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Milkchocolate
July 28th, 2018, 11:33 PM
Since I want to start over on my new hair health journey, I just wanted to know if there were any alternatives or safe black hair dyes to make my hair a jet black? I don’t trust salons because I’ve had too many bad experiences in the past, so I was wondering if the people of LHC can tell be about their methods and experiences please ❤️❤️ I’d really appreciate it!!!

Margarita
July 28th, 2018, 11:37 PM
You can buy and use organic hair dyes. I dyed my hair black with a Greek organic hair dye from 'Korres'. I believe you'll be able to order it if you are interested. Apivita is also a good choice! But remember, organic hair dyes fade kind of easily.

akurah
July 29th, 2018, 12:14 AM
Elumen is safe, but permanent. It’s ppd free. I’m not sure if it comes in black but I’d be surprised if it didn’t.

iforgotmylogin
July 29th, 2018, 01:03 AM
Have you considered henna + indigo?

Xlena
July 29th, 2018, 01:22 AM
I've seen people doing it with henna and indigo, both using them mixed and sepparated (first henna to have a foundation of warmth and then indigo to darken).

lapushka
July 29th, 2018, 03:36 AM
Have you considered henna + indigo?


I've seen people doing it with henna and indigo, both using them mixed and sepparated (first henna to have a foundation of warmth and then indigo to darken).

Henna + indigo is not something you undertake lightly though. I recommend researching it *loads* and checking out the henna FAQ here on this forum (the big henna thread). You also can no longer use bleach with indigo (hair will turn green) and it is tough to remove. You have to know what you're getting into.

I would stick with veggie dyes, if you're not trying to cover gray (because I don't know how successful that is on there).

iforgotmylogin
July 29th, 2018, 05:34 AM
So you're saying it's something that needs to be, what's the word...


considered

and that she wouldn't be able to use bleach to dye her hair black.

Gotcha.

C_Bookworm
July 29th, 2018, 06:06 AM
I’m a henna+indigo 2-stepper, and I love it. There’s no denying it’s more intensive from a time/clean up perspective. And it did take trial and error to find the combination that gave me the black shade I desired. But my hair is healthy in a way it wasn't when I was using PPD dyes. And the fade out is slower (or downright nonexistent) compared to some of the temporary veggie dyes.

What it looks like in natural, outdoor light:
https://i.imgur.com/dpHHJA6.jpg

iforgotmylogin
July 29th, 2018, 06:20 AM
That looks great

kitcatsmeow
July 29th, 2018, 06:27 AM
Henna + indigo is not something you undertake lightly though. I recommend researching it *loads* and checking out the henna FAQ here on this forum (the big henna thread). You also can no longer use bleach with indigo (hair will turn green) and it is tough to remove. You have to know what you're getting into.

I would stick with veggie dyes, if you're not trying to cover gray (because I don't know how successful that is on there).

Yep, yep, yep this. There is a lot of good advice but little more info about your hir history is needed l. What is your current color? Natural color? Have you been coloring yourself with box color? Do you plan on keeping up with youre regrowth? Aka touching up your roots.

MidnightMoon
July 29th, 2018, 08:05 AM
To be fair, you can't use bleach after some semi permanent dyes as well, specially darker ones. I already had this problem once. I was using Pravana blue and Manic Panic black. Thought it was gone (hadn't used it for a year, and my hair is pretty dark, so it wasn't visible). Went to the salon to cut it and dye it copper red. They made a strand test in 3 sections. Turns out all the hair that weren't roots had dye and turned vibrant teal. And when two months later, after trying to remove it on my own with washes and whatnot, I used a blonde box dye and a red one after my roots were red and from ny ears down a blackish green.

Ylva
July 29th, 2018, 12:57 PM
I’m a henna+indigo 2-stepper, and I love it. There’s no denying it’s more intensive from a time/clean up perspective. And it did take trial and error to find the combination that gave me the black shade I desired. But my hair is healthy in a way it wasn't when I was using PPD dyes. And the fade out is slower (or downright nonexistent) compared to some of the temporary veggie dyes.

What it looks like in natural, outdoor light:
https://i.imgur.com/dpHHJA6.jpg

Just have to say, that’s a gorgeous shade of black! And beautiful hair.

C_Bookworm
July 29th, 2018, 02:09 PM
That looks great
Thank you :flower:


Just have to say, that’s a gorgeous shade of black! And beautiful hair.
Thank you! It was a process figuring out what worked for me...I tried all sorts of variations on how I mixed it up, and combining it with other stuff. It was fun, felt like a mad scientist, :rollin: but also nice to have a settled routine finally.

Alissalocks
July 30th, 2018, 08:54 AM
I use indigo-only (1 step) to maintain my black hair. Stay away from anything that has PPD, it's very dangerous :flower:

TatsuOni
July 30th, 2018, 09:10 AM
I also use henna and indigo (the two step method) to get it black.

C_Bookworm
July 30th, 2018, 09:12 AM
I use indigo-only (1 step) to maintain my black hair. Stay away from anything that has PPD, it's very dangerous :flower:
Your hair color is beautiful! May I ask your secret to getting the indigo to stick?

Arciela
July 30th, 2018, 09:14 AM
My BF mom uses Pravana and has no damage at all :)

Milkchocolate
July 30th, 2018, 11:15 AM
I keep seeing a lot of mentions of henna and indigo, never knew you could use these to dye my hair before joining the forum. I have so much to learn! :) It’s all new to me and I can’t wait to try it.
Is there such thing as already pre packaged henna and indigo hair dye?

So it seems like all of the henna users seems totally happy. I’m so so afraid to try new things though :(
What can I expect and is it an easy process?? Is there any room for mistakes with this method?? Things to look out for??

Excuse my lack of understanding lol ❤️ I’m so naive and new with hair things and hair health care. I really appreciate all of this helpful information ❤️❤️

ALSO: If I were to use henna/ indigo products, would it still be safe to use heating tools on my hair??

CopperButterfly
July 30th, 2018, 01:51 PM
You'll have no trouble using heat with henna/indigo. Heat isn't great for hair in general though. ;) if you were looking at just henna, heat can darken it, but since you're aiming for black, nothing to worry about.

I use ancient sunrise henna. They've got a free ebook about henna and indigo, including a section on the 2 step process for black. Even if you decide not to buy from them, (I do because they test their products so I feel like I know exactly what I'm getting) the ebook still had really great info on how to go about the process

Here's a link to their faq. http://www.mehandi.com/Articles.asp?ID=285

I definitely recommend reading up a bit before jumping in.

yahirwaO.o
July 30th, 2018, 07:45 PM
I always wanted to try organic dyes but im just to lazy to keep up with care and such. And everything ive tried in the past just fades and gives a not so cool reddish tone when its out. I wish i could archice very dark strands without so much effort.

Rebeccalaurenxx
July 30th, 2018, 08:33 PM
After years of doing henna and indigo, I stopped last year.
Henna and indigo has resulted in a lot of broken and dry hairs. Its gritty, its messy and it upsets my scalp.
And then it fades really gross, usually starts to go green if you dont use enough henna.
I have tried a lot of brands, results are always the same. My hair just didnt like it, I went back to chemical dye.
I now go to the salon, she mixes Pravana 10N with a 10vol developer and olaplex.
My hair has never felt this healthy, even with the natural dyes.

akurah
July 30th, 2018, 09:28 PM
I keep seeing a lot of mentions of henna and indigo, never knew you could use these to dye my hair before joining the forum. I have so much to learn! :) It’s all new to me and I can’t wait to try it.
Is there such thing as already pre packaged henna and indigo hair dye?

So it seems like all of the henna users seems totally happy. I’m so so afraid to try new things though :(
What can I expect and is it an easy process?? Is there any room for mistakes with this method?? Things to look out for??

Excuse my lack of understanding lol ❤️ I’m so naive and new with hair things and hair health care. I really appreciate all of this helpful information ❤️❤️

ALSO: If I were to use henna/ indigo products, would it still be safe to use heating tools on my hair??

Henna and indigo are very hard to get right, and it is a giant hassle.

You should seriously consider Elumen over if you can get your hands on it. It's not natural, but it is perfectly safe, and more importantly, PPD free.

I say this as a former henna head of many years.

C_Bookworm
July 30th, 2018, 11:34 PM
I keep seeing a lot of mentions of henna and indigo, never knew you could use these to dye my hair before joining the forum. I have so much to learn! :) It’s all new to me and I can’t wait to try it.
Is there such thing as already pre packaged henna and indigo hair dye?

So it seems like all of the henna users seems totally happy. I’m so so afraid to try new things though :(
What can I expect and is it an easy process?? Is there any room for mistakes with this method?? Things to look out for??

Excuse my lack of understanding lol ❤️ I’m so naive and new with hair things and hair health care. I really appreciate all of this helpful information ❤️❤️

ALSO: If I were to use henna/ indigo products, would it still be safe to use heating tools on my hair??
For my first step, henna, I use Godrej Nupur Mehendi Powder 9 Herbs Blend. I appreciate that some of the ingredients darken up the henna (amla and jatamansi), which means I’ve got a darker base to add the indigo to, and I don’t have to hassle with mixing ingredients myself. At that point all that needs to be added is acid for dye release (I use lemon juice, but there are lots of options).

For my second step, indigo, I add warm water. I’ve found that a pinch of Xanthan gum helps, but this has nothing to do with dye release, just that I don’t like my indigo to drip and the xanthan thickens it up nicely.

It’s a low maintenance routine. I’ve got my ingredients subscribed on Amazon, so they show up monthly like clockwork. I put my henna on before bed and wash it out when I wake in the morning. Then I put on the indigo for an hour, wash it out, and I’m good to go.

As far as room for error, I’ll say this: if you use indigo, you’ve made a long term commitment to dark hair. You absolutely should not count on being able to remove it. However, if you want black hair long term, it gives a depth and richness of color that is almost indescribable. No flatness, no harshness, just a multifaceted black that doesn’t fade out, on top of healthy hair.

Dark40
August 2nd, 2018, 04:29 PM
When I dye my hair black I use Clairol Nice N Easy. They are the safest to me. I don't ever experience or see and hair breakage or damage. I don't trust salons either, and they are also too expensive.

hennalove
August 2nd, 2018, 05:38 PM
When I dye my hair black I use Clairol Nice N Easy. They are the safest to me. I don't ever experience or see and hair breakage or damage. I don't trust salons either, and they are also too expensive.

Sorry to hijack: I seems to me that getting that beautiful deep black is problematic regardless of which way you go about it. Not sure if this is a concern for you but it might be for others in terms of safety. Clairol Nice N Easy has a Think Dirty rating of 8 for most colours and EWG rating 7 because of harmful ingredients in comparison to henna with a EWG rating of 1. I don't see an actual rating for indigo but it should be the same as henna making both indigo and henna a considerably safer choice. Surya Brasil Henna Cream (Black) has a EWG rating of 3 with the worst ingredient HC Red 3 so that might be a good choice too. I have no experience with this cream but might try it if I ever see it in the health food store. If you want a safer permanent hair dye, Herbatint has a rating of 4 but their black is an 8. Neither app has ratings for the deposit only vegetable dyes (Manic Panic, Arctic Fox, Adore) but based on ingredients it would be fairly easy to figure out the rating. At any rate, I highly recommend both apps for checking hair care products.

illicitlizard
August 2nd, 2018, 06:07 PM
There are a lot of good suggestions in this thread. The thing I find kind of amusing is the idea that indigo+henna is difficult to remove... So is every other black hair dye! I've never heard of someone long term dying their hair black in any way being able to get back to a lighter colour without prohibitively significant damage. Dyed black hair is a massive commitment already, is it really made that much more of a commitment by using natural dyes? IDK, as I see it, black dye is always long term.

ToxicBend
August 2nd, 2018, 09:16 PM
Arctic fox has a nice cruelty free vegan line of semi permanent dyes, they have lots of bright and fun colors but they also have a black dye that if my memory serves correctly, is called midnight. I used their purple to dye my hair a few years ago, it had a nice grape smell and the color lasted a few months, and that’s only because I started washing my hair more frequently to wash it out - it could have lasted longer if I hadn’t . If I remember correctly they also donate 20-25% of proceeds to help stop animal cruelty!

akurah
August 3rd, 2018, 12:31 AM
There are a lot of good suggestions in this thread. The thing I find kind of amusing is the idea that indigo+henna is difficult to remove... So is every other black hair dye! I've never heard of someone long term dying their hair black in any way being able to get back to a lighter colour without prohibitively significant damage. Dyed black hair is a massive commitment already, is it really made that much more of a commitment by using natural dyes? IDK, as I see it, black dye is always long term.

It’s not just a matter of removal that makes it problematic, it’s that you can get stuck with a weird shade of dark brown, that reds that you might not want to bleed through will bleed through, the henna might stick but the indigo won’t and now you’re stuck with red, the fact that the mud itself can be problematic (friction damage getting it out, or it causes an alarming amount of hairfall, or it clogs up the pipes in your tub, or it “ruins” your hair texture, plus the application is guaranteed to be at minimum an all day affair, etc).

My biggest concern with henna and henna and indigo is that they are major commitments not to be taken lightly, and I would consider it a greater commitment required than even something like conventional black dye, because there’s so much risk of the whole affair going wrong, but people get hung up on “natural is better” with no regards to what they’re really getting into

illicitlizard
August 3rd, 2018, 02:14 AM
It’s not just a matter of removal that makes it problematic, it’s that you can get stuck with a weird shade of dark brown, that reds that you might not want to bleed through will bleed through, the henna might stick but the indigo won’t and now you’re stuck with red, the fact that the mud itself can be problematic (friction damage getting it out, or it causes an alarming amount of hairfall, or it clogs up the pipes in your tub, or it “ruins” your hair texture, plus the application is guaranteed to be at minimum an all day affair, etc).

My biggest concern with henna and henna and indigo is that they are major commitments not to be taken lightly, and I would consider it a greater commitment required than even something like conventional black dye, because there’s so much risk of the whole affair going wrong, but people get hung up on “natural is better” with no regards to what they’re really getting into

AH that makes a lot more sense, sounds terrible to be frank. Way too much room for error (could some of that be minimised by strand testing?). People often seem to see the word 'natural' and jump in guns blazing...natural is not synonymous with safe or good. Thanks for the explanation!

Lyra Belaqua
August 3rd, 2018, 07:08 AM
I recommend a pigment only dye like manic panic over henna/indigo; i agree with what people have already said about henna being a major commitment.

Milkchocolate
August 3rd, 2018, 12:05 PM
Reading more about the henna indigo dye, I decided it was way too intimidating for me. I could see it being a long term commitment on having to upkeep it because of the fading aspects. I know all dyes fade, but from reading the posts, my understanding is it could fade your entire head into an odd color. I would be mortified.
I bought the Shea Moisture Color Creme in jet black because it appeared to have less chemically ingredients than other box dyes and it was “ammonia-free”.. however at the end of it it definitely made my hair feel a little coarse and dryer than usual. When I was about to wash it, instead of it feeling liquidy and whipped (like Clairol’s Nice N Easy) it felt hard! I had a mini panic attack. I washed it off and like I had mentioned, felt very dry and not much shine to it. I had better results with Clairol but I didn’t choose it for the “health of my hair”. Now I’m telling myself I should have stuck with Clairol because ive had had better results...soft, shiny, and little to no hair shed...which leads me to beleive if I should even bother with “natural” products in the first place..sighh :/ Let’s see if the longetivity at least lasts better on this one.

In the meanwhile off to deep conditioning I go!

Alissalocks
August 7th, 2018, 10:32 PM
I never get fade, but I do get roots from new growth, naturally. No tricks to my indigo routine except that I do wear my indigo for 6+ hours (and do it about every 2-4 weeks, which is super frequent). I have massive buildup, which keeps it blackity black. No fade.

Longlegs
August 8th, 2018, 12:25 AM
I found Henna and Indigo to be too much work, time consuming and too messy after a couple of years. I just use vegetable-based dyes now , Like Arctic fox, special effects or Directions.

Dark40
August 8th, 2018, 01:26 PM
Sorry to hijack: I seems to me that getting that beautiful deep black is problematic regardless of which way you go about it. Not sure if this is a concern for you but it might be for others in terms of safety. Clairol Nice N Easy has a Think Dirty rating of 8 for most colours and EWG rating 7 because of harmful ingredients in comparison to henna with a EWG rating of 1. I don't see an actual rating for indigo but it should be the same as henna making both indigo and henna a considerably safer choice. Surya Brasil Henna Cream (Black) has a EWG rating of 3 with the worst ingredient HC Red 3 so that might be a good choice too. I have no experience with this cream but might try it if I ever see it in the health food store. If you want a safer permanent hair dye, Herbatint has a rating of 4 but their black is an 8. Neither app has ratings for the deposit only vegetable dyes (Manic Panic, Arctic Fox, Adore) but based on ingredients it would be fairly easy to figure out the rating. At any rate, I highly recommend both apps for checking hair care products.

That's okay: Thanks for the advice but I can't use any type of henna on my hair. Because, it's chemically relaxed. So, I have to stick with the permanent hair dyes. I've been using Clairol Nice N Easy for almost 30 years, and I have had any problems with damage or breakage. I always knew that the darkest black colours they have is, "Natural Black," and "Jet Black."

Milkchocolate
August 8th, 2018, 06:44 PM
Update: never purchase Shea Moisture Color Creme/ dye in black! Terrible results!!! Hair faded like in a week, no lie!!! And it sucks the moisture out, hair shed too. Still trying to repair :(

Alissalocks
August 9th, 2018, 10:23 AM
Sorry to hear it, Milkchocolate :flower:

Milkchocolate
August 9th, 2018, 12:05 PM
Sorry to hear it, Milkchocolate :flower:

Awe thanks! Slowly but surely I’ll get back it back to its normal state with a little experimenting ❤️

Robot Ninja
August 9th, 2018, 05:39 PM
I would suggest trying deposit-only dyes. They don't use peroxide, so they do not damage your hair at all. Yes, they will fade, but you can dye over them again and again as much as you like and zero damage. Just make sure to research the dye you choose, to see how it fades.

If your hair is naturally dark, you can get black by using a blue or purple deposit dye as well. There was a member here a few years ago who got blue-black hair by using Pravana blue over dark brown hair.

TreesOfEternity
August 9th, 2018, 05:51 PM
Elumen is safe, but permanent. It’s ppd free. I’m not sure if it comes in black but I’d be surprised if it didn’t.

How damaging would you consider it is to the hair? is it worth it?

lucid
August 9th, 2018, 08:11 PM
Now I’m telling myself I should have stuck with Clairol because ive had had better results...soft, shiny, and little to no hair shed...which leads me to beleive if I should even bother with “natural” products in the first place..sighh :/ Let’s see if the longetivity at least lasts better on this one.

In the meanwhile off to deep conditioning I go!

Natural isn't necessarily better or healthier, it's just sounds safe and is therefore a much used marketing technique. There are tons of extremely dangerous, poisonous and deadly natural compounds, so a product being "natural" doesn't mean anything when it comes to safety or health concerns.

Stick to the product that works, it literally doesn't matter if they're natural or not. Try to avoid harmful products as best as you can :)

akurah
August 12th, 2018, 12:36 AM
How damaging would you consider it is to the hair? is it worth it?

It’s not damaging. It might make your hair feel weird for a few washes, but it’s not damaging.

It’s a deposit only dye. Application is similar to Manic Panic. No developer is involved. It’s been my experience that the developer is the primary source of damage from dyes. Elumen doesn’t use a developer.

TreesOfEternity
August 12th, 2018, 03:17 AM
It’s not damaging. It might make your hair feel weird for a few washes, but it’s not damaging.

It’s a deposit only dye. Application is similar to Manic Panic. No developer is involved. It’s been my experience that the developer is the primary source of damage from dyes. Elumen doesn’t use a developer.

Awesome thank you! I may try it this winter if I still crave the black hair back.