Black Hair Dilemma

[Pherokami]

Hello everyone!

First, let me address the fact that I am completely new here (though have lurked every now and then for quite some time), so I'm really sorry if I mess up in any way.

Okay, so onto the issue - I am naturally a curly blonde, and my hair although strong, tends to go frizzy and has a tendency to be very dry even when virgin. The bad part is, the blonde does nothing for me. It washes me out, doesn't go well with my skin or facial features, and just generally feels very "meh". This is because I have inherited my dads facial features and skin tone (he has black hair), despite getting my mothers blonde curls (it looks awesome on her).

When I first chemically dyed my hair dark, it pretty much changed my life lol. My face lit up and sort of softened, I looked healthier and generally just felt good in my skin, which I never did with blonde hair. The darker I went, the better I felt, till I pretty much reached black and decided to stay that way permanently. Alas, that proved to be harder than I thought.

Black hair on a natural blonde is a very hard colour to maintain while keeping hair healthy. Where my hair had been processed I had no problem dying it with manic panic raven (I have been doing this for months), but since I have stopped colouring the hair chemically, manic panic simply refused to stick and began to turn my blonde hair greenish;/ Not to mention, it would fade so fast from even my processed hair, that I would have to refresh the colour every week, which was not only expensive, but I believe in the end did dry my hair out a bit (not sure on that actually, can manic panic do that when overused?)

I have then tried to use goldwell elumen - that turned out to be a complete failure. The colour faded completely after one wash, and also refused to stick (I tried doing three sessions).

Though I have no experience in henna/indigo, I did think of using it. However I am afraid to try it since I have heard it gives orange/red reflexes even to black hair (which I prefer my colour to stay on the cooler side).

I am beginning to believe I may have to be forced to dye my hair chemically every now and then, and perhaps use manic panic in between sessions. But another issue is that while I try to take care of my damaged strands (oiling, deep conditioning, etc) that in turn also washes out the black colour, forcing me to dye it even more:( I feel like I am running in circles. Does anyone have any suggestions on what the best course of action for me could be? I am really sorry about this long post, however I really want to keep my hair long and healthy, but cannot give up the black colour.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Maybe try pravana?

I do henna and indigo personally. The "red" hues arent that noticeable when its been freshly colored.

[Pherokami]

Maybe try pravana?

I do henna and indigo personally. The "red" hues arent that noticeable when its been freshly colored.


Thanks for the reply! How often do you do the whole process? I'm not sure if indigo can "fade" from the hair like chemical hair dye?

[lapushka]

You need a "filler" color (red) if you want to go from blonde to black. The chemical boxes usually contain it (to prevent disasters and to make it do-able for everyone), but when you use veggie dyes you need to pay it mind; also when you henna. NEVER put indigo straight up on blonde (or bleached) hair, it will turn green.

If you are wanting to go henna/indigo, I suggest you read the FAQ thread first and ask lots of questions before delving into it. It's not something you can just (impulsively) do.

Welcome to the forum! :flower:

[*Wednesday*]

Welcome.

Manic is a semi-permanent and meant for coloring within 3 shades of your natural color. Unless you are using pink on blond hair, it is not strong enough or meant to take a blond to the color black like permenent dye. It will stick on chemically dyed dark brown or black hair, not blond. Semi/Demi’s are good because they are least harmful to the hair but again, it’s to color the hair but not so intensively outside of your natural color, ultimately wash out.

I don’t know how worried you are about hair damage, length and growth but if you want your hair color to remain black long term (you won’t change your mind 5 years from now), you can dye the hair Black permanently and then do only “root” touch-ups ever 4-8 weeks and refrain from coloring the rest of the hair. Least harmful. However, more often because your hair is not naturally brunette, the color will fade (colors always do) which will require a color fresher, applying to the head the last 10 min or the process. Because you are blond and going several levels darker, I think I would visit a salon if you are not experienced with coloring.

As far as henna, read about it thoroughly, people can have disasters with that too if you don’t do it correctly.

[C_Bookworm]

Two step indigo keeps my hair a cool bluish black for two weeks. Past that it fades to a warmer black. The best (longest lasting) blue black I got was a double two step...I did a two-step henndigo one night, and then turned around and repeated the process the very next night. I think it helped the indigo stick better because it ‘sandwiched’ it between two layers of henna. Unfortunately for me that was just an experiment. I’m not willing to put in the effort to 4 step henndigo! But if you’re dyeing that often, I thought I’d at least let you know it is the best results I’ve had on maintaining blue black.

[lapushka]

As far as henna, read about it thoroughly, people can have disasters with that too if you don’t do it correctly.

Yep, and there is no bleaching out indigo (or you will have green hair).

I would stick to chemical black colors, whether semi permanent or permanent; if at all possible. It's *by far* the easiest to deal with once you change your mind.

Indigo you will have to grow out!!! No joke!

[CopperButterfly]

So I think henna/ indigo 2 step could be a good option for you. It would be less damaging for sure. But it is very very permanent, so I wouldn't jump into it. I would collect hair and do a strand test, especially try and get some hair with your natural roots you can see what it will look like on your virgin hair.

Good luck.

[Joules]

If your natural hair is very light, you'd need to do touch-ups quite frequently. Herbal hairdyes are honestly a pain in the behind, I tolerate henna only because there's not much difference between my natural color and hennaed parts, I can get away with waiting for two months between touch-ups. If I had to do it often I'd rather just grow out my natural color, however much I don't like it.

So, as much as I love everything natural, I think chemical dyes for you are a better solution.

[Queerantine]

I would go demi-permanent if I were you.

The henna / indigo is a processsssss. It takes a long ass time. I have done black, dark brown, and red using varying degrees of henna and indigo, was using straight henna for 5 years, and finally got tired of doing it. I keep my hair dark brown / black now, because my hair is a light ashy brown and starting to go grey, but it all looked grey growing in against the red - too much upkeep.

I considered going back to black using indigo, but that doubles the amount of time on an already tedious process, and if I want to go lighter ever, I'd have to grow it out. Semis don't stick to my greys (and fade immediately from the henna'ed portions of my hair), so I go with demi-permanent. It sticks, stays a cool color even when not fresh ( so when my roots DO grow in, they look their actual color of light brown with some grey, not straight grey), and is less damaging than permanent.

Although I will say that if you have the patience for it and no intentions of coming back from black, the henna did REALLY good things for my hair as far as strength and shine. If you choose to go that route, do your research, and don't skimp on the henna step by getting a cheap quality henna (like I did the first time, thinking it wouldn't matter since I was then going to indigo over it) - it matters. When I did it right, it was jet black and stayed jet black.

[Dark40]

You can try permanent hair dye black from your local Sally's Beauty Supply Store. I wouldn't recommending using Manic Panic if I were you. I remember using that on my bleached blonde hair as a toner, and it dried my hair out. So, I had to apply some deep conditioner to my hair to save it, and it helped me out tremendously.

[TreesOfEternity]

Maybe this sounds silly but have you checked the undertone of your skin and hair? Maybe it's not a matter of color but undertone why you feel your natural hair color doesn't suit your facial features