Dyeing hair jet black

[Hylia]

Im thinking of dying my hair jet black, but Im not sure whether or not it would look good on me. I have very pale skin, light eyes, a bit of freckles (very light) and my hair is naturally light brown. I dyed my hair black a few years ago, but my family thought it looked terrible.

I was aiming for something like Katy Perry,Lucy lawless and dita von teese shade.

And any tips on how to achieve a black color like this with dyes or indigo?

[JuneBride]

Use Natural Instincts (MIDNIGHT) then its not such a commitment. I did it, see my album for a pic!

[Hylia]

Yeah, I was thinking of doing that as well, using a temporary dye. Yeah and you`re right it is a pain to get it out. I guess it might be helpful to add some pics of my hair when it was black.

[Amraann]

More important when you last dyed it black did you like it?

Can you upload a photo to a hair color site and see if you like how it looks with black?
Or maybe a darker shade of brown would suit your skin tone better?

[Rabenstolz]

Use Natural Instincts (MIDNIGHT) then its not such a commitment. I did it, see my album for a pic!


Seconding this! I used it twice and it turned my hair a shiny, natural-looking black. I've grown to appreciate my natural very dark ash brown (off-black) hair color in many ways, but it's prone to looking like a dull "faded black" if I don't use products on it. This one did the trick - added oomph and shine. It also gave me the closest to complete darkness I believe can exist in hair: no noticeable cool blue tones and no warm tones, just pure, sweet darkness.

However, Natural Instincts in Midnight lasted longer than other non-permanent dyes I've used. (I've heard this is the norm for pitch-black "temporary" dyes.) It's not an entirely permanent commitment, but closer to it than most non-permanent dyes. It did not fade quickly at all and was detectable, especially on my ends, for almost a year after the last time I used it! (Part of the reason doubtlessly has to do with the fact that one time I left it on for 45 minutes instead of the recommended 10, but I always leave temporary dye on at least slightly longer than recommended and others faded faster and were not as noticeable as this one.)

Since then I've used two other Natural Instincts shades, but neither were as good as Midnight and I'll probably go back to it.

I want to try the Clairol Beautiful Collection's black shade next! Love black dye and looking forward to seeing others' tips on getting achieving perfect pitch-black hair.

[lora410]

If you do to avoid it looking fake dye it the soft black. It looks the same as Indigo. I didn't feel like indigo my roots .The last time I dyed my hair 100% black I used raven black and it totally washed out my face and looked very fake but the soft black looks 100% natural and I used colorsik the cheapest on the market with no issues of fading.

[McFearless]

I cliked your profile and looked at your pics. First of all you are just gorgeous. Personally I think red would suit you perfectly.

If you're gonna go black are you willing to dye your brows as well?

[lw8666]

I recently dyed my hair Black with Elumen, NA@2. It did not harm my hair at all. It is a less harsh way of dying hair. The only thing is, it lasts for about 1-2 months, and it can be a little pricey for some. I think it can only be purchased online. There is a whole thread somewhere on Elumen if you want to research it a little more. Just a suggestion! :)

[twilight_faerie]

I just wanted to pitch in and mention that I used temporary black dye once before, years ago, because I wanted to "try out" black hair. I figured that it would wash out after a month or so. It did not. That stuff stuck to my hair as much as if I'd used a permanent dye. So I'd be very wary of temporary black dyes if you're not committed to having black hair for quite a while.

[Fufu]

Don't go for jet black if you feel you can't handle a very very black hair dye, jet black for some people can look very fake on them.

Tried dark brown, it's close to black i will say and it looks more natural.

I will suggest to use a temporary dye first :)

[mustpannkook]

I dyed my hair jet black a few years ago. I would suggest dyeing it dark brown (because it's easier to get out than black) and then use semi-permanent black. It it won't look good it'll wash out soon.

[myrrhmaiden]

I also really like the look of black hair, but on me it looks too harsh. I recommend dark brown as well. It is as dramatic as black but looks way more natural. :)

[Flossy]

It's all about the eyebrows. If they are fair, it would look fake to me. Dark and I think it would look better.

I'm toying with the idea of going darker, but my eyebrows are worrying me!

[Hylia]

Thanks guys for all the responses :) It is really helpful.

@Rabenstolz: It sounds good, I always thought semi perm dyes weren't as strong but I guess it is because I usually only left them in for 10 minutes. Its good its not 100% permanent too.


@McFearless: Thank you :) and I did henna my hair red and got lots of compliments on the color(I used henna hut:red). But it is kind of high maintenance because the bright red fades fast.

@lw8666: Wow, I`ve never heard of elumen before, but most of the colours look amazing. I might have to try it if I am serious about having a permanent black.


@Fufu: Yeah, right now my hair is actually dark brownish red right now with light brown roots. So basically three colors right now, if I dye it black I want to hopefully make my hair all one color. I guess for now, I will just go for a temporary dye.

[NouvelleNymphe2]

your hair looks great in your recent album pics. the henna looks lovely and the condition looks great. i love dark hair as well, but i would worry about the faded look regardless of whether you used a semi or permanent color. if you are 100% committed to black hair though, you can just keep coloring it dark. black looked too harsh on me. and faded. and i have a lot of cool tones, pale skin, blue/green eyes. but dark brown looks lovely. i even had it dark brown/red at one time and that was also lovely. you're a pretty girl tho, so it'll look fine regardless :)

dark brown/red:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=303265&l=0cafc657b7&id=1448266368

black, but faded:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=813461&l=f3f06596b0&id=1448266368

[spidermom]

Manic Panic makes black, and it's a conditioning color.

[enfys]

If you have henna on your hair still, I think that can have reactions with dye? I'm sure I've read that on here. It wouls certainly make a strand test very, very advisable. You might find the red still shines through for example.

[Lostsoule77]

I used the natural instincts Midnight and it looked really good. I too have light skin and eyes. I hate when people dye their hair black and you can just tell how fake it is. This one didn't do that.
The only problem is I did in Nov '09 and it is still in parts of my hair. When I called the company they said it was because it was more than 2 shades darker than my original. If this isn't the case with you then you should be fine.
If you liked how you looked with black hair I wouldn't care what other people think. If you want to then just go for it. I however do agree with the others who said to try this one. Good luck and post pics if/when you do it. :)

[T.L.T.]

When I used to use box color, I sometimes used "soft black" or "natural black" shades, but problems I experienced was when I reapplied to my roots they would turn out a lighter shade than my ends, even when i left the color on my roots for 10 minutes, and just on the ends for 2-3. And chemical dye is very rough on my hair,

I now use henna/indigo 50/50 mix and I get a nice warm dark brown color (my natural color is med brown). You could always go dark brown and if you like it and want it darker, you could do an application with more indigo in a few days or a week.

[Lilli]

Well, I'll be the dissenter and say don't do it. If you did it before and got lots of negative feedback from people who love you, maybe they were right. Black is hard to pull off, and if you can pull off red, then that would be much prettier with your lovely face and coloring.

[aenflex]

Skintone is very important to factor in too. Black glossy hair is awesome but on the wrong skintone, (mine), it doesn't totally look awesome :(

[ooo]

It could look good on you, while you are wearing the right make up. Otherwise you'll look washed out and dead.

[bumblebums]

Seconding this! I used it twice and it turned my hair a shiny, natural-looking black. I've grown to appreciate my natural very dark ash brown (off-black) hair color in many ways, but it's prone to looking like a dull "faded black" if I don't use products on it. This one did the trick - added oomph and shine. It also gave me the closest to complete darkness I believe can exist in hair: no noticeable cool blue tones and no warm tones, just pure, sweet darkness.

However, Natural Instincts in Midnight lasted longer than other non-permanent dyes I've used. (I've heard this is the norm for pitch-black "temporary" dyes.) It's not an entirely permanent commitment, but closer to it than most non-permanent dyes. It did not fade quickly at all and was detectable, especially on my ends, for almost a year after the last time I used it! (Part of the reason doubtlessly has to do with the fact that one time I left it on for 45 minutes instead of the recommended 10, but I always leave temporary dye on at least slightly longer than recommended and others faded faster and were not as noticeable as this one.)

Since then I've used two other Natural Instincts shades, but neither were as good as Midnight and I'll probably go back to it.

I want to try the Clairol Beautiful Collection's black shade next! Love black dye and looking forward to seeing others' tips on getting achieving perfect pitch-black hair.

A hairdresser recommended I use a semi-permanent dye, and I used Natural Instincts, which turned out to be permanent in my hair. It took a while to grow out, and it wouldn't fade. So I wouldn't do it again.

RavennaNight has a tutorial somewhere (maybe on her profile?) where she describes her henndigo process. Her hair looks completely black. It is as permanent as chem dye, but probably not as bad for you--all the bad warnings you hear about chem dye are especially important if you use dark colors.

ETA: linky: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?%20u=14960&blogcategoryid=2529

[Hylia]

@NouvelleNymphe2: Thank you, both the colours look lovely on you. My hair has pretty much been every colour too : dirty blonde, light blonde, light brown, black and other odd bright colors too.

@Lostsoule77: Yeah I really like that look too. I think I am going to try that midnight shade. And I did like how it looked when it was darker, it seemed to make everything stand out more.

@ooo:haha, that was actually funny. It could happen, theres a part of me thats scared of looking like grima worm-tongue( he has black hair and is very pale, dont mind my LOTR references) :P but luckily my cheeks are usually blushed so hopefully that`ll make me look more alive.

@bumblebums: Thank you, I was thinking of using indigo too. The color looks very solid and you`re right it is way better for your hair than chemicals. I think I might try out the chem dyes and if I like it and want a permanent black I will definitely consider indigo.

[IndigoAsh]

I know you're asking about the black color, but I think you'd be like omg hot in a dark red color. Someone on here hennaed there hair a perfect red color it's so amazing.

[ooo]

@ooo:haha, that was actually funny. It could happen, theres a part of me thats scared of looking like grima worm-tongue( he has black hair and is very pale, dont mind my LOTR references) :P but luckily my cheeks are usually blushed so hopefully that`ll make me look more alive.
By the right make up I mend at least mascara and coloured eyebrows. Sorry, blushed cheeks won't do on that. Also every little flaw and redness will appear more prominent. Make up is key, if you want to pull of jet black hair with your natural colour type.

[Hylia]

Ok, so I just went out and looked for that midnight color, but I couldn`t find it anywhere( I find it might be discontinued :S) It looks like natural instincts all are boxed differently too. So instead I got another semi permanent dye called herbashine. The color I got was brownish black so not completely black. Hopefully it looks good, i`ll either do it tonight or tomorrow.

the dye:
http://fashionpulsedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Picture-2.png

@ooo: I usually wear mascara all the time. So hopefully it will look okay. I might need to make my eyebrows a bit darker though.

[Hylia]

Okay, I did it and I looove it. I really hope it doesn't fade out anytime soon. And it is not exactly jet black, the henna still shines through a bit. Thanks everyone for your help/ recommendations. I am kind of sad I couldn`t find that midnight shade, but whenever I need a touch up I will definitely look harder for it.

[bumblebums]

Okay, I did it and I looove it. I really hope it doesn't fade out anytime soon. And it is not exactly jet black, the henna still shines through a bit. Thanks everyone for your help/ recommendations. I am kind of sad I couldn`t find that midnight shade, but whenever I need a touch up I will definitely look harder for it.

Pics or it didn't happen :)

[ooo]

Pics or it didn't happen :)

did you see her new avatar and the pictures in her album?

[templeofvenus]

I like my hair black. I like the garnier nutrisse cream they do a colour called liqourice it comes out a nice shiny black not blue black just black! its permanent though so BE SURE!!!! as it really can't be removed without stripping the hair however it does fade slightly after a few weeks to a black with reddish/brown tints in it when in the sunlight

[HintOfMint]

I'm afraid I'll have to be another voice of dissent here. I looked through your albums and while you are very pretty, black would not suit you at all. Black is VERY tricky to pull off with fair skin if that is not your natural color, and if you're going for the Dita Von Teese look, your freckles may prevent that from happening. You said that the freckles were very light but, against such a stark color contrast, the freckles are going to throw off the effect you're going for. Anything red would be absolutely lovely on you though.

[Lostsoule77]

They def. still do make the midnight black from Natural Instincts. I just looked at the box in the store this week. Maybe where you were looking just didn't carry it.

I checked out the new pics and I think it looks pretty good (though it was kinda hard to tell with those 2 pics.) I hope you enjoy it. :)