it again anytime soon I'm sure it'll all fall out if I do. I'll just have to find safer things to play with in the future. ---- After this was a trip to the hair dresser. She had gorgeous red hair and could not understand why I wanted to have brown hair. She frosted it with a medium brown which helped some. A few months later I had another hair dresser frost it with some dark brown. Now it is just my own growing back.

You look very nice with the brown hair. As a second suggestion to the web site - I would suggest trying on wigs in colours that you are interested in - because the websites don't always take into account your particular skin tone - I know this because I tried it - although it was a few years ago. I have very pale skin with a pronounced yellow undertone. My natural hair shade was auburn which turned iron grey in my 20s so I have single processed it to its natural shade since - I am now 59 - and have made it my mission to not have a purple based red - so far so good. My sisters had the Irish black hair and peroxided blonde in early 60s - big mistake - and I would have loved to have had that black hair. It was only after trying on a black wig that I realized how yellow my skin is - so then I tried on a blonde wig and it was even worse! Yet the computer model didn't show the horrors of it all. I wish I had the beautiful silver grey or white hair that goes so well with a pink complexion - of course I don't have either. So I am sticking with the auburn. But I will let it go iron grey before I colour it what I call "Angela Lansbury Taupe" - my benchmark for the colour I hate the most - on me particularly.

I know those who are gray might disagree but ......you can look good with gray no doubt, but you do look "older." While in a career, this might not be the best approach. Whether I am gray or not (I am) this makes me sad and angry regardless of whether it's true or not. Like so many other things, when will it change? Part of the power of change lies with us and the willingness to plow ahead and allow visual aging to actually happen. I colored my hair forever and just got sick of the constant upkeep to say nothing of the constant chemical exposure. I wear makeup every day, I style my hair pretty much every day, I work out, I care about the clothes I wear (although I'm far from a fashionista) and take care of my skin, hair, nails etc. so obviously am not saying we shouldn't care about our looks. Hair color is just another way to enhance or change our looks but NOT using it should not keep someone from a desired career any more than choosing not to wear nail polish or mascara should. When are we (people in general but women far more) ever going to be valued for what we bring to the table in talent and experience?