In 7th grade, my friends and I made a pact to dye our hair black for the last day of school. I was the only person who followed through. And from then on out, I spent my adolescence with a head of jet-black hair. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.
If you’re wondering, “should I dye my hair black?” I have plenty to say on this subject. And I’ve learned from experience that there are many advantages and disadvantages of dying hair black. Let’s break them down so you can decide if dyeing hair black is right for you.
Disadvantages of Dyeing Hair Black
Although there are many reasons to dye your hair black, let’s get the cons out of the way first. If any of these scare the bejesus out of you, then you’ll know that dyeing your hair black may not be the right path forward for you.
Upkeep
Before you dye your hair black, you should know about the upkeep. Hair grows about half an inch every month so the roots of your hair will begin to show pretty regularly.
Now, if you have dark hair already, this won’t be as problematic. But if your natural hair color is pretty light, you’ll be looking like a skunk on the regular if you don’t touch up your roots as soon as they start growing out.
So you should expect to be dyeing your roots every 3-6 weeks to keep the look you want.
On top of this, your hair may fade after a while if you don’t take good care of it. You’ll need to use color-safe hair products like this one, which tend to cost more than non color-safe hair products.
You also may have to resort to shampooing your hair less frequently if your hair fades quickly, which may or may not be your thing.
Eyebrow Mismatching
If your natural hair color is much lighter than black, you’ll have eyebrows that don’t match the hair on top of your head. Maybe you like this look, but if that’s not your thing, this can be a problem.
The mainstream advice is that you should just get your brows dyed or tinted to match your hair. But this isn’t necessarily good advice.
For one, there are still no brow dyes or tints that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This is despite nearly 100 years of data on these products. None of them have been proven to be safe and many have caused significant injuries including blindness.
So keep that in mind when deciding to dye your eyebrows. If you still want to risk it, then it’s best to see a professional. They will still be using products not deemed safe by the FDA, but they will be using the best techniques and sanitary procedures which will reduce the risks.
If you’re like me and not into risking blindness for beauty, then you can just use make-up to fill in your brows. If you already use make-up on your brows, this won’t be a problem for you anyway.
Here’s a helpful tutorial on how to make your eyebrows darker with makeup to give you an idea of what you’ll need to do:
True Commitment
Black hair can be a major commitment. The lighter your natural hair, the more you are committing to.
Once you’ve dyed your hair black, to get to a lighter color, you will have to use a product that removes permanent hair dye. Black dye doesn’t damage natural hair very much by itself, thankfully. But all products that get rid of black hair dye do damage your hair. And none of these products work perfectly, especially when you’re working with removing black dye.
Basically, you will never get your hair back to your exact natural hair. Which means you’re going to have to let all that hair grow out eventually.
So you’re going to have a long, slow transition and you may potentially damage your hair a lot, depending on how you approach it.
During this time, you can just let your natural roots grow out without dyeing them, then cut off the black hair when your hair is long enough to do so. But your hair is going to look terrible for a while if you go this route. This is what I eventually did and I felt ugly AF for about a year.
Another option is to dye your roots while the black hair is growing out. You can use semi-permanent dyes, but be warned that in rare occasions they don’t always wash out. I learned this the hard way when trying to grow out my roots. These dyes can also be hard to match the color of permanent dyes and will start fading as soon as you use them so your roots are still going to be noticeable to some degree
The third option is to use dyeing techniques like highlights or balayage to kinda hide the fact that you’re growing out your roots. As your hair grows out, you will dye the roots less, but the main point is to reduce the starkness of the black hair compared to your roots by blending them into each other softly.
The main disadvantage of this third method is the cost. You’ll likely need to see a professional to get this done properly and you’ll need to return every month or so until you’ve grown out the black hair.
Expense
If you plan to DIY your black hair like I did, you probably don’t think of dyeing your black hair as an expensive endeavor. A box of black hair dye is under $10, right? But if you look beyond that first application, you may change your mind regarding the costs.
For example, if that boxed hair dye doesn’t turn out well, you may have to turn to a professional to fix it. They will probably charge you extra because they aren’t just dyeing hair, they are working with store-bought hair dye on top of it and they tend to hate that.
And fixing a bad dye job can result in over-processing your hair which will result in damage. And then you’ll need expensive products to repair hair damage such as protein fillers.
Then you have to worry about keeping up with the roots. And the color-safe hair products like shampoo and conditioner. To keep your hair from fading, you’ll need to spend extra on your hair products.
And then, of course, if you decide you want to lighten your hair down the road, you’re in for a lot more than $10, as I covered in the previous section.
So the upkeep and products for dyeing and keeping hair black can cost a lot over time. For you, is black hair really worth the life energy you put into making those dollars?
Makeup
Speaking of expense, new make-up may be another one. You may love how the make-up you’re currently using looks on you now, but you may feel differently once you have black hair.
If you are making a big change in hair color, you need to be ready to adjust your makeup routine to find a look that suits your new hair color.
Cancer
Pretty much everything we use these days exposes us to things that may increase our cancer risk. And hair dye may be another one of those things.
For a long time, there wasn’t conclusive evidence that linked hair dye to cancer, but a recent study of 47,000 women found that women who used permanent hair dye in the previous year were 9% more likely to develop breast cancer compared to women who didn’t use hair dye.
This is just one study and doesn’t prove that hair dye causes cancer, but if you are concerned with your breast cancer risk, you may want to reduce your exposure to items linked to breast cancer, including permanent hair dye.
Allergic Reactions
When dyeing hair any color, you can have an allergic reaction or other adverse effects. Even if you’ve dyed your hair tons of times with no problems, you can suddenly develop an allergy to an ingredient in these products, so this is something to think about before deciding to dye your hair any color.
However, one hair dye ingredient called p-phenylenediamine or PPD, is more likely to cause allergic reactions. And this ingredient is seen more frequently in black hair dyes than in lighter colors. So if you have sensitive skin, black hair dye may be even more risky for you than a lighter color like blonde.
Reasons to Dye Your Hair Black
Now that I’ve gotten the doom and gloom out of the way, keep in mind that the advantages of dyeing your hair black may be well worth the disadvantages for you. So you may still want to dye your hair black if:
Your Hair is Already Dark
If your hair is just a few shades from black, it will be an easy transition to and from black hair. You’re less likely to end up with regret after you dye it since it won’t be a shocking change. And if you do hate it, it will be much easier to get back to your natural hair color if you only have to lighten your hair a shade or two. Even more, the dye may fade enough that you can grow out your roots without them being very noticeable.
You Want Your Eyes to Pop
If your natural hair color isn’t doing much for your eyes, dyeing your hair black is one way to make them stand out. No matter your eye color, black hair will complement them and make them look prettier.
You Have the Right Complexion
Any complexion or skin color can pull off black hair — if it’s the right shade. But getting the perfect shade for your complexion will be harder if you have fair skin. It’s just harder to pull of black hair with light skin. It can wash you out or bring out redness in your face. So if you have acne or rosacea, you have to tread carefully when dyeing your hair black. Either see an experienced colorist who can get you a shade of black that will complement your skin or stick with a dark brown instead of a true black.
In contrast, if you have medium or darker skin, you can pull of black hair much better, even if you have redness in your face or other skin problems.
Your Hair Looks Lackluster
Overall, black hair just looks healthier.
Lighter hair colors tend to look less healthy and thin. When you add black hair dye, this deposits color molecules in the hair shaft, which actually fattens up the strand just a bit. So dyeing hair black can make it look thicker.
In addition, black hair is more lustrous as it reflects like better. So if you want thick, shiny, healthy looking hair, black may be the color for you.
You Want a Subculture Look
If I’m being honest, the main reason I’d recommend dyeing your hair black is if you are going for a very specific look that requires it. Many music subcultures including gothic, emo, and scenester subcultures have an aesthetic that depends on black hair. If you just love that scene or that look, then black hair may be worth all the downsides for you.
This is the reason I kept black hair for so long. I just felt like it fit my personality and my lifestyle at the time.
If that’s not your main reason for choosing black hair, I’d stick with dark brown instead. It looks more natural and it’s not going to take as much work to keep up with or get rid of.
Tips for Dyeing Hair Black
Go Slow
If you’re not sure if you’re ready for black hair, go into it slowly. Start with some low-lights that are two or three shades darker than your current hair and see how you feel about it. Once you’ve tested the waters of black hair and love it, then maybe you are ready to take the plunge. If not, it’s an easy fix to get back to where you are now.
You can also try a temporary hair dye that washes out after a few shampoos such as Manic Panic Temporary Hair Color Styling Gel. I recommend this over semi-permanent dyes because on rare occasions, semi-permanent doesn’t completely wash out.
See a Professional
Dyeing hair is an art, but also a science. And there are tons of variables that should be considered when choosing how exactly to dye your hair black that takes tons of education and experience to understand. If you are going to make a dramatic change like going black, which is incredibly hard to reverse, it’s best to put the job in the hands of a professional colorist who will know for sure how to get you good results and the perfect shade for your hair and skin type.
Don’t Trust the Color on the Box
If you want to ignore the advice in the last section and dye your hair yourself, remember that you can’t trust the color on the box. Because there are so many variables in hair color, you may not end up with the exact shade you see in the picture.
Do a Patch Test
Before you use any hair dye, you should always do a patch test. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve used the product before. You can develop an allergy at any time. So before you cover your whole head with chemicals, read the instructions that come with the dye and do a patch test.
Final Takeaways
Black hair dye can give you a dramatic look that you love, but there are many things to consider before you take the plunge.
Dyeing hair any color, but especially black, can require a lot of upkeep and expense. And getting back to your natural color will be a long road.
However, these downsides may be well worth it if black hair suits your face and the look you are going for.
Want to remember this? Pin this to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it later!
References
Journal of Asthma and Allergy: Para-Phenylenediamine Allergy: Current Perspectives on Diagnosis and Management
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Permanent Hair Dye and Straighteners May Increase Breast Cancer Risk
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Eye Cosmetic Safety
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Hair Dyes
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