How To Lighten/fade Dark Black Hair

[deg_dilemma]

Hi all

I have got a new system on but the colour is too black. Is there any way to get it to fade quickly?

I'd like to get it to fade a bit, so that the black is not so intense.

As we're in the UK, it's unlikely I will get any sun on it and I won't be going swimming... so that's 2 options I cannot go for.

How about using a strong shampoo - Head and Shoulders maybe?

I understand hair bleach won't lighten black hair.

Any other options you guys can think of?

 

[NYCHairGuy]

Why won't bleach lighten black hair? I've heard that about black knots, but I think it's because one would need to leave the bleach on for so long to achieve the proper color that one risks seriously damaging the hair.

I just lightened my too-dark piece about a level using the least damaging method for bio-hair, a bleach soap cap. It turned out perfectly and didn't seem to damage the unit hair at all. What you need: powder lightener from the beauty supply shop (look for the most standard one they carry--no weird toning additives--in single use packets), a small bottle of 10 volume cream developer and shampoo. Mix the bleach and developer in a well-ventilated room according to the package instructions and then add exactly as much shampoo as you did developer. Mix it up again, wet the piece (not dripping, but enough to make a lather) and add the bleach/shampoo mixture with a tint brush and/or gloved hands, making sure to cover the hair as evenly as possible. Watch it like a hawk; mine took just about 5-6 minutes to lighten slightly, which is less time than bio-hair would have taken.

(PS: I'm thinking that "10 volume" may be a US thing and it's a different system in the UK. If so, no worries. The lightener packet will have instructions using different strengths of developers. You want to get the lowest, least powerful one.)

 

[Noah]

You can buy a milder version from pharmacies called "Sun-In", which people use to give their hair a "sun-kissed" look. You spray it on and then either go out into the sun or you can use a hairdryer to activate it. The hairdryer method is obviously more controllable. Lemon juice will do the same thing more slowly. Like any bleaching agent, it doesn't do the hair much good, so you will need to give it a good conditioning afterwards. If you are using a hairdryer, it works faster than you might expect, at least on light-coloured hair, so be careful.

Incidentally, I am intrigued by your nick. Would you care to explain the background, if it's not private?

 

[deg_dilemma]

I think I'll try the Sun-In because it seems a lot easier. Looks like Amazon sell it:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sun-Hair-Lightener-Spray-Lemon/dp/B004887ZVM

Edit: have ordered it now so will do a test on a small section of my hair system in the next few days.


My nick (assuming you're asking about me) is from years ago when I used to work at a place that had a DEG team and had a problem … I forget what DEG stood for. So nothing important now really.

 

[NYCHairGuy]

Good that you're trying the Sun-In on a small section first. When I was in my 20s, I tried it one summer on my bio hair and found it sort of unpredictable. OTOH, it seems like everything like this is pretty much a crap shoot with system hair, since one is never really sure what processes the hair has undergone, how it was dyed, etc.