Guidelines for Dyeing Black Hair at Home

Guidelines for
Dyeing Black Hair at Home

With natural hair becoming a new trend, many people are trying to dye their hair at home. African hair has a unique structure and texture that requires more care than other hair types. With so much misinformation about DIY hair dyeing, it’s becoming more important for beauty supplies to provide accurate knowledge to customers. We’ll go over the most common mistakes when dyeing textured hair and give you a fail-proof guide to dyeing your hair at home.

 

 

Common misconceptions about coloring natural hair

1. Natural hair is thick and strong, so it needs a strong developer.  NO

Many coloring tutorials on social media often show off quick and dramatic changes and recommend using a powerful developer. This hack stems from the misconception that curly hair is typically thicker and coarser than straight hair and therefore requires stronger oxidizing agents. But that’s a big mistake. In fact, curly hair is more sensitive to heat damage than straight hair, and can be easily dried out and damaged during the coloring process, putting it at risk of even losing its curl.



What’s the role of a developer in hair color?

Developer breaks down the melanin pigments in hair and allow the coloring agents to settle in hair. The higher the developer strength, the stronger bleaching and lower color expression occurs.

 

 

How to choose the right developer strength

  • 10 volume: retain the preexisting hair tone with minimum hair damages
  • 20 volume: covering up gray hair or going up 1-2 levels lighter
  • 30 volume: when going up 2-3 levels lighter
  • 40 volume: the strongest to allow going up to 4 levels lighter but damage-prone

Tips for bleaching

If you want 1-3 levels lighter, use 20 volume developer in combination with bleach, and use 30 volume in combination for going up further levels.

 

Natural hair loses color faster. YES

African hair has a thinner and more open cuticle layer compared to other hair types, so it tends to fade quickly after coloring. These characteristics imply that careful care is essential to maintain the color of dyed natural hair. It is important to deep condition the dyed hair regularly to keep it well-nourished and to protect the color with color treatments. Rinsing your hair with cool water is recommended, as hot water and heat tools can open the cuticle, making it easier for the pigments to escape, and using sunscreen will also help your hair color last longer.

출처: SienceDirect / African hair has thinner and more open cuticle layer compared to other hair types


출처 National Institutes of Health (NIH) / Degree of hair damage following UV exposure by race

          

Black hair will come out darker, even with the same color.  YES

Naturally dark hair, which is rich in melanin pigment, may retain pigment after bleaching and appear darker than expected. Light reflection and absorption also play a role in creating these color differences. Straight hair reflects light better and appears lighter, while curly hair absorbs lighter and appears darker. To avoid the problem of getting a darker color than expected, it’s a good idea to choose a dye that is one shade lighter than the color you want.For example, if you want a medium brown color, you might need to use a medium blonde.

 

 

Causes and solutions for common mistakes

1. Damages to curls and hair strands

Cause #1: Perming and coloring on the same day

Using chemical products like relaxers and colorants on the same day can lead to hair melting or scalp burns. Color and relaxer procedures should be spaced at least two weeks apart. If you already have damaged hair, we recommend using semi-permanent or temporary hair color products that are less damaging to your hair.

출처: Koko Shanelle Youtube / A YouTuber who put bleach and relaxer on the same day experienced severe damage to her hair.

 

Cause #2: bleaching with a strong developer for a quick result

Drastic bleaching with high volumes of developer is especially harmful for hair with a weak cuticle layer, as it can cause excessive cuticle opening, which can lead to serious hair damage. When bleaching from a dark color to a light color, it is essential to gradually bleach the hair over a period of 2-3 days.

 

2. Not getting the color you want

As mentioned earlier, natural hair has more melanin pigment, so it’s not uncommon for it to retain a strong yellow or orange tone after bleaching. This is because natural hair requires more neutralizers due to its physical characteristics. To get rid of these unwanted tints, you can use complementary colors. For example, if you want to neutralize yellow tones, use a color with a purple hue, and if you want to get rid of red, go green. Purple shampoos (toning shampoos) are popular, especially if you want platinum blonde or light ash tones.

Key Complementary Color Combinations for Neutralizing Colors

In dyeing, complementary colors can be used to control unwanted hues by neutralizing each other. It’s the same principle as mixing contrasting colors to create an achromatic color. To rid of unwanted tones after coloring your hair, it’s important to make good use of complementary colors.


What purple shampoo does for different hair colors

  • With blonde color, it neutralizes yellow or orange tones for lighter blonde.
  • With brown color, it neutralizes the orange tone in lighter hair.
  • With red color, it neutralizes the yellow tone without altering the red.
  • With black color, it thoroughly cleanses without affecting colors.

출처 Jenny Borrego Youtube

 

3. Hair root comes out different color

Cause #1: dyeing already colored hair without bleaching it

If you apply a new color without going through the bleaching step, it’s never easy to get the color you want. Especially for lighter shades above color palette level 7, it is difficult to achieve the desired result without additional bleaching, even with strong oxidizing agents. Hair color products for natural hair, such as Dark and Lovely, Creme of Nature, and Clairol Textures and Tones, often come with booster packets to help with bleaching.

Cause #2: coloring from the roots

Often leading to uneven results, applying colors from the roots to the ends can cause the roots of the hair to develop color faster than other areas due to the added heat from the scalp. Therefore, when dyeing, it is recommended to apply the color to the mid-section first, then the ends, and finally the roots. Additionally, detangling and sectioning your hair before dyeing will make the process easier and can minimize uneven colors.

 

출처 Nola Viva Youtube
A YouTuber had dyed her hair black before and tried to turn it into a vibrant red, but skipped the bleaching process. The dye didn’t penetrate properly and only the newly grown roots got the intense red tone. This is a common experience if you fail to consider the interaction between the previously applied color agents and the new. Preparations, such as bleaching, are important, especially if you want to go from dark to light or fashion colors.

 

 

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