Blonde to black concerns

[Harini]

Afternoon LHC!
A few questions/concerns about going from blonde to black.
So I was doing henndigo for a while and I came to find that I hated black when it was fresh and looked shiny/jet black, but loved it once it dulled out to a soft black.
I needed to get the henndigo out anyway so I could use peroxide dye again and in hindsight, not knowing I wanted to stay black, I made so much work for myself. I cut most of my hair off and went from red box dye (I had started dying new growth red and the rest was impervious henndigo black) to a very light natural blonde. So now my hair is about ear length and blonde.
My goal is to finally stop cutting it and achieve LONG soft black hair. But I do not have the time for henndigo, it is just too much and indigo specifically gave me such trouble (not sticking at roots).

I know I will need a protein filler and I found one in warm brown (colourful protein filler, it's called).

• Will I need to use a protein filler on my natural blonde roots every time I colour, or only on the lightened hair I currently have? (Naturally a level 7-8 )

• Also, can anyone recommend a soft black dye that doesn't have PPD? I'm currently thinking of mixing 1:1 or 2:1 Wella N1 (black, blue-violet based) and N2 (very dark brown, neutral based). I thought of using just N2 but I hoped it wouldn't fade to brown. I suppose I could also add some red tone additive (forget the exact term) to cancel the blue-violet?
The stark, jet black just washes me out so badly.

Honestly, if anyone has any other thoughts that I've overlooked, happy to hear them. I've never gone from so light to so dark before. It's always been more of a transition.

Thanks!!

[lapushka]

Can I ask what your natural color is?

[Harini]

Can I ask what your natural color is?

A level 7-8 Ash blonde


Also, upon a little more research, I will have to use a colour filler every time so I'm thinking of using the red instead of the brown.

[Nox_Inber]

In my experience, putting black dye on blonde hair (especially bleached) can have some unexpected results. The black has a tendency to wash out quickly and severely and then leave you with the undertones which can be blue, red, orange, weird blonde ect. That said, it's not 100% sure your hair will turn a funky color but it's definitely something to consider. People have ended up with green hair from blue black dye (blue + yellow = green) especially on pre lightened hair. I have the pictures to prove it lol! My mom's friend at her old job went from blonde to black and she said it faded REALLY fast. If it were my head, I would start with a medium ash brown to get to a darker base. If you don't mind having warmer brown/brassy (not ash) hair for a little bit, then a warm brown could also work. The next step would be to put warm "soft" black dye on top of that, making it a two step process. Even a level up from black might get you to what you're looking for. It's much more likely to not turn into weird colors if you do the two step, and you'd only have to do it once. After you've established that darker base, you can apply the soft black/near black dye only when necessary and have a more predictable result and the fading wouldn't be so immediately severe.

You could try the blue-black dye and then tone it after the fact but I worry that your hair will hold onto that blue base too much and turn into odd colors because the black didn't stick. Now, if you're not opposed to blue or green that could be fun but if that's not what you're looking for then I would just avoid the situation entirely and do it two step :) The black probably won't stick to blonde completely anyways and need to be redyed within a month so if you have to do two step, might as well do it the safer route :D

[Harini]

In my experience, putting black dye on blonde hair (especially bleached) can have some unexpected results. The black has a tendency to wash out quickly and severely and then leave you with the undertones which can be blue, red, orange, weird blonde ect. That said, it's not 100% sure your hair will turn a funky color but it's definitely something to consider. People have ended up with green hair from blue black dye (blue + yellow = green) especially on pre lightened hair. I have the pictures to prove it lol! My mom's friend at her old job went from blonde to black and she said it faded REALLY fast. If it were my head, I would start with a medium ash brown to get to a darker base. If you don't mind having warmer brown/brassy (not ash) hair for a little bit, then a warm brown could also work. The next step would be to put warm "soft" black dye on top of that, making it a two step process. Even a level up from black might get you to what you're looking for. It's much more likely to not turn into weird colors if you do the two step, and you'd only have to do it once. After you've established that darker base, you can apply the soft black/near black dye only when necessary and have a more predictable result and the fading wouldn't be so immediately severe.

You could try the blue-black dye and then tone it after the fact but I worry that your hair will hold onto that blue base too much and turn into odd colors because the black didn't stick. Now, if you're not opposed to blue or green that could be fun but if that's not what you're looking for then I would just avoid the situation entirely and do it two step :) The black probably won't stick to blonde completely anyways and need to be redyed within a month so if you have to do two step, might as well do it the safer route :D

Thanks for sharing this experience!
I've heard this can happen and this is what the colour protein filler is for. Fills in the "gaps" left from bleaching hair so it doesn't rinse out and also fills in any pigment so it doesn't turn green. I actually decided to go with the red instead of the brown protein filler so that the blue-violet based of the black + the yellow of my hair doesn't make green.

But this definitely something to watch out for when doing this process. Many years ago I would have just tossed a box dye on my head and had a nightmare like this.