Not getting the colours I expected...

L'oreal pre-lightener is basically a bleaching kit, and bleach on dyed hair is not a good idea. You probably should have tried a color remover first, even though XXL dyes cannot really be taken off the hair... and only after this going on with the bleaching.
Your hair could be multi toned because the base you've started with was uneven as you spoke of blonde/ginger (blue needs a very platinum blonde or it'll look more green than blue). Or maybe even though you tried to apply the colors evenly, some strands didn't got as much dye as the others.

Other people on this board pointed out that XXL dyes have silicones in their formulas, so if you use heat on your hair (hair dryers, straighteners, curling tongs etc) the silicones basically melt into your hair, making it quite impossible to remove the colour and they will also make it harder for semi dyes to stick to your hair. This could also explain why you got uneven results. I think the Ultra Brights range does not contain silicone but if you used XXL for years, the silicone might be there anyway....

I would try dyeing again as all of the colors you used seem to be semi dyes so they won't cause any damage to your hair, but I'd stay away from another bleaching as it would make your hair fragile and may leave you with an even more uneven (hah, no pun intended) color. I personally find that Crazy Color dyes aren't the best ones for lasting time and color result anyway, so I'd maybe switch to other semi dyes like Directions, Pravana or Special Effects.

I agree with the advice above, a colour remover may still help to get the last of the permanent dye out.
I think some parts of your hair are too dark, and some are possible over processed. when hair is very damaged it can struggle to hold the colour at all hence the blonde areas.
Basically a good base and better quality dyes are the answer to getting a predictable colour. The XXL Ultra brights are not great quality, there are far better dyes available.
If you can post a pic of your hair it will be easier to advise.

Thanks for your replies 🙂

I had read up some on lightening/removing the existing dye and I nearly bought a colour remover, then the woman who also used the ultra brights said she used to use all over peroxide dyes and simply pre-lightened before going multi, ie I didn't need to use a colour remover.  I didn't realise pre-lightener is essentially bleaching, I hadn't come across that anywhere before - I was only aware of the 'old school' method of using actual bleach.  I should have done some more research... wish I'd come across this site before!

I would have used a colour remover for changing the style this time but I wanted to try and make the blonde better.  I will definitely get a colour remover for next time, to not only remove the red and blue but see if it makes any difference to the shade of blonde.

It might be my hair was already damaged from years of peroxide dyes but I hope I haven't done any further damage by my actions.  I wasn't aware that they contained silicones and that it could affect how well future colour takes.  I don't use heat, perhaps that has saved me a bit!  The condition feels ok but that could be due to the high strength conditioner that comes with the dye!  Fortunately although my hair is very fine it's also strong, and having a very short style means I can grow out any damage pretty quickly.

I've attached an example of my colour at the back (excuse my weird stance, I was dancing!).  Where it's blue at the crown it should have been the Crazy Colours black, and the rest should have been a mix of ultra brights blue and purple.  The blonde/brown bit is likely where I'd put the blue, I didn't realise it looked like this until I saw the pic!  You can probably just tell the colours are multi-tonal, the blue on the right hand side of my ear especially goes from dark blue to very pale blue.  As I say it's funky but not the effect I was after 🙂  I reckon although I covered the hair I didn't massage it in, as I used my fingers first time and a tint brush the second.

I will bin the ultra brights and get another brand.  I was erring towards Directions, since they have been going since I was a teenager so they must be doing something right!  I didn't want to mix and match brands in one go as I know Directions are heat activated.

Thanks for your help 🙂

The pre-lightener you used is a cream bleach. It is possible to bleach out permanent colour (it is what a salon will do) but it creates some very unnatural shades and can be very damaging, so a colour remover means the bleach has less work to do if light hair is your goal.
Directions can be mixed with any other direct dye, it isn't heat activated.
So what do you want to do now?

I've bought the ColourB4 Extra to use when I next change the colourway 🙂  Hopefully this will also get rid of (some of) the ginger tone and if not it will grow out in time.  £6.99 from Bodycare, £9.99 everywhere else!, and if you write an online review of it you get a free one, which makes each pack £3.49 each.

Bodycare also have Jo Baz Hair Colour Remover, which is the exact same product as ColourB4 - same ingredients, exactly the same wording on the instruction leaflet (simply changes 'ColourB4' to 'Jo Baz') - for £3.99.  Since I'm sure ColourB4 won't let me review the product more than once this is a better price option for future.

A local shop sells Directions 88ml for £3.99, plus I have a voucher for 10% off, so will get some for next time.  It's Adore that's heat activated - looked at so many types I got it mixed up.  I'm pretty sure the colours didn't take as well because I didn't massage them in and hopefully having a better quality dye will also help.

It's been a steep learning curve but I think I'm getting there.

Thanks again! 🙂

Any direct dye will take better if heat is added, it helps to open the cuticle allowing the dye to penetrate. Adore will work perfectly well without heat though, no direct dyes are 'heat activated', they work by staining. So using heat and leaving it on for a long time can help with longevity.
I think you will get much better results with Directions, especially if you cover it and leave it in for a few hours.
JoBazz is a great cheap colour remover, I also really like Pro:Vokes colour remover which I can get for £1.99 in certain shops. (Family Bargains, Home Bargains, discount type shops.) I need 2 or 3 boxes as i have a lot of hair so it makes a huge saving for me.