Question about hair coloring

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-18-2005
Question about hair coloring
10
Tue, 10-03-2006 - 7:40am

My DD15 wants to color her hair. Her natural color is very dark brown, and she'd like to go red (or at least red tones). I am absolutely no help with this since I am basically a natural grey LOL. Anyway, this weekend we tried a temporary color (6-12 washes) of auburn/red and other than a few highlights at the tips, you can't tell. So, anyone with any experience in coloring very dark hair? We'd rather not go the permanent way if we can avoid it. Does she have to bleach first and then color? She got highlights last year, and that's what the hairdresser did. Problem is the color washed out, and then she had bleached streaks in her hair that took a long time to grow out.

Any suggestions from moms or teens is appreciated.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-21-2006
Tue, 10-03-2006 - 7:54am
Those of of with dark hair know that unless you bleach, you can only go darker or reds. Bleaching of course involves permanant color, roots, upkeep, etc. Try to keep her semi-permant if possible.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2004
Tue, 10-03-2006 - 8:25am

The kids all use those "wash out" dyes. They are simple to use and there are many products on the market. Your drugstore will have rows of the stuff.

There is no bleeching. Just select a hair color based on the "after affects". They have color codes.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Tue, 10-03-2006 - 10:19am

Hi Sue,

When I was younger, my hair was a medium-dark brown with lovely red and gold highlights. DD has the same hair now.

As I've gotten older, however, my hair has gotten much darker and is just plain old dark brown, close to black -- very flat looking with very little sheen and the highlights are all gone -- unless you count grey strands as highlights - lol.

I color my own hair with an at-home coloring kit. I use the Hydrience brand in a color called 'Cocoa Harbor'. It lightens my hair up just a couple shades and has a reddish gold cast in the sun. I get lots of compliments on the color -- even from the lady who cuts it!

The color does fade in 3-5 weeks times, so it needs to be re-colored fairly often. Also, my hair grows really fast so roots begin to show at about the 3 week mark. But since the color change isn't at all drastic, it's no biggie. At only about $10 a box though, it's not cost prohibitive.

Just thought I'd throw that out there for you. Oh! And the color does darken if you leave the stuff sitting on your head too long or too much past the 20 minute time that's recommended.

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 10-03-2006 - 10:55am

when i was younger i dyed my hair a lot - so i have no qualms about it --
at 14 my daughter has had semi-permanent purple tips - which required bleaching first since her hair is dark... true - the purple eventually washed out and she had blond tips but she got a haircut at some point and they were gone... now she's dyed it black and we tried first with a semi-permanent and even going darker it didn't take very well, at all - i knew she'd look great with black hair so we just went the permanent route and it looks beautiful...

hair gets cut - grows out - can be changed so easily - i don't sweat it

rachel

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-14-2000
Tue, 10-03-2006 - 12:21pm

No experience with dying dark hair but I have a funny story.

Pam
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2003
Tue, 10-03-2006 - 1:02pm

As a person who has done alllooootttt of colouring to her hair over the past few years (esp once the gray started) I might be able to set expectations a little bit.

I have dark brown hair, naturally, along with the grey streaks I hate. I have tried the red hair colouring alot over the years as I like the colour. I find that of all the colours I have done (and I've done everything from red to dark brown to black to blonde), red is by far THE most difficult colour to maintain. Even with expensive professional dye jobs, I have had to purchase special shampoo, at a trade store, to maintain the red.

Of all times I have done colouring, the few days after I get it done, only with red was it typical to see the colour red in the shampoo foam and going down the shower drain. It just does not "stick" as easily as other colour. I recently switched back to my natural dark brown with blonde streaks and saw no run-off of colour in the shower or on my pillow as I was accustomed to seeing with red.

There are expensive "gel" type hair dyes that give you a very bright red -- not a red hair red but a bright almost crayon colour red. They look great but they too are really hard to maintain.

So...that's the expectation you may have to set with your daughter. The reds look great but only for a very short period of time. The blondes stick around alot longer but can turn almost green and brassy esp if she swims. And first and foremost (take it from me) once you start colouring it is very, very difficult to stop as you have to continually maintain it to look good.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Tue, 10-03-2006 - 8:07pm

I naturally have very dark brown hair with lots of greys mixed in for good measure.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-13-2004
Tue, 10-03-2006 - 11:24pm
lol....One of the additional benefits of this board is that I occasionally catch a glimps of how incredibly complicated women's lives can be... :-)
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Wed, 10-04-2006 - 11:58am

As you know, I have some btdt experience in this regard. DD also has dark brown hair,and one year I did blonde highlights on her and they came out dark blonde/light brown even after leaving it in a long time. They did stay in, though. The first time I took her to get her hair done professionally, in fact, she wanted red. I know that she did not get it bleached first. The hairdresser did tell us that red washes out faster than any other hair color, and advised us to use a special shampoo for color treated red hair to help the color stay in longer. Even so, it didn't stay in too long, but at least a few months anyway. I think it's just the nature of the red color and she might have better luck with another lighter color. It shouldn't be necessary to bleach first - my understanding is that black is the only color you have to bleach first and then add the color dye you want. Good luck.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Wed, 10-04-2006 - 11:05pm

I might be a little better off as far as holding the red color coz my hair has some natural red propensities.