Have any of you ever dyed your hair black?

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

How long does it take to grow out? I'm thinking of doing it and I'm not sure...

Anybody have any experience with dying their hair black? I realize this is somewhat of a vain and stupid topic but I'm posting it in the Lounge. So? Anybody out there with a story to tell? Also, any objections to me dying my hair black speak now or forever hold your peace.

Maggie

[Cleita]

1. My hair is gray but before that it was almost black, so

I did blond once just to see what it would look like and it took only a month to get noticable black roots, so you may have the same experience except your roots will be blond. Also, dye fades after so many shampooings.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

4. I'm not blonde though

I'm a brunette with natural red highlights

[janx]

17. Oh, man! If you have hair color like that, don't dye it!

It's much more beautiful the way it is.

[Ediacara]

2. how long does it take to grow out?

how fast does your hair grow? :-)

[NaMeaHou]

7. One half inch per month

average.

[Maddy McCall]

3. Only once--I was Elvira for Halloween...

It was a temporary dye that was SUPPOSED to wash out, BUT I had black-tinted brown hair for a couple of weeks, even though I washed everyday.

Be sure you want black before you go black.

[greatauntoftriplets]

5. The real question is...

what is your natural hair color and your skin color? Would you look good with black hair or like Morticia Addams?

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. As a once upon a time hairstylist I must give this advice...

Only do it if you are sure that you want to live with it for awhile. Especially if your hair is long. It is extremely costly and harsh on your hair to try and remove black haircoloring. If you are going to keep it for awhile...I say go for it. If it's a flight of fancy, I say use a rinse first. Black haircoloring was my enemy when I was working in hair, as it's just really hard to get out and then color the hair back to an approximation of what it once was.

:)

[Demobrat]

9. A friend of mine colored her hair black for Halloween.

Her hair was naturally light brown. It was awful for her. The stuff didn't come out and she had to let it grow out for about a year. I have never seen dyed black hair that look good. I vote no.

[brainshrub]

8. No. But I did go blue once.

[La_Serpiente]

10. My hair was nuts one time

I put rubber bands in my hair and sectioned off certain parts of my hair. Then, I dyed some parts blue and left the other parts black. It looked really cool.

[liberalmuse]

11. Maroon...

but not black. If you have good coloring, then it shouldn't be a probem, but it will take forever to grow out. If you're pale, then you could look really washed out, but some people like that look. From personal experience, I've vowed never to dye my hair again because I like the natural highlights and I don't like the phony feeling I get afterwards. Maroon is actually my best color, but that was in the '80's and I'm too old for that now. Your hair sounds pretty. I'd hate for you to regret it and have to wait a year or two for your natural color to return. The best of luck, whatever you decide.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

12. Go for it Maggie. I have had my hair every possible color and then some

You are only like 17...it will be gone by the time you are 21....you only live once...

[caledesi]

13. Don't do it.

You will look 10 years older. Do you want that?
Do you want your hair to look fake as hell? It will.

You see, not many people actually have "black" hair. I used to think my younger sister had black hair, but when she went to "hair styling" school, she found out that she actually had dark brown hair.

If you really, really want to try something different, go with dark brown.

Take it from "Madonna" honey, I have tried every color there is including the wonderful "eggplant"...

As for growing out - it depends how long your hair is. Medium length...you could be waiting 6 months or more. You will have to dye your hair another color when you decide you hate the black. (and you will...who the hell wants "blue" highlights?)

edit: usual stuff

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

14. my hair is already darkish

with red undertones

just want something darker and different.

[caledesi]

15. Go with Dark Auburn. Now that is nice. Been there, done that.

Madonna.

[Demobrat]

19. She's right. Don't do black.

It will look flat and dull as dishwater, not the nice shiny black you're probably thinking of. White people don't get to have that color.

[Susang]

24. I disagree

When I was dying my hair black it was very glossy. Single process color actually makes the hair's cuticle lay flatter, so the hair appears shinier than before.

Oh, and white people do get to have that color. My grandmother's hair was jet black and she came from Poland.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

16. Of course I have...

every self-respecting SF punk in the 80s did. :)

Blue-black was my dye of choice, over my naturally dark brown hair. That is a very in-you-face- color that will look dramatic but never natural. There are soft blacks that can look good with the right skin and hair style that can look realistic.

What color hair do you have naturally? If you have hair that is on the darker side already it is not that harsh a change, but if you have fair hair it can look extremely "hard". I would take my facial coloration into consideration as well -- if you have yellow or green undertones to your skin, black might not work for you.

As for how long it lasts, it depends on the dye. They make them in different ranges, from shorter lasting (fades out after a certain number of washes)to permenent (must be cut out).

There is also some temporary dye that you can buy at salon supply stores -- I cantt remember the name but it used to come in a silver bottle with pink writing. It stayed in literally until you washed you hair. I used to use it when my hair was fuschia and I was going out on interviews. :) Starting with that might be a good idea -- that way you can test drive the color without committing.

[supernova]

18. Try a temp color first

to see if you like it black. Temporary rinses wash out in about 3 weeks. If you don't like it, no harm done and it washes out anyway. Especially good if you want a certain effect for a certain function. ;-) If you like the look then you can get a bottle of permanent color.

If you look at the hair color shelves, you can educate yourself which ones are semi-permanent and which are permanent.

[bleedingheart]

20. I have had it casted in black

but my hair is so very dark to begin with it doesn't make a difference. I do it to hide some of the random silver hairs I get.

I have hair that is a mixture of black, dark brown and red...a very odd tone...

[JohnKleeb]

21. Ok Maggie I am finally here

:hi:
I dont care if you dye your hair black but I think it looks better when you have it your natural brown with auburn. No I havent dyed my hair, my hair is naturally a dark brown.

[Colin Ex]

22. Man, Maggie, did I ever tell you about that?

I asked my ex-girlfriend and my friend Beth to dye my hair black in high school, and the end result was that it came out blue. The school didn't approve and I ended up having it stripped out with this very painful acid shit that made my skull bleed upon being touched by anything (such as my hand or more acid). It was an incredible fiasco and kind of the beginning of the end of my relationship with my girlfriend.

I really liked it blue, though. C'est la vie.

-C

[Susang]

23. I dyed my hair black for years

It's not that big of a deal. However, it pretty much lasts as long as the hair is attached to your head, to get rid of it, you have to cut it. So make sure that you really want to do it, since it's almost impossible to remove. There are a lot of different shades of black, from brown black all the way to serious blue-black.

Another thing to consider is your skin tone. I have extremely pale white skin with olive undertones, so the black worked for me. If you have a peachy or golden type of complexion, black make it look strange.

The last thing you want to think about is how harsh black hair can be on your face. If you have any wrinkles or facial problems (like acne) it draws attention to it. If you're worried about that, try a brown-black to start, it looks much more natural.

Good luck!