Dye Black Hair Red

If your hair is black, but you've always wanted to try coloring it red, you can get a vibrant red at home. Only 2 percent of the population has red hair, so going red will make you stand out in the crowd. Black hair requires special considerations when you dye it red, though. However, new dyes make it easier to get a good red color at home without bleach.

Steps

Choosing the Right Dye

1. Pick the best color for your skin tone. There are three kinds of shade in this red hair dye: Copper, magenta, and red. The shade called red is a truer and brighter red. Magenta is more purple-toned and is darker. Copper is a more auburn, yellow-based color.
   • One way to pick the right hue is to consider the shade of lipstick you wear most often. If you go for blue or purple, that tells you to choose magenta. If it's a true red or more orange, pick copper or red.
   • Hold a sample hair swatch close to your face to see if the color works with your skin tone.
   • Understand your natural hair's undertone. Black hair has a blue undertone, which works better with magenta usually.
   • 20 volume dye will make your hair darker red. 30 or 40 volume will make it a brighter red.
   • Match the color to the undertone of your skin. If you have light skin tone, dark reds will make you look too pale. Go copper instead. If you have medium skin tone, choose magenta. Avoid darker eggplant colors like magenta if you have dark skin tone.
2. Understand the product type. There are different kinds of hair dye: Permanent dye lifts the hair cuticle, and lasts months. Temporary color, which places the dye on top of the natural hair color, will last a few days. Temporary colors usually come in shampoo bottles. The L'Oreal box is permanent dye.
   • If your hair is curly, it will be more fragile. Don't lighten it more than three levels from your natural color or you will damage the hair.
   • Ion sensitive developer works best for people with skin that irritates easily.
3. Assess your hair's condition. Be honest with yourself about whether your hair is in the proper condition to be dyed. Hair dye will cause damage to your hair, so it's very risky to dye hair that is already damaged.
   • If your hair is already dyed, it can be very risky to apply more dye to it. That's because the dye will lower the porosity of your hair, making it harder to absorb the new dye. You could end up with black hair in some spots, and red in others.
   • Virgin hair (hair that hasn't been dyed before) will show brighter color.
   • Be upfront with your stylist about whether your hair is already dyed.
4. Plan ahead. Don't try to dye your hair without a shopping list. If you forget one item, though, such as a tinting brush, you won't likely get the outcome you want.
   • You can get most of what you need at local beauty stores.
   • Expect the entire process to take 2-3 hours. The processing time takes 30 minutes. That doesn't count the amount of time it takes you to mix everything, apply it, and rinse. Plus, you should repeat the process twice for black hair.

Dying your Hair

1. Don't bleach. Black hair used to require bleaching before you could dye it red. However, now there are hair dyes on the market - like L'Oreal Excellence HiColor Reds for Dark Hair Only in H8 - that promise you red hair without bleaching the black first.
   • Be aware that this hair color does have bleach already in it, though, so it will damage hair if you use it over and over again.
   • For waist-length thick hair you may need four boxes. For shoulder-length hair, choose two.
2. Brush your hair. You don't want snarls, so brush your hair thoroughly. Then, use clips to pull the hair into small segments.
   • Apply Vaseline at your hairline so you don't end up dying your skin orange.
   • It's a good idea to separate the hair into four equal segments.
3. Mix the ingredients. Add your tube of dye and developer to the mixing bowl. Use a 2 to 1 ratio. Add 1 tube of dye (1.2 ounces) and 2.4 ounces of the developer into the bowl. Use the measuring cup to make sure you get the right proportion of developer. The 1.2 ounces should be the entire tube of dye.
   • Mix them together in the bowl with the tinting brush until the dye is smooth. You don't want chunks in the dye. It should be the consistency of paste and not too watery.
4. Paint the dye into hair. Using the tinting brush, you should paint the dye starting with the tips of each section of your hair except the roots. Paint it on one section at a time. Move upward toward the roots.
   • Squirting the bottle of dye onto your hair directly won't create an even look. That's why painting it on is a better approach.
   • Wear plastic gloves when applying dye. Otherwise, you will stain your hands.
   • Remember to paint the tiny hairs near your ears. You might want to use your finger to reach those.
   • Completely saturate the hair with dye.
   • Do everything but your roots. You usually have virgin hair at the roots, so if you do the roots first, you could end up with brighter red color at your roots than elsewhere. That's why you should do the tips first, and the roots last.
   • Then, put a shower cap on your hair, and let it process for about 20 minutes. Next, remove the shower cap, and paint the roots. Let that process for about 10 minutes, also with the shower cap on.
5. Rinse hair. Follow the instructions on the box. But you will be told to rinse your hair. You need to use shampoo that is designed for red hair, though, if you use it, but it's usually better at first to just rinse the hair..
   • Use lukewarm or cool water, but never hot water as it will make your color fade.
6. Repeat the entire process. You will want to dye the hair twice for best results. Dry your hair first, with either a blow dryer or naturally.
   • With black hair, the first pass through will turn the hair somewhat red, but you will need the second process to make it a true red. However, don't redo the roots because they will absorb more color the first time.
   • You can wait 24 hours if you want to redye your hair or you can do it again right away.
   • Make sure you have enough dye before you start. Buying more dye than you think you need might be a good idea since you will have to go through the process twice.

Caring for your Red Hair

1. Understand red hair's special qualities. Red dye has larger molecules than other hair colors. As a result, you need to treat dyed red hair a little differently than other colors.
   • Don't take hot showers. Hot showers will make your color fade faster.
   • Red hair dye will probably stain your towels. Don't be surprised if some of it comes off after showering.
   • Touch up the red. Red hair requires a lot of maintenance. So you will have to touch it up with the same process. People often have to touch up their hair after three weeks, largely at the roots, using the tinting brush. You shouldn't need to saturate the whole head though.
2. Wear the right makeup. You might need to switch your makeup when you go from black to red hair.
   • Red hair will bring out your skin's pinkness, so pink blushes won't work anymore. The same is true of lipstick. However peach shades work well.
   • You can make your eyebrows look like they match your hair by choosing matte eyeshadow a few shades lighter than your red hair color. Brush it on the brows with a makeup applicator.
   • Black eye makeup can be too harsh on redheads.
3. Deep condition your hair. Remember that dying your hair will cause it damage. So you'll want to make sure you apply deep conditioner to it in the days after you've dyed it.
   • Avoid shampoos with sulfate in them. They can strip the color out of your hair faster.
   • Choose shampoos that are specially designed for red hair that is dyed.

Tips

• Test the dye first on a spot not visible to make sure you don't have a bad reaction to it.
• Using a fan while you dye your hair will keep the room ventilated. Hair dye smells!
• Be prepared to make a mess. Wear a shirt that can be stained, and try not to get the dye on the kitchen tiles or carpeting.
• If your skin is sensitive to chemicals, it's probably best to consult a professional.

Things You'll Need

• 1 plastic mixing bowl for hair dye
• 1 tinting brush
• 2 boxes of red hair dye (4 for super thick, waist-length hair). A version that doesn't require bleach and is used in many tutorials is L’Oreal Excellence HiColor Reds for Dark Hair
• Volume developer, number 30
• Shampoo and conditioner designed for red hair
• Plastic gloves
• 1 measuring cup
• 1 plastic shower cap
• An old shirt
• Hair clips
• Brush

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• Dye Hair Bright Red Under Black Hair
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• Dye Dark Brown Hair Red Using Natural Products

Sources and Citations

• Videos provided by EDA beauty Hair & Makeup

See also

• Do Ecaille Hair Color
• Dip Dye Dark Hair
• Lowlight Gray Hair
• Lowlight Blonde Hair
• Bleach Hair Blonde
• Prepare Your Hair for Bleaching
• Color Hair With Food Coloring
• Dye Hair
• Dye Your Hair Brown After It Has Been Dyed Black
• Dye Hair Two Colors

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What links here

• Dye Dark Brown Hair Red Using Natural Products
• Dye Hair Bright Red
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• Dye Your Hair Naturally
• Dye Your Hair Red Without Dyeing