From Blonde To Black Hair: The Ultimate Guide

If you are wondering how to go from blonde to black hair, you are in the right place.

Blonde hair is gorgeous and very flattering. But many times it happens that after a while doing highlights our hair is mistreated and we want to take a break. And we want to darken it!

To go from blonde hair to black or brown hair, you must first pre-pigment your hair with a copper dye. In this way you will recover the pigments that your hair has lost with bleaching, and you will be able to darken it easily. If you don’t pre-pigment your hair you may run the risk of turning your hair green!

In this article I will teach you how to safely go from blonde to black hair so that you achieve the best possible results.

How to go from blonde to black hair

If you have blonde hair and plan to darken it, it is essential that you go through a pre-pigmentation process.

When we lighten our hair to be blonde we get rid of all the red, orange and finally yellow pigments in the hair. And if we try to apply a dark dye without having filled those pigments first, our hair will look grayish green!

Also, if you don’t pre-pigment your hair, the dye you put on will wash out after a couple of washes and the color will look dull. If you do the necessary steps you can enjoy

Therefore, I want to explain step by step how you can safely transform your blonde hair color into a beautiful dark hair.

Are you sure you want to go from blonde to black hair?

The first thing you have to see is if you are really sure that you want to go from being blonde to having black hair.

The reason for this is that going dark will make it very difficult in the future if you want to lighten your hair again. It’s not something simple like: “oh, I’m tired of dark hair, now I’m going back to being blonde”.

If you dye your hair black it will take many months or even until you can go back to being blonde.

That is why I recommend that you only do it if you are 100% sure that you want to keep the black dye in your hair for a long time.

If you are not very sure, I recommend that instead of dyeing yourself black, you choose a brown or dark brown color. These types of dyes have much less pigmentation than black, and are a safer way to darken your hair.

Choosing a brown hair color will allow you to go blonde again in the future, and it’s a good way to make sure you’re comfortable with dark hair before going black. The darker the color you dye with, the more difficult it will be to lighten it later.

SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU: Why is blonde hair turning green?

Step by step going from blonde to black hair

Great! Now let’s see step by step how to go from blonde to black hair safely and easily. I strongly recommend that when you go to buy these products you buy them from a professional hairdressing supply store.

Avoid buying supermarket box dyes as much as possible because their colors can be unstable and also damage your hair a lot. Whenever you can use professional products.

Now let’s see step by step how to transform the color of your hair:

Step 1: Pre-pig your hair

The first step you have to do in order to dye yourself black is to pre-pigment your hair. For this, your hair must be dirty from a couple of days of not washing it and totally dry.

You must prepare a dye that is medium height, and with coppery or reddish pigments. Basically this depends on how dark you are going to dye your hair:

If you are going to dye your hair black you should apply a dye that has coppery and reddish pigments. The height of the dye that I recommend the most is a 7 (light brown), and the pigments that you normally need are .4 and .6 (but check each brand carefully because it can be different!). In other words, the ideal tint would be a 7.46 (reddish copper light brown).

If you are going to dye your hair brown, I recommend that you pre-pigment your hair with a color of height 7 or 8 (depending on how light you want the brown). The pigments that you should add to your hair are only orange. Ideally, the tint you should use is 7.4 or 8.4 (remember that each brand of tint is different so check it carefully!)

To pre-pigment yourself, apply the dye to your hair in the normal way, let it act for 15 to 20 minutes, and then wash your hair. The only thing you have to do afterwards is blow dry your hair for phase two.

In this step your hair will look orange! It is totally normal, in fact what we are doing is introducing the orange pigments that your hair needs to absorb the dark color. 

Step 2: Apply the black dye

Now it’s time for you to apply the black or brown dye of your choice. It is important that you have dry hair and apply it in a traditional way. Never use a high volume peroxide, I highly recommend that you mix the color with 10v or 20v peroxide to take care of your scalp.

Another important factor is that you apply the highest quality dye possible. Ideally you should use a professional dye. This will make you take care of your hair to the maximum and seal the color correctly.

I recommend that you choose a natural dye tone, that is, without reflection. Non-shimmer dyes are usually simple numbers (like a 3 or 5), and are the ones that will best cover your pre-pigmented blonde hair. Black tints are always number 1 or 2, and the higher the number the lighter the color. For example, if you want a deep brown color without it being black, you can use a tint 4 or 5.

Once you apply the dye, let it act for an average of 35 minutes. When you wash it, it is essential that you use a color sealing shampoo like this one as it will help your color last longer. If you use a non-specific or low quality shampoo in a couple of washes you will wash out the dark tint and the color will not look good.

SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU: How long does semi permanent dye last?

Bottom line

I hope this article has been helpful to you in knowing how to go from blonde to black hair easily.

Remember that once you remove the blonde dye, it will take time before you can bleach your hair again since you have to take care of the health of the hair. Only remove the blonde dye if you are really sure that you want to take a break from it for a while, and choose a color that you feel comfortable with.

You don’t have to dye your hair black either! If you’re not sure which shade would suit you, I recommend starting with a type 6 brown as it’s a natural brown. And in case you regret it, it will be relatively easy to go back to blonde. Until next time!