Kayla Young
If you have naturally dark hair, you might be feeling that those born with light-colored hair get to have all the hair color fun.
When you look at hair color swatches, the color you see is how it looks when applied to light hair. So for those with dark hair, if you want to achieve the color on the swatch, it usually requires bleaching. And hair damage.
We’ll look at using purple dye for dark hair (without bleach) and see how these products work, so you know what to expect.
We’re going to level the playing field for all of those dark-haired goddesses by showing you how to work with what you have.
Contents
Can You Color Dark Hair Without Bleaching It?
Yes, you can color dark hair with no bleach! Having dark hair does not mean you can’t get the color you want without using bleach.
It just means that you may not get the vibrancy of color you might expect if you were starting with blond hair, but you’ll still get that rich purple tone.
Hair Coloring Products For Dark Hair
You have some options if you are wanting to dye your dark hair purple without using bleach:
- Color Spray
- Color Wax
- Color Chalk
- Semi-permanent color
- Permanent color
1. Color Spray, Wax, and Chalk
Color spray, wax and chalk give you the widest range of color shade variations. Sprays waxes and chalks can get even the blackest hair the lightest lavender. However, these products are only for use for 1 day and wash out with shampoo. Marketed more as a Hallowe’en or Cosplay costume accouterment, they are a fun, safe and very temporary way to change your hair color for a day.
L'Oréal Paris Colorista 1-Day Hair Color Spray in ‘Pastel Lavender’ will give those with even the darkest tresses a light purple color with no bleaching required.
Simply shake well before use. Hold it four to six inches from dry hair and spray. Wait a few minutes for the color to dry completely. Note that the color will become more visible as it dries. Go slowly and build the color until you reach your desired shade.
You can get color waxes in a pot, and the temporary chalk comes in pens and combs.
The wax is applied using fingers, either to sections or all of the hair. Hair chalk in the pen (better for smaller sections) and in the comb (better if you want to color all your hair) are easily-applied.
For both wax and chalk temporary colors, it’s recommended to lightly mist hair first for best results.
2. Semi-Permanent & Permanent Dye
If you were looking for a long term hair color, then you’ll want to consider semi-permanent or permanent dyes.
When looking for permanent hair dyes, it’s best to look for those made for darker hair. That is to say they do not contain a developer with ammonia or peroxide that will lighten your hair. Semi-permanent dye does not contain a developer.
Semi-Permanent Dye lasts anywhere from 4-16 washes, depending on the brand. Permanent colors tend to fade out over time and last about 24 washes.
Just remember, since you are not bleaching your hair, the shade of purple hair that your hair will turn will depend on your natural hair color.
These colors will not lift (lighten) your hair color. They just deposit color onto the hair.
It’s important to understand this. Because you are working with dark hair and bleach-free products, you may not reach the level of vibrancy you were looking for.
Generally the color swatch they show on the label for these products is the color you will get if you have lighter-brown hair. The color you end up with will be the same tone, but the shade will be as dark as your natural color.
Semi-Permanent Dye lasts anywhere from 4-16 washes, depending on the brand. Permanent colors tend to fade out over time and last about 24 washes.
This guide below gives you some idea of what to expect for purple on different shades of brown and black hair.
What’s The Best Purple Color for Dark Hair?
Generally, the best purple dye for dark hair will be any darker color of purple. And there are so many to choose from! From amethyst, plum, and sangria to mulberry, raisin, and aubergine, there are a lot of beautiful purples out there.
You can color your hair whatever color you want, but you should also consider your skin tone.
How Can I Tell My Skin Tone?
To determine your skin’s undertone, look at the veins on the underside of your wrist in natural light. If your veins look blue, you have cool-toned skin with pink undertones.
You have warm-toned skin with yellow undertones if your veins appear green.
If your veins appear both blue and green, you are one of the lucky people that have neutral undertones. This means that almost every color of purple will look great on you.
If it’s hard to tell what color your veins are, or you can’t see them at all, hold up silver and gold jewelry next to your face. Regardless of your personal preference, which one looks better next to your skin?
Those with warm-toned skin will look better with gold jewelry. Those with cool-toned skin will look better with silver jewelry.
When it comes to choosing a purple hair color, warm skin tones look better with purple that have more red in it.
Cooler skin tones look better with purple that has more blue in it.
For those of you with olive skin tones, also considered neutral, you are the lucky bunch that looks great with every color of purple!
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