I have naturally dark brown hair. Ive been box dying it black for about 10 years now. Permanent dye at that. Now im wanting to go to a midnight ruby or chocolate cherry color. Im not sure if I should lighten it or not. I have a bottle of bleach from a box of splat dye (my sisters a natural blonde, and didn't need it). But im not sure if that is needed. I wish I had the money to professionally do it. But with one income and 2 kids, not likely to happen lol
*thx*
Bleach should not be your first step, you might not need to bleach at all.
Start with a colour remover, such as Colour B4 or One&Only Colorfix (available at US Sallys)
You may need several applications if you have a lot of colour build up, but it should get you light enough for the deep red/brown you want