Does Black Hair Dye Fade? How Long Does It Last?

People dye their hair black for loads of reasons. Most of them are all about having fun with color, style, and appearance. Black is drama! Sometimes the color is just so perfect you want to keep it forever.

But does black hair dye fade? And if so, how long does it take to fade? 

The fading of black hair depends on various factors, primarily the type of dye you used! The fade time will be different depending on if you use permanent, semi-permanent, or something else.

Semi-permanent black dye will wash out pretty quickly, and if you’re just experimenting, opt for that. But if you want long term, permanent is for you!

If permanent hair dye is used, the fading will be less pronounced, but this will hugely depend on your hair’s original color. 

If you pay close attention, you may realize that the fading will be minimal if your hair color is dark brown or medium brown. Your hair will also use some shine and intensity. Those with light or bleached hair before coloring will experience more rapid fading.

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Does Black Hair Dye Fade?

Black hair dye will eventually fade, but it’s not always clear when that fading will happen. The major factors that determine the fading speed are:

• Type of dye used
• Underlying hair color
• Your hair care regime
• Sun and environmental exposure

Assuming we’re talking about permanent black hair dye, slow fading will occur over the next month or so as the hair grows out.

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How Long Does Permanent Black Hair Dye Last?

When you want to cover your grey, the permanent hair colors are your to-go option. The permanent dye contains developers (unlike semi-permanent hair color) that open up your cuticles, remove the pigments and leave your hair with a new color.

Permanent hair color doesn’t wash out and will fade after a considerable time. In general, the permanent dye will stay in your hair until the point where the roots get exposed.

Usually, it will take you about four to six weeks to color your roots. After this, the dye will start fading away.

Simply put, your hair dye will begin fading somewhere around 28 shampoos later. However, several other factors, such as too much exposure to sunlight, may speed up the fading process.

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What Permanent Hair Color Really Is

The oxidation process plays a vital role in the permanent hair dye process. Permanent hair dyes contain developers like hydrogen peroxide mixed with ammonia before mixing with a coloring agent. Such hair dyes have a lot of advantages:

• You will not have to apply the dye often
• You can find a wide array of permanent colors on the market
• Compared to other dyes, these colors have a more natural shade

However, you ought to be careful as you use these permanent hair colors if used for extended periods.

They could damage your hair, as they contain powerful chemicals. Also, applying permanent hair dye to your hair might take longer as you might need to leave the mixture in your hair for longer.

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How to Ensure Your Hair Dye Lasts Longer

Here are a few tips to ensure the longevity of your permanent hair color:

1. Keep Your Colors Moisturized

Permanent hair colors have hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. These chemicals will dry up your hair follicles. For this reason, you need to use hydrating shampoo or other hair care products on your dyed hair.

Not only will these products keep your hair moisture levels in balance to ensure healthy hair, but they will also ensure the hair color lasts for longer.

2. Avoid Excessive Exposure to the Sun

When it comes to color-treated hair, the sun rays are the enemy. We all know that all those days at the beach will lighten your hair.

Frequent and long-term exposure to sunlight will strip the color of your hair and make it appear not very interesting.

You can counter this by wearing a hat while out in the sun or using products containing UV protectants. This will prevent the hair dye from fading quickly.

3. Reduce Your Shampoo Usage

After dying your hair with permanent dye, it is best to avoid washing it frequently, as it would make the color fade more quickly.

Instead, skipping a day is recommended as it will ensure the longevity of the dye.

4. Select the Right Color for Your Hair

This is often the overlooked thing when it comes to dying your hair. Lighter hair colors will quickly fade away if your hair color is dark.

Everyone wants a hair color that will stay for extended periods, so you might want to go for a color that’s not too far from your natural hair color. It will stay in your hair for longer and will blend more naturally as it fades.

5. Use Color-Safe Shampoo

Besides helping keep the color in your hair longer, using color-safe shampoo  also gives it a natural sheen and vibrance. In addition, such shampoos will give your hair the much-needed moisture as permanent hair dyes could dry up your hair leading to breakage.

You might want to consider salon-quality shampoos as opposed to their inexpensive counterparts, as the former will help keep your hair pH in check and keep the color in for longer.

6. Rinse Using Cold Water

While this may not sound like a fascinating venture, rinsing your colored hair with cool water will help keep the dye in for longer. This is possible because the water will close your hair cuticles.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for hot water as it opens them up and allows the dye to escape.

7. Consider Blotting Your Hair Dry

As you may already know, aggressively rubbing your hair while drying makes the hair color fade away more quickly. This is because doing so scrapes more dye out of your already-open hair cuticle layer.

To ensure this doesn’t happen, it is good to blot your hair and towel-dry it properly. Allow it time to dry gently. This way, you strip off less dye.

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Is Black Hair Dye Good for Your Hair?

Coloring your hair black brings loads of drama and intrigue to your look. However, like any other procedure, dying your hair black has both an upside and downside.

On the upside, it adds a priceless radiance and gloss to your hair. 

However, if not well nourished, your hair may become damaged. Besides, restoring your hair to its natural color won’t be an easy task.

You will also need to put in extra effort to maintain shiny and healthy hair, not forgetting the possibility of hair loss and split ends!

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Conclusion

To sum it up, yes, black hair dye fades. The fading depends on a multiple factors, primarily the type of dye.

Demi-permanent and semi-permanent dyes fade away more quickly, while permanent dyes tend to last longer.

A permanent black hair dye typically lasts about four to six weeks. So, if you want your hair dye to stay longer, ensure you avoid excessive sunlight exposure and adhere to the tips discussed above.