Hair Color Tutorials

How to Dye Dark Hair Brown for a Subtle, Stunning Change

As it is with any other hair color, how to dye dark hair brown at home is more than just choosing a shade and following your box hair dye’s instructions. There are many factors to consider, such as your starting hair color, hair health, and lightening method, plus hair color maintenance habits to adopt. If you’ve decided to dye your dark brown hair at home, we’re here to help. Check out this guide, where we explain everything you need to know so you get the brown hair color you’ve been dreaming of.

Overview

Dark hair has its perks: a sophisticated, timeless vibe, a healthier look, and radiant shine. Still, it’s totally normal to desire a lighter shade, and dyeing hair brown is perfect for a subtle change. There’s just one problem: the actual hair dyeing process can be incredibly intimidating. Because of the potential for damage, especially if you DIY, you might’ve considered going to a pro, which is understandable. However, if you’re looking for a more affordable option, coloring with box hair dye might be for you. In this guide, we explain how to dye dark hair brown so you get the result you want.

What Goes Into Dyeing Hair Brown?

When it comes to answering, how to go from black to brown hair? or how to dye dark hair brown?, bleaching is often a part of the convo. However, bleaching is not always necessary.

Your options for how to dye black hair brown without bleaching will depend on whether your hair is virgin or not.

Virgin hair, or hair that’s never been chemically processed or color treated, is easier to lighten than dyed hair and might not require you to use bleach to achieve your desired shade. If you have virgin hair and are looking to go only 1-3 levels lighter, it’s possible for you to both lighten and color your black or dark brown hair with a high-lift box dye.

Previously color-treated hair, on the other hand, has hair dye that needs to be removed or lightened before a new shade is applied.

How to Choose the Best Brown Hair Color for Dark Hair?

Ranging from sandy hues to coffee-colored shades, brown hair color is anything but boring. When you dye brown hair at home, though, you should keep in mind a few things. The first is how light you want to go. It’s best not to go lighter than three shades so that your hair undergoes minimal damage. The lighter the shade compared to your starting hair color, the more your hair will need to be lifted. Then there’s undertone to consider: warm, cool, olive, and neutral.

Warm undertones have hints of gold or peach, cool undertones have hints of blue or purple, olive undertones have hints of green or gray, and neutral undertones have a mix of warm and cool undertones. Selecting a brown hair dye that matches your undertone ensures the shade will leave you looking glowy, not washed out.

Dark & Lovely Fade Resist Permanent Hair Color, which delivers up to 8 weeks of rich color and brilliant shine, offers stunning options, such as Hazelnut Brown, Brown Sugar, Brown Cinnamon, and Brown Sable. To make shade selection easy, we offer a virtual try-on so you can see how you’d look in any of our hair colors.

How Can You Lighten Dark Hair?

You can lighten dark hair in a number of ways. You can do it naturally with minimal damage via substances such as lemon juice, baking soda, or even apple cider vinegar. But most commonly, hair is lightened with bleach, which swells up the cuticle, opening it up so pigments can be stripped. This process inevitably leaves hair dry and brittle and makes curls less elastic.

If you have dark, previously color-treated hair and are going more than three levels lighter, you’ll probably need to bleach your hair more than once so it’s light enough for your desired hair color. Dark & Lovely Uplift Hair Bleach Kit easily removes dark pigments from the hair without compromising the texture of curls and coils.

How long you leave a bleaching agent in your hair depends on your hair’s thickness. On dark, thick, coarse hair, the bleaching agent shouldn’t be left for longer than 30 minutes to avoid the risk of serious damage. If your hair isn’t light enough for coloring after those 30 minutes, wait a couple of weeks before repeating the bleaching process so your strands have time to recover.

How to Dye Dark Hair Brown

So far, we’ve covered what goes into dyeing hair brown, shade selection, and lightening methods. In this section, we’re answering the question “how do you dye dark hair?” with a step-by-step explanation.

Step 1. Months before you plan to dye your hair, decide whether you’ll need to lighten your hair separately.

If you need to, do so well in advance of dyeing your hair brown. You should aim to dye your hair at least two weeks after bleaching it.

Step 2. Wash your hair a few days before you dye.

Doing this gives your scalp time to create oils that’ll protect it from your hair dye’s chemicals. Steer clear of any styling products during this time as they could interfere with the way the hair dye applies to the hair.

Step 3. Gather your supplies.

In SoftSheen Carson hair color kits, you’ll find all the essentials, but it doesn’t hurt to have extra things to make the dyeing process less messy. Here’s everything you’ll need.

Boxes of hair dye (Check out our guide to figure out how many you’ll need based on curl type and hair length.)
Disposable gloves
Wide-tooth comb
Hair clips
Petroleum jelly/thick moisturizer or cream
Hair color brush/bowl
Handheld mirror
Plastic shower cap
Towel

Step 4. On dye day, start with dry hair.

Unless your box hair dye tells you to apply your color mixture onto wet hair, you’ll most likely need to work permanent hair dye onto dry hair.

Step 5. Part your hair into 4 sections using the end of a wide-tooth comb.

Clip the sections in place if needed.

OPTIONAL: Apply petroleum jelly, a thick moisturizer, or a cream along the hairline.

This hack creates a thick barrier between the hair dye and your skin, which prevents the dye from setting on your skin and causing stains. If any hair dye gets on the substance you use, simply wipe it off!

Step 6. Mix your color mixture as directed on the box.

Dark & Lovely Fade Resist Permanent Hair Color includes a squeeze bottle applicator. Simply pour the hair color and developer into the bottle and give it a shake for easy mixing.

Step 7. Conduct a strand test.

Before you start applying your color mixture throughout your hair, test the mixture on a loose strand. Wait 30 minutes, rinse it out with water, and then check out the results. If you like the results, you’re good to go!

Step 8. Apply your color mixture section at the roots, beginning at the front of the head and working section by section.

If you’re using Dark & Lovely Fade Resist Permanent Hair Color, dispense the mixture onto your hair using the squeeze bottle. You could also use a hair color bowl and brush. The goal is to saturate your roots with the color mixture.

TIP: It’s best to stand in front of a mirror during application so you have a clear view of your progress. When it’s time to apply the mixture to the back sections, hold up the handheld mirror behind your head while looking at the mirror ahead of you. This way, it’s easier for you to identify any missed spots.

Step 9. Spread the color from your roots down through the ends of your hair.

Step 10. Follow your box hair dye’s instructions for processing time.

You’ll usually need to wait 30 minutes. In the meantime, put on a shower cap to keep the hair dye on your head – and off your clothing. Now’s also the time to clean up any dye that’s gotten on your skin.

Step 11. After the color has processed, lather up the color mixture.

Do this by adding some lukewarm water to your hair.

Step 12. Rinse out your hair until all the mixture is out.

The water should run clear.

Step 13. Gently dry your hair with a towel.

Step 14. Condition to lock in the moisture.

Dark & Lovely Fade Resist Permanent Hair Color comes with a Moisture Mask that’ll condition your strands with Argan Oil & Vitamin E.

Step 15. Using warm water, wash out the conditioner.

You’re almost there!

Step 16. Style your hair and enjoy your new shade of brown.

Follow the tips below to ensure your color stays vibrant.

Tips for Maintaining Your Hair Color

Use a gentle shampoo.

Sulfates in shampoo are not only drying but also speed up color fade. Swap in a sulfate-free hydrating shampoo like Dark & Lovely Super Smooth Weightless Wash Sulfate Free Shampoo to cleanse your hair without stripping.

Deep condition often. Use a deep conditioner on the regular to return moisture to and soften your hair.

Apply a heat protectant before using hot tools.

The heat from your blow dryer, curling iron, or straightener can also cause your hair color to disappear faster. To minimize damage, a heat protectant creates a thin barrier between your hair and the heat from your styling tool. It can also slow down color fade.

Protect your hair from the elements.

Excessive sun exposure, chlorine in pool water, and saltwater from the sea can also cause hair color to quickly dull. On days when the sun’s rays are particularly strong and you know you’ll be outside, cover your hair with a hat or scarf. If you’re going to take a dip, prep your hair with a mask or deep conditioner, wear a swim cap, or put your hair up so that it doesn’t get wet.

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