Dark hair turning reddish at the ends?

[diamond_storm]

Morning, all~

So, my hair is a very dark brown. I'm very partial to dark hair on myself. I have EXTREMELY dark eyebrows--they are pretty much jet black--and I even dye my bangs black sometimes just because I feel like my natural hair color doesn't match my eyebrows and the darker color looks nicer next to them. Anyway, I feel dark hair looks best with my complexion, and I'm typically happy with my hair color.

However, my hair is always lighter at the ends than it is at the root. It's still brown, but has a luminous, rusty red sheen to it in certain lights. If I hold the ends up to the roots, there is a definite color difference. It's always been this way, and while I imagine it has something to do with the ends being older and exposed to the elements longer, I'm certain that my hair doesn't have an extensive damage problem. I have very, very few split ends and have never used any lifting dyes on that hair. I may have used a non-lifting black hair dye at some point, but I don't believe that could possibly be the issue since my hair has literally had this same issue since I was a child (and obviously wasn't using any hair dyes).

I am also very aware of the damage UV can have on skin and hair, and as a result I do not spend extensive amounts of time in direct sunlight and I usually wear a hat when I'm outside. I would be surprised if the color was being bleached by the sun. I also don't heat style, I finger comb only, and generally take good care of my hair to minimize damage.

So, my questions:

Does anyone else have the same issue? I realize that it's not necessarily a "problem"; some people might enjoy the variation throughout their hair and I'm sure it could look very nice on some hair colors--my friend for example has very light blonde hair with platinum shades throughout--it's beautiful on her! I'm just not a fan of it on my own head

Does anyone know the cause of hair lightening at the ends?

Is there anything I can do (short of coloring my hair with a box dye) to lessen/prevent this from happening? I've hennaed before with good results, but I don't enjoy the red tones on my hair and it seems to emphasize them. I've also tried indigo, although I'm not too sure of the quality because of the place I bought it from. I know it didn't have a profound affect on my hair and didn't last long.

[parkmikii]

Walnut hull powder or henndigo I'd say
It's definitely linked with the sun exposure. My hair is light brown naturally and it was always lighter at the ends, now it's even more obvious as I use henna.

[diamond_storm]

Oops, that was supposed to be "effect", not "affect".

[diamond_storm]

Walnut hull powder or henndigo I'd say
It's definitely linked with the sun exposure. My hair is light brown naturally and it was always lighter at the ends, now it's even more obvious as I use henna.

Just read about walnut hull powder. Sounds interesting! It seems a bit complicated to make. Do you have an experience with it?

Yes, that's what happened to me when I hennaed as well! It's a beautiful look but I'm striving for something less red. Maybe I should quit fighting genetics haha!!

[Anje]

Very very normal -- I think it's just related to wear and tear and light exposure.

I suppose the radical approach would be to bun your hair and cover it when you're going to be out in the sun. However, I think what I'd suggest is to use a direct dye rather than a box dye, if you want to darken the ends up occasionally. I've been using Adore dyes a bit (funky colors, because that's how I am), and they've got a number of dark browns, blacks, and dark blues that would darken your hair without all the peroxide and ammonia and such. Similar dyes like Directions, Manic Panic, Special Effects, Punky, and so on would give equally good results. Meanwhile, Elumen and Pravana make no-peroxide dyes that are more permanent.

[diamond_storm]

I've been using Adore dyes a bit (funky colors, because that's how I am), and they've got a number of dark browns, blacks, and dark blues that would darken your hair without all the peroxide and ammonia and such.

Ooooh I like those! I had a look at the ingredients list and it seems like a fairly agreeable thing to put on your hair which is important to me. Wish I could try some of the funky colors but my hair's too dark for that

The dye I use for my bangs and have used on my length in the past is Bigen Permanent Powder. I've always been really happy with it, but I've heard that it's actually quite toxic and a lot of people have reported major issues. I've also heard that it's not as gentle on hair as Bigen claims it is. I've never had an issue, but I'm a bit hesitant to use it again because of all the reports

[Anje]

Yeah, I think Bigen (and most standard box dyes and salon dyes for dark colors) contains PPD. The stuff is probably a miracle-substance for getting a dark stain, but it's prone to causing sudden and sometimes severe allergic reactions. I figure if you're just going darker with a color, the worst problem with the temp dyes is staining your bathtub.

ETA: One of the chief reasons I'm liking the Adore, in addition to the fact that they're one of the few brands with natural colors in the direct-dye format, is that they're pretty cheap. I was able to find it locally for something like $4.50 per 4oz bottle.

[parkmikii]

Just read about walnut hull powder. Sounds interesting! It seems a bit complicated to make. Do you have an experience with it?

Yes, that's what happened to me when I hennaed as well! It's a beautiful look but I'm striving for something less red. Maybe I should quit fighting genetics haha!!

No experience with walnut hulls sadly as I really love copper hair and that's why I henna XD

[trolleypup]

Reducing UV exposure will help, but accumulated mechanical damage will inevitably lighten your ends. When I wore my hair down much more, my ends would be a dark rusty brown.

[yahirwaO.o]

Yep my hair is the same like yours. Dont be fooled by my siggy, I wish my color had a blue tint, but that's just the camera. Its actually very dark brown when exposed to light I can clearly see the red tints down the ends.

Im pretty ambivalent about. Its ok because those are my natural highlights, but im not the biggest fan either. In the past, I dyed it in all shades of black, and somehow after fading a bit those red tones came again and stronger.

Indigo is the way to go if u dont like it, I've just learned to embrace mine and also im lazy!!! LOL