What developer to use with black hair dye? (Explained)

What developer to use with black hair dye? You should use 20 volume developer when styling your hair with black hair dye. You shouldn’t use more than that in case the color becomes too dark.

If you have dark hair and are having color-treated highlights, you will only need a 10 volume developer.

But if you use 30-40 volume developer, your hair will turn light.

Do you still have doubts?

I’ll explain each of these points in greater detail. There isn’t anything to worry about now.

In less than 2 minutes, you have zero doubts about which salon to go to and what style is best for your desired outcome.

It is our experience that women often get the wrong developer, which is use to mix with dye to change your hair color.

Why do I say this?

A few days ago, I saw Melissa in my salon, who wanted a change after having long, medium-red hair for a long time.

She mentioned that she has always been curious about dying her hair a dark color and was looking for someone who would be able to do it at home.

Unlike many women who want to lighten their hair, Melissa wanted to darken hers. And she thought that bleach would be the best way to do so. It turns out she was wrong – it wasn’t a good idea at all!

You don’t need to bleach your hair in order to make it darker. The coloring you apply will be just as noticeable.

Because bleaching is often used to lighten colors, it helps if you start with a dark color- such as black.

To get rid of dark hair dye and make the hair lighter in color, you should bleach your hair first and use lighter shades of products.

But this doesn’t happen with lighter hair shades, since the dye can be applied in darker shades without needing to bleach your hair first. You just need to use 20 volume developer.

As a professional hair colorist, it’s important to know what it means to darken your hair. (Referring specifically to the type of process used in the service of hair coloring.)

What do I mean by this?

Melissa wanted to have her hair a different color. It was an extreme change and while she had always been a light red, it was unfortunate that things were drastically changing.

I wanted to suggest a darker tone, but without trying to get a black color. After showing her the color options, we agreed on chocolate brown

Seeing her hair change into a new and different color was a wonderful sight. She liked how she looked, and you could see her gratitude and relief at the change, because it had been enough of an improvement that others noticed.

The idea behind a color change is to be comfortable and get that natural feeling. You will naturally want to look in the mirror repeatedly.

This is why I recommend that if you are going to darken your hair, you should do it gradually by gradually darkening your hair until you reach the desired color. 

In time, it is likely that you will get used to your dark hair, and you’ll be able to switch back if you don’t like it.

If you have decided to darken your hair, please don’t go anywhere, because I am going to tell you about the steps you have to take:

• Which volume developer to use to darken your hair depending on your base tone
• Special care for darker tones of hair needs to be taken when taking care of the hair.

WHAT IS A HAIR DEVELOPER?

The developer is an essential element in the coloring process of your hair. The oxidant creams contain the hydrogen peroxide, which opens the hair cuticle.

With a developer you can easily achieve a significant color change in your hair. If you don’t use it, the color pigments won’t penetrate deep into your hair and you’ll never have achieved drastic changes in the color of your locks.

Some hair colors are mixed with dyes to create places for lighter shades or a lighter look across the head.

These tints can be mixed in a range of different proportions which is what varies from person to person, but these proportions are normally 1:1, 1:1.5 or 1:2 (for an extra strong lightening effect)

BENEFITS OF HAIR DEVELOPER

• Activation – Using a dye with a developer will give you vivid and realistic-looking hair styles
• Consistency – A cream developer mixed with your desired color will create a thicker mixture that stays in place without fear of drips. The cream developer also helps to uniform coverage.
• Color delivery – The developer deposits color by lifting the cuticle layers just enough for pigment to slip inside
• Color removal – the use of dye to achieve a specific color for the hair is usually a process that requires the cuticle layer to be opened wide enough so that healthy pigment can be removed
• Better color – the colors will be more bold and will last longer

WHICH DEVELOPER TO USE TO DARKEN YOUR HAIR DEPENDING ON YOUR BASE TONE

A strong 20 volume developer is vital when we’re talking about dyeing hair. There are a lot of people these days who bleach their hair and it can be tricky to do without the proper process.

It’s never a good idea to use a developer of a higher volume because they will always have higher volumes than you. Do you know why?

As the manufacturers of 30 volume developer implies, using it can actually lighten your hair. Some other products with a higher volume don’t give you that much lighter look. That’s why it is recommended to use 30-40 volume developer for this effect

If you use a dark hair dye with 30 volume developer, when you wash it out, you will have lighter hair!

You might find that the tone you applied ends up looking light, but you’ll be losing out on the tone that you intended.

When you buy the color kit, it’s important that you pay attention and make sure that the developer is 20 volume that is being purchased.

• For example, if your base tone is a medium blonde 7, and you want to apply a chocolate brown 5, you should use 20 volume developer.
• If you would like to apply a brown 4 over your blonde 8, then you should use 20 volume developer.
• If your base colors are a chocolate 5, and you want to change the tone with a black 1, use 20 volume developer.

But there are some exceptions to this trend that always exist.

Theses are the exceptions where your hair already has a very dark base tone and you don’t want to darken it very much more.

• To change the tone of a shade, you can use a developer at a 10 volume. So for example, if your base tone is a brown 4, then you would use 10 volume developer to create a dark brown 3.
• If the base tone of your hair is a dark brown 3, and you want to apply a black 1, you can also use 10 volume developer to dye your hair.

So that it’s clear, I’ll repeat:

You should only use 10 volume developer in these cases, otherwise, if you apply it to your hair and it doesn’t absorb the pigmentation of the dye.

This is just a matter of chemistry that you need to follow in order for developers to fix any coloring errors.

The developer is applied to the hair so that the cuticle will open and the color pigments will soak in evenly.

Dark colors, like dark brown and black, have more pigments and that’s why they need less developer for them – given that the hair is already saturated.

Let us give you a few recommendations before darkening your hair.

Do the hair strand test.

Dark dyes have a molecule called p-phenylenediamine that can cause an allergic reaction. Make sure to choose colors that won’t cause any harm to your skin.

This can happen when permanent dark dye is applied to the skin and is a full-on allergic reaction. This type of reaction usually occurs dramatically.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HAIR AFTER DARKENING IT

• First, you shouldn’t wash your hair before 48 hours has passed if you can wait for 72 hours, better, because in this way, you’ll allow the hair cuticles to trap the dye particles, letting them set in.
• If you have dyed your hair dark colors in the past and are looking for more ways to care for it, there are several products that can be used. Some of the best options include shampoo and conditioner specially designed to address the needs of highly processed hair.
• This is important for making the color last longer, because it deposits pigments, making the color come back to life.
• You may want to try using a hair mask that contains hydrating ingredients rather than one with parabens. They might be safer for your hair, and should be a good option for you.

Did you know the dark shades require less maintenance because they have a lot of pigment? They produce a more dependable dark result that lasts longer.

To keep your roots healthy and vibrant, it’s important to re-do your color every two months. You might notice some growth at the roots of your hair when it starts to show signs of dullness.