14632 522 261 522 0 405. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. 5 Ways To Add Colour To Naturally Dark And Black Hair Black hair dye rainbow hair here we come.
Colouring really dark hair, however, is not always as easy as it is for our fair-haired sisters. There are enough bleaching horror stories out there to put anyone off trying. But fear not, because beautiful, pastel-toned highlights are not a million miles out of reach. We spoke to top hair experts to understand the different ways to colour your hair and how they can work for you. Why is it so difficult to colour dark hair?
Ivan Iovlev, Creative Director at Colournation salon explains that Asian hair is far more resistant to product than western hair. The cuticle layer is stronger on Asian hair and it is one of the only hair types where the true colour black is found. Hair texture also poses a challenge when it comes to colour. Many view Afro Caribbean hair as coarse and thick, but it is actually one of the most fragile hair types to work with. The hair shaft is different to western and eastern hair, in that it is not the same thickness from root to end.
Why won’t my hair colour look like it does on the box? Even without the challenges of inherently stubborn or damaged hair, there’s still the matter of depositing a visible colour into the hair. Dark haired girls will know the feeling when your hair is definitely the colour of the ‘before’ picture, but the ‘after’ is never as vibrant as it looks on the box. Hair has a base colour that is only revealed when you lighten it,’ reveals Tiff from 3Thirty salon.
If you strip the tone out of black hair, you initially end up with a deep red brown colour, but bright colours will not show up. If you’re looking for a more subtle wash of colour, rather than a bold colour, a tint could be your first port of call. Whilst bleach works by stripping pigment out of the hair, a tint works by lifting the hair and depositing tone into the hair shaft to achieve the desired result. A tint will lift the hair for 50 minutes and deposit tone for the last 10 minutes of the process. This makes it less damaging compared to bleach, which continues to work until it’s washed out. Tinting the hair is suitable for going a few shades lighter, even a high lift tint will only bring up to 5 levels of lift. It’s also important to consider your hair colour history as tint cannot lift existing tint within the hair.
If you’re set on having bright, unadulterated colour or a shade that is several levels lighter, then you’ll have to opt for a bleaching treatment. Experts at Limoz Logli say: ‘Bleaching the hair removes the natural pigments in the hair shaft, making the hair colour lighter. The bleaching process itself will differ depending on the condition and colour history of your hair. If it’s virgin hair, it may be easier to lift whereas previously coloured hair is a much longer process as you’re lifting old colours that are still in the hair – even though you thought they had washed out. Bear in mind it might not be instantaneous.
It could take two applications to achieve the colour you want and your stylist may also recommend you have a break in between applications. However, once the right level of blonde is reached, you can then apply any colour you choose. With quality hair extensions becoming ever more accessible, experienced hairdressers can now create custom colour blends to suit your desired look. And we’re not just talking about natural looking colours any more. Darren Scott, at Darren Scott Salon, says, ‘Celebrities such as Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande and The Kardashians constantly switch up their hair colour with extensions, one day they have blonde highlights or caramel lo-lights and the next, rainbow bright hair. Hair extensions give you such a multitude of colour options. The advantage of colouring extensions or using pre-coloured extensions is not only the limitless styling possibilities it facilitates, it also stops your own hair being irreversibly damaged from hair colouring.