Sonia says: I have natural black hair and for years I had dyed it light brown. Then one day went back to black. Now my question is how do I get it back to brown? I’ve tried several dyes and nothing has changed but my roots.
The Right Brain responds:
How do you get your hair from black back to brown? You need to bleach out the dark color before you can add the lighter brown shade. You should probably have this done in a salon, but if you do decide to do it at home, make sure you buy the right kind of hair dye. In case you didn’t know, there are 3 different types of hair colors. Here’s a quick description along with the pros and cons of each:
The 3 Types of Hair Colors
Temporary Color
This is basically a colorful gel or cream that coats your hair. It lasts 1, maybe 2, shampoos at best. Sometimes less if you’re sweaty! Manic Panic is a good example of this kind of product. And if you’re really feeling frisky, Betty Beauty even makes a temporary color for hair *ahem* down there.
Pros: You can go crazy and make your hair day-glo red, blue, yellow or orange!
Cons: You run the risk of looking like a clown, which is bad. But only for a day or so, which is good. Unless the circus is in town that day, which is bad.
Semi or Demi Permanent Color
These colors use ingredients known as “direct dyes.” They stain the hair and take several shampoos to wash out. The new Sunsilk Color Boost products use this type of dye.
Pros: Let’s you experiment with a touch of color without much commitment.
Cons: The colors usually aren’t very good and you can’t add lighter shades on top of darker hair.
Permanent (or Oxidative) Color
This is the most serious type of hair color. It typically involves bleaching your hair to remove your natural color, then adds in color molecules that are locked inside the hair shaft. It should last until your roots grow out but some fading from washing will occur. Examples include Garnier Nutrisse, Revlon Colorist, and pretty much any coloring treatment you get in a salon. Highlights are a version of oxidative color but may only involve the bleaching step.
Pros: When done properly, this kind of color looks fabulous and lasts for weeks even months.
Cons: The chemical process is damaging to your hair, you’re stuck with the color for weeks (even months), and you have to recolor when your roots grow out.
Statistics say that more than 60% of women color their hair. But that Betty Beauty product has got me wondering…how many women color their hair “down there?” Is that too scandalous? Leave a comment and let the rest of the Beauty Brains community know what you think!
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Kristy Victoria Says:
Careful! I’ve used manic panic multiple times and never had it wash out in one or two washes. It can leave a very long lasting stain on light or chemically processed hair (months or longer). Also, semi-permanent blacks are well known for being misleading - often times they have to be bleached out or grown out.
Becka Says:
Agreed, Manic Panic is a semi-permanent dye. They make temporary gels, but the dye they make is semi permenent and it is even more permanent than other semi’s I have used. After bleaching I still have colour (my hair is pink, but it has been blue and red before by Manic Panic).
Midbrain Says:
There are some new permanent colors, Hi-lift colors specifically for women with black or very dark brown hair, Feria and Revlon both manufacture them, they will lighten black hair to brown without bleaching your hair out. They have a higher percentage of peroxide and lighten the hair more than traditional permanent color will. You should check those out.
Becka Says:
The colour lifting dyes only work on virgin hair though, IIRC. So they won’t lift any dark dyes that are already on the hair.
Susanna Says:
Some semi permanents are actually permanent – at least, that’s what I understand from my own experience and from Paula Begoun’s analysis.
thebeautybrains Says:
Any dye system that has peroxide in it will bleach your hair’s natural color. And you’re right, many semi-permanents are really just watered down versions of permanent dyes. There is just a lower level of peroxide so the hair isn’t as damaged. Also, the color molecules don’t get as big so the dye is more easily washed out.
Sade Says:
Avoid using dyes which have a large concentration of peroxide as it will damage your hair.
cj Says:
Go to a good salon ask them to lighten it for you. Don’t do it yourself it will go orange. Because your hair has to go through different colors as it gets lighter. Please don’t do it yourself.
Melanni Says:
When I used Manic Panic over bleached hair it lasted for several weeks. How I miss having pink hair. Dang adulthood!
Lynda Says:
Color will not lift color. #1 rule in coloring. As a stylist for 18 years I can tell you this. Go to a salon, don’t do it yourself. There are new products out now that can remove color with out bleach and are more gentle to the hair. They must be put on quickly and rinced properly. Make sure you leave yourself 2 to 3 hours for the salon to fix your hair. Don’t forget your check book. I promise you will be happy with the results though.
As for the hair down there. Wow Why? in this day and age does anyone leave hair there.
Good luck!!
tt Says:
Maybe you should do a poll? Personally, I can’t imagine shaving or waxing “down there”. Why would you want to look like a prepubescent girl?
CindyM Says:
I’m with Lynda on this one. As a former hairstyist it’s a golden rule that color will not lighten previous color. Bleach can work but it’s very damaging on the hair. Depending on how long ago the black color was applied, there are many great color removal products available to stylists that will gently remove the black pigment and make way for a lighter brown.
But DO NOT attempt this at home. Do yourself and your hair a favor and get thee to a professional salon. You’ve gone past the DIY zone in hair coloring and now need to pass the batton to a pro.
Janis Says:
tt, ITA. I’m a 42 year old woman, I want 42-year old you-know-whats.
Where does henna fit into this? It doesn’t penetrate the hair shaft, but it’s permanent as all get out … More a stain than a dye, perhaps?
thebeautybrains Says:
Yeah, Henna is a stain. It’s harder to get out than grass on a pant-leg
we wrote about henna before
Janis Says:
Is there a strict definition of “stain?” Does the word mean anything in a rigorous chemical sense?
I imagine it has something to do with the fact that the dye molecule isn’t physically “placed” into the hair shaft but instead sort of migrates into the top layers?
I wonder how this definition would be used to differentiate between dyeing cloth versus staining it? Or wood … Hmm.
sharon Says:
Is Sunsilk color boost still available? I’ve never seen it on the shelves. Has anyone tried it?