Darken without damage

[Synester]

(I think I already made a post like this in the past) WHOOPS oh well, anyways...
My virgin hair is nice and all now, but i really wish it were darker. Im going to try tea, coffee and molasses stuff. But im not sure it will give me the color payoff i am wanting.
Im already looking into some henna/indigo stuff on the henna discussion board.but that seems like some scary commitment.

Does anyone use any semi permanent hair dyes to get DARK BROWN hair? (not black) but pretty dark. I want the color without the damage.
damage is my biggest thing.
The health of my hair is #1 for me but i would also like the color to at least be closer to what I want.
I dress very modern goth / alternative style and my lighter ash brown hair doesnt give me the "look" I love.

if all else fails I guess there is always wigs.

Can any not natural dark hair beauties that dye or treat their hair darker lend some words of wisdom?

[lapushka]

If you want your hair color sometimes to darken but to still get back to that "healthy" length, then I would stick to semi's only! Honestly, you don't want that commitment that is henna/indigo. Indigo is foul stuff. I have had my fair share of it and... nope, never again!

[Zesty]

I've read about vegetable dyes (I think Manic Panic is?) but I'm not sure how long they last or if they come in the color you're looking for. Might be something to look into, or hopefully someone more well-versed in coloring will elaborate (or refute) what I'm saying.

[Synester]

ive used demi's before and idk what semi brands do "natural" colors like dark brown. ive only used manic panic for bright crazy fashion colors.

and indigos are a pain??? ok yeah ill probably avoid them then lol..

[wispe]

Adore is a brand that has natural semi-permanent colors, including browns. Never used the dark ones myself but throwing that out there as a non-damaging option.

[lapushka]

ive used demi's before and idk what semi brands do "natural" colors like dark brown. ive only used manic panic for bright crazy fashion colors.

and indigos are a pain??? ok yeah ill probably avoid them then lol..

Yes for instance if you want to ever change the color, and you might, you are going to have to grow it all out, because you cannot bleach out indigo (it will turn green).

[Ylva]

Maybe try amla.

[Synester]

oh no no indigo for me then lol. thanks for that info! and amla powder can darken hair a lot?

[Ylva]

I don't know if "a lot", but I know it's used in India to hinder greying and to darken existing grey hair. There are some recipes online for amla hair darkening rinses and such. I've personally stayed far away from it. :D

[Dark40]

Adore and Jazzing have a lot of semi colors that you can choose from that has browns or dark brown, and both products have colors that make your hair look natural too!

[Frankenstein]

Third recommendation for a brand like Adore :)

[lapushka]

I had no access to brands like La Riche Directions, Manic Panic, or Adore, so I used "Casting" colors by L'Oreal and I was quite happy with it. It all depends on what you have available to you, I guess. :)

[Nightshade]

Use something like adore. Coffee, tea, molassas, and alma are going to give you little to no actual darkening, but the coffee and tea will dry out your hair because of the tannins :P

[Synester]

i just got my moisture under control thanks to ROO's my hair so no items that cause hair drying for me lol.
So Adore semi permanent dye??? its good stuff. no damage. nice color payoff?

[Alissalocks]

Adore is a good semi, and less commitment than indigo, or henna/indigo.

Amla won't change your hair color, it has no dye molecule. It's also known as Indian gooseberry, and is thought to be conditioning (I use it as a facial scrub, the acids are a gentle peel). When used on Hair, it's basically a gloss.

[Alibran]

I get my hair professionally dyed a very dark brown at the salon. It's permanent, but since the colour is MUCH darker than my natural colour, my colourist only uses very low strength developer (5 Vol), which raises the cuticle so the new colour can penetrate, but it doesn't 'lift' any of the hair's natural colour. Plus, it's only done once, as the roots grow out, so any damage is minimal. To be honest, I don't think there is any. I deep condition regularly, and my hair's in great condition.

(The 'highlights' in my signature pic are natural, caused by spending a lot of time outside in the sun.)