Hair Dye Help required please!

[sabas]

I have naturally black hair and want to dye it a bit lighter - a chocolatey brown but nothing I try seems to work, even those colours which claim to work to black hair!

The latest one has actually made my hair more black, it is now a "fake" jet black colour not the chocolate it promised on the box!

Can anyone advise on what dye will colour my hair................

This is tricky, particularly with home box dyes, because the developer in them (peroxide) is more like around 3%. Someone with black hair wanting to go up a couple of shades really needs about a 9% peroxide which is 30 volume. This is a salon thing really.

You can do it yourself, technically, and dyes like Loreal Majirel which I have been talking about on another thread will lighten up to 3 shades which would get you to chocolate.

Because you've already dyed your hair and it is jet black, I personally think you should go to a salon because they might have to "cleanse" the colour out before they bring you up a few shades using effacor or whatever its called, but they will be able to do it. However, once they have done it, I can definitely tell you how to keep your roots (which is virgin hair) to the same colour using professional dye. But black hair and darks added are a bit of a minefield, however if you've only dyed it the once it should be easy enough because at least you don't have colour build up.

If you are desperate to do it yourself, you could "pre lighten" by bleaching it with a pre lightening kit but I don't recommend that, personally, because there is a better way (mentioned above) and because it would then be a bit of a guessing game when your roots come through getting them to the correct colour unless you wanted to bleach them every time. Which trust me you don't. Better to get the method right first time.

Hi Tatty, thanks so much for the advice.

I did go into a salon in Glasgow but the hairdresser there recommended I had highlights rather than an all over colour which I wasn't keen on. Also she said that I would need to wait a couple of weeks (as I had just dyed it) before I could get an all over colour

I think what I may do is as you suggested and go to a hairdresser and get it cleansed and then coloured brown and then maybe dye it again myself once the roots come through. Would I need to know the exact colour/product that the hairdresser used on me to be able to continue doing it at home - they may be reluctant to tell me as they lose the business?

I tried to do a home job to save a bit of ££ as I have just spent a fortune on clothes and I though an all over colour would be a doddle to do. I do know a couple of girls with same hair colour as myself who have sucessfully home coloured - so there must be a product that does it, I did ask and I am sure Nice and Easy was mentioned - is this not correct then?

Thanks again for the advice, much appreciated!

There are a couple of ultra high lift products on the market. I think Nice n Easy have a couple of "ultra lightening" browns designed for really dark hair. I think Loreal have a couple as well.

Best thing you can do when in the hairdresser is say "could you bring your swatch book over so I can show you the kind of shade I mean" (a good hairdresser should do that anyway during a colour consultation to make sure you are on the same page, so to speak) and point out the kind of target colour you want. Memorise the number. You don't need anything other than the brand and number! She should be bringing you up to "base 4" for a medium chocolatey colour and there will probably be a bit of warm tone to it as well. Majirel 4.35 is a good example - base 4 (medium brown) with a gold primary tone and a mahogany secondary tone - that is basically what we know as "chocolate". Of course she may not use Loreal or Majirel depending what salon you go to but the numbering system is fairly universal across brands in terms of professional colour. Its called the ICC system (International Colour Chart)

Even if you are completely in the dark about what she uses and are not able to find out and if asking her she fobs you off, you will still be able to do a colour match for your roots easily enough. But to be fair you have a right to know what she is using on your hair, in terms of semi or permenant, whether she's using any bleach, and what shade she is bringing you up to. If you ask "intelligent" type questions it would be hard for her not to simply answer you - like "so what kind of level is that, base 4?" and "will it have a warm gold undertone then?" and "it won't be too red will it?" and things like that should tease out more details from her

Thanks Tatty, I will sort out an appointment tomorrow. I was telling my mum about my hair dilema and your advice and she asked me to ask you another question if you dont mind?

DM is nearly 50% grey but she finds its getting harder and harder to get the colour to take on the grey when she dyes her hair, she uses either a Nice and Easy or Loreal permenant colour in a dark brown, is there anything else in terms of "professional" colour she could try and home that would give better results and how would she do it?

Thanks again!