Q&A for How to Dye African American Hair

If your hair is naturally black, not dyed black, you should be able to achieve a medium brown without bleach. However, you cannot black hair to blonde or vibrant red without bleach.

If you have virgin hair and your natural color is a light brown or dark blonde you may be able to achieve blonde with color, peroxide, or natural lighteners like lemon juice. These methods will take multiple applications.

You can get black hair to blonde in most cases, but you will have to bleach it, not dye it. If it has been previously dyed you may not be able to achieve a bright blonde.

If your hair has been previously colored and you want to achieve a lighter color than your current shade, you will need to bleach the hair or use a color remover. If you are going darker or have virgin hair, you will probably not need to use bleach.

It depends on your hair type. If you have really oily hair, you can wash it every day or every other day. If you have normal hair, you can wash it as little as once a week, or more if you'd like. For African-American hair, you might only need to wash it once every week or two.

If you want your hair to be a lighter shade, you'll likely need to lighten it before you try to dye it. Otherwise, the purple will barely show on very dark hair.

The natural oils on your scalp act as a buffer between your skin and the chemicals you're applying, so it's best not to shampoo for 24 hours before coloring. If you're going to a salon, make sure your last wash before the appointment isn't with a color-depositing shampoo or conditioner.

If you don’t want your hair to turn orange, you can bleach it with an at least 20vol or more cream developer to get it blonde (depending on how black your hair is). or you can bleach it with a lower one (at least 10) and then use a bluebaded dye to get the orange-ish tone out (like an ash blonde box dye).

For long and thick hair, you will probably need to buy two or three boxes of hair color. Then, divide it into four sections and apply the color to one section at a time.

Your hair should be slightly dirty when you apply the color. The color hold better to slightly dirty hair. So, shampoo your hair two or three days before you plan to dye your hair, but not the day of or night before.

You certainly can if you want to. Just be sure to have someone experienced nearby to help you. Straighteners can make your hair fall out off if you're not careful!

I would wait at least a month, but you might also want to drop in to a salon and ask for a professional opinion. A stylist may also be able to help you with tips on getting the right color, or they could even do it for you.

It won't damage your hair too badly, unless you dye your hair a lot.

Yes; however, you need to be aware that using a flat iron can cause heat damage to your hair, so make sure to use protective products to prevent unnecessary damage.

Not really. The best kind of hair dye is the natural stuff, but it doesn't show up in dark hair. For a vibrant color you would have to lighten it.

It depends on which color you choose.

You could, but the color may not take as well. It's best to wait a few days without washing to get the best results.

It will run and fade. Chlorine will destroy colored hair, bleached or dyed. The dyes remove some of the nutrients the hair needs to stay healthy, so you will get out of the pool with severely damaged hair.