How do you use Loreal HiColor on dark hair?

I've been an online writer for over eight years. I often write about hair care and hairstyling.

Me in red hair!

L'Oreal Hicolor: Red Hair

If you asked me a year ago, maybe even a couple of months ago if I would ever, ever consider dyeing my hair red, I probably would have laughed in your face. No offense. I just never really liked the idea, and I've always liked my hair pretty light.

I'm Asian, by the way. Maybe you can tell from my profile picture. I've kept my hair dyed for several years now, maybe since I was a junior in high school.

I am now on my way to being a junior in college. Anyway, my hair was once black. So, my roots are... you guessed it, black. Which is such a hassle when I am dyeing or re-dyeing my hair any color. Even dark brown. I usually have to spend a lot of time looking for "dark hair only" products, which are actually hard to come by.

My Quest for Red Hair

So upon deciding that I wanted red hair, not quite like Rhianna's but to the same effect, I began my search for the perfect product. I went over to sallybeauty.com, which has tons and tons of different hair products, nail products, and what have you, and I came upon L'Oreal's HiColor for Dark Hair Only.

It's supposed to be for professionals only, but in my opinion, how skilled do you have to be to mix a little dye with a little developer and smear it on your head? I didn't even measure properly and I mixed it in a paper cup with the end of a comb.

Professional, right? I know.

Products I Used

It took me a few minutes to decide exactly what red I wanted to use. There's red fire, red hot, red copper and intense red. I wasn't sure how true to color the hair samples were and I wanted to go very red, but wasn't sure how well I could pull it off. Red copper is a little warmer and richer than red fire and intense red is a little warmer and richer than red hot.

I went with intense red, the darkest of my choices, just to be on the safe side. I figured if I liked it enough, and wanted to go brighter, I could always re-dye in a month or two with red hot, which I am considering now!

When picking out your hair color at Sally's or any other beauty supply, make sure to buy developer. Since these are for professional use, they don't include everything in one box like drugstore hair dyes.

I went with L'Oreal's Oreor Creme Developer in the 40 volume, which will lift your hair color up to 4 shades. The dye recommends 30 volume, but like I said, I have tough black Asian hair and I really wanted this to turn out.

All in all, I spent about $6 each on the color and the developer. Not bad at all, especially since the developer has about 8 fl. oz. You won't need to use all of it unless you have really long hair, in which case you'd need to buy more than one tube of coloring.

Even then, you'd probably still have some developer left over. I also bought L'Oreal's Hicolor Highlights in red. Just plain crayon-from-the-8pack-box red. I haven't used it yet though, and I'm not sure I will. Maybe in a week or two.

Now on to the dyeing!

The Dyeing Process

Preparation

Usually, I disregard the part of the dyeing instructions that say you're supposed to wait at least 24 hours after washing your hair to dye it. I don't know why they tell you this and I've never really seen a difference.

But this time I waited a couple of days. I wanted it to be perfect. I also disregard the safety test, but if you've never dyed your hair before please make sure to do it! I don't want your scalp to fall off.

You're supposed to mix 1 part color with 1.5 parts developer in a plastic bowl. Don't use metal! Mix until it's smooth and creamy. There's a little color intensifier in the box. I just poured all of that into the mix.

It'll make your dye look like blood. Or red frosting. Anyway, I didn't measure properly, like I said, but I never truly measure anything properly. Not even when I'm cooking. So if you're worried about messing up, you should probably get out a plastic measuring cup or something.

With plastic gloves on, a garbage bag as a smock, your bathroom lined with even more garbage bags, and your mixture ready, just start slathering that dye on your head.

If you are a little messy, you may want to put vaseline around your hairline and neck so it doesn't stain your skin, but I never do that either. It washes off in due time.

Wow, I don't seem to follow instructions or precautions very well.

The Dye Goes on My Hair (With a Friend's Help)

So, my friend helped me saturate my hair while I sat on the bathroom floor. She just dunked her hands in there and went at it.

If you have one of those plastic bottles that you usually get in a box of hair dye from the drugstore, I would use that, because I found the mix to be very runny and it got everywhere, but it saturates your hair really well and really quickly.

After about 15 minutes, my head was coated in more hair dye than I've ever had in it before. Did I mention my friend has never dyed anyone else's hair before? She got a little carried away.

After all the dye was in my hair, I wrapped it up in yet another plastic bag and heated it with my hairdryer for about 15 minutes, waited 15 minutes, and then warmed it again for another 15. I read somewhere that it would help the product work faster, but I'm not entirely sure since I've never tried that before.

Time to Rinse

After almost an hour (the box only says 30 minutes, but with my dark hair, I always leave dye in for much longer) I began to rinse my hair out.

It takes a while, maybe 10 minutes, for the water to start running clear. At least, clear with a pink tint. Once I got to this point, I rubbed in tons of conditioner and waited a couple of minutes before rinsing it out.

And you're all set to go!

Results

Once my hair was dry, it was so vibrant in bathroom lighting that I couldn't even imagine how it looks out in the sunlight. My ends aren't as noticeably red as my roots, but I'm assuming it's because they have been dyed so many times, but it isn't a huge difference. And my hair is soft. It isn't dry or brittle at all right now.

I am going to attribute that to the fact that I did not have to bleach my hair beforehand to achieve a nice color.

I really recommend trying this product if you have stubborn hair. They have blondes and light browns as well, so it's not just for a potential redhead! Some people have had bad experiences with this, but I love it and I think I will continue to use it. The price is amazing too!

Next time, I'm going to go with Red Hot!

Thanks for reading and I hope I answered all the questions that I myself had before trying this product. If you have any more questions please just leave a comment and I will get back to you right away!

Happy dyeing :)

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Mags on July 25, 2020:

I didn’t like the product, it doesn’t say how to use it, and what ever says in the box it’s so small that I need it a magnifying glass to try to read it...after hours trying to figure it out I used my common sense and I color my hair, find out that I was right with the mix, however, after I waited 40min I started rinse processing, I was all done and my hair didn’t change a bid...it’s still black...so disappointed.

Fatima on August 17, 2019:

Can you use any branded developer to dye your hair with L’Oreal hi colour ?

Angel on February 14, 2019:

Dye doesnt lift dye loreal hi color is meant for dark hair that has never been dyed just like any hair dye if you have dyed your hair before and its a dark color the only way is to remove the previous dye with hair color remover or bleach if you dont use bleach on previousley dyed dark hair and u just removed the color depending on how many times you dyed your hair dark sometimes it will turn dark again when you dye it

Samantha on November 26, 2018:

This was an awesome post; exactly what I needed, same products and everything...just a different color!

Thank you so much!! :-)

Jes on July 17, 2018:

I just want to mention that you wait at least a day after washing your hair because you need natural oils to protect your hair from too much damage! Especially if you are using a lightener or any of that sort on your scalp!

Sonia netro on November 29, 2017:

What kind conditioner?

Gavin on November 07, 2017:

do you have to have dark hair

Anita on October 15, 2017:

I read your Article back in May after I had a car accident and wanted to do something fun... to distract from the wheelchair! I'm 49 and having the time of my life with this hair!! thanks girl! I did 2 magenta 1 red hot; 40 level up 1:5 portion @ 45 min

I'm Vietnamese / Polaneasian / French mutt... so my hair is?

it turned out Amazing !

maria on September 10, 2017:

I used L'Oreal excellence 4.26 red grape n even after 4 washes the color keeps coming out

Rion on July 26, 2017:

Hey...did this dye run color in the shower for you? It's been a week and I'm still getting tinted water every time I shower. lol

Fanfictt on July 24, 2017:

Hi! So I've never dyed my hair cause I don't want to loose my natural hair colour and my hair are dark brown but I was wondering that after the dye of the loreal hicolor highlight came off would my hair go back to the original colour or would some decoloration happen or something like that!?! Also can u suggest some more ways to dye my hair without permanently changing my org hair color :)

Thanks

Ghada on May 27, 2017:

Ur hair looks really gorgeous

Sarah on August 22, 2016:

Hey I skipped over all the comments so I don't know if this was mentioned before thank you so much for your help I didn't know exactly how to use the intensifier but next time if you want your hair to be more even and you have dyed ends use a protein filler before you color and it will come out perfectly even you can get it at your local Sally's

Lao Bling on August 16, 2016:

Hi I know I'm so late & behind but could use some advice. I have naturally black hair (Asian also) it has been dyed many times & recently (a few months ago) re-dyed black again. Now yesterday I use Red Hot with a 20 vol developer & barely anything happend so today I re-did it with Red Hot again but with 30 vol developer...it got a lil red in some spots but nothing like yours which was what I was expecting, I didn't think my hair would be so resistant. I want to try the 40 but am scared since I just did it twice already.... What do u think? How long would u wait? Thx in advance! Hope ur still checking these comments lol.

Katie on July 31, 2016:

Do you only use the tube in the box to did you have to buy the arena solution

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on March 01, 2015:

it depends the volume you used. i would say if it was 40 like i used, i would wait about a week so you don't fry your hair.

yvette on February 14, 2015:

I dyed my hair fire red but I left it on only for 30 minutes and it doesn't really show the color can I redye my hair with the same color the next day and leave on for 45 minutes?

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on August 31, 2014:

It's generally 1.5 parts developer to 1 part color.

Stephanie on August 27, 2014:

I'm about to dye my hair with the red hot color.

It didn't really come with much directions and im not all sure what im doing.

i have dark hair like you so im basically winging it but im not really sure what kind of measurements of the developer i should use...

helppp

Renie A on July 31, 2014:

I just used MR6 intense auburn, think I used 20, because it was first time using red, I like color but not red enough so next time I will try 40, my natural is dark brown. I'm thinking I want to put highlights in but not sure how, any thoughts. Thank you :)

yvette on April 01, 2014:

Hi I always dye my hair light intense auburn I use the garnier kind and I have the garnier color shield shampoo I get sad because it doesn't last long and so I want it light intense auburn but bright as in I can take pictures an it comes out with that color can you help me out please..

Tess on February 21, 2014:

Thanks for posting this! I just dyed my hair with HiColor in Deep Intense Auburn, and it did dye, but I have tough Asian hair as well. It wasn't exactly the color payoff I wanted, because I used 30 vol developer like it suggested. Next time I dye my hair, I think I'm gonna try what you did! I love your color in this blog post pic. Thanks again for the article; its a big help! :) xoxo

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on January 31, 2014:

Emely,

It worked on mine after I dyed it black. but it depends on how long you've had it black for, i guess. I did mine after a few weeks of it being black.

Emely on January 23, 2014:

I was wondering if this process will work on previously dyed hair ( I dyed my hair black ) ?

Dianaa on November 25, 2013:

Hi i saw this youtube vid n bought the Loreal highlights in red and magenta i only used the magenta n the 30 vol developer but only my roots show the color my hair still looks black im dying it again today but im mixing half magenta half red n 70 of 30 vol developer i hope it works out any tips on what to do before i even dye it please help

Breanna on August 02, 2013:

Ok so I'm going to dye my hair red using Hicolor. And I wondering if u have relaxed your hair. And u wait a week before dye it. Is it safe to still use l'oreor creme volume 30 developer?

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on June 23, 2013:

i would only suggest it on dark hair laura, as the chemicals are meant only for darker shades.

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on June 23, 2013:

Trannie thanks so much for tip!!

laura on May 27, 2013:

Hi. Actually i've red hair (pre bleaching). the haircolor is not dark... the 'L'Oreal excellence hicolor Red, will work on my hair?

trannie on May 08, 2013:

hey I have black hair and I seen another girl post something about the loreal color so I was still searching and found out this info. Im Asian and have a stubborn natural black hair and I used this product and was fine but for every tube that is 1.2 oz I used 2 oz. of ion sensitive scalp developer.(30 vol) if u want that vivid bright red I suggest the magenta; bc ur hair is dark and it will hold more color in it. then I bought the ion quick repair hair treatment and treated it and left it in for about 10 mins. and washed it out. it turned out really nice. I left it in for about an hour 15 mins. it was fine. but I never really dye my hair so hope this helps u all!!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on April 26, 2013:

Chris and Steph, I'm glad you guys enjoyed it and found the article helpful!

Thank you so much for reading!

Steph on April 10, 2013:

Thanks you so much for the post. Am also Asian and my hair barely take to any color beside when it was a burgundy color it turn out nice compare to any brown. I went to the store yesterday and bought light auburn with a 20 crème developer and it only dyed my roots. So today I went and bought the dyed again with a 40 crème developer and am not sure if I should dyed it all over my hair or just the other half that wasn't dyed? Plus it confusing since I don't know how much developer I should put in the applicator bottle?

Chris on April 04, 2013:

Thanks for your post. I used red hot on my wife's hair about 2 months ago. I used the 30 developer. It came out ok but didn't pop. After reading your post today (and since she was ready for a touch up) I re did her hair using the 40 developer. She too has that coarse / dark Asian hair that is difficult to color. She is in the shower washing it out now. I'm sure it will look great. Thanks for the post.

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on February 13, 2013:

Steffine, what didn't you like about the color? I'd say to wait maybe another couple of weeks, you don't want to damage your hair too much too soon. But definitely try the next brighter shade of red (not sure which that is, might be red fire or something like that).

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on February 13, 2013:

Marinaa, I'm sorry its taken such a long time to write back, hectic life I've been having. I'm afraid I don't have any pictures of what it looked like red out, it was probably pretty red. haha. I always use 40volume when I'm going red. I just find that it works better for my stubborn hair.

Steffine on February 03, 2013:

I have just recently started dying my hair red, I was always too chicken before lol. I have been dying my hair for years, so no virgin here...my question is, I am not sure i love the color i got when i used the red hot (I had reddish brown hair before I dyed it) can i use another application in a few days to brighten the color or do you recommend waiting it out, or going with a different color all together?

marinaa on December 16, 2012:

I wanted to see how you hair came out with the red hot ? did you use 40 developer as well? please write back!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on November 12, 2012:

Gisselle, yes it is!

gisselle on November 12, 2012:

The color you have in this picture is the "Intense Red" ?

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on November 07, 2012:

I never use color remover and my hair always turns out how I want it to, so that's completely up to you. I don't know how much it'll help or hurt, but I would say to do it if it won't cause anymore damage and would improve the odds of the color taking to your hair.

jackiepease on November 04, 2012:

I don not know what to do my hair is dye black for many years and three weeks ago I bleach my hair wrong idea I had to cut it short and back to my black dye hair now I wash my hair 3 times a week including weekends and oh so I saw some YouTube how to get red hair well I went to sally and bought high color magenta and a red color filler and 30 :dev OK it came out nice but my bangs did not take So I went back to sally a bought the same loreal high color red hot and a 40 dev and I'm not sure before I do the red hot that I should do the color remover first then do the red hot what do you think I should do because I really want the red to show all of my head

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on September 24, 2012:

angelica,

I'm really sorry to hear that!! some people don't always the same results as others. It all really depends on your hair and how it takes in color.

I hope you find a product that works better for you!

angelica on September 21, 2012:

ive dyed my hair three times with this stuff, 40 each time for 45 minutes and its only a tint:( i really wanted my hair like yours! its only red in the sun :(

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on September 14, 2012:

Hi Narisa! Glad you found my article and enjoyed it!!

What I've learned is that some people have hair that doesn't really take up the color as well as others. Is the bottom portion of your hair red at all? even in the sunlight? I found when i first did it, it was hard for me to even tell that my hair was red, it looked really dark to me. but eventually it lightened up and became more noticeably red.

Give it a couple of weeks! and make sure to check out my hub about maintaining your red hair! In a few more weeks try dyeing it again, and that will help brighten the color even more!

Narisa on September 09, 2012:

Hi! I love your article and the process you did to get red hair. I did the exact same thing you did with the intense red dye and 40vol developer... But only the top portion of my hair came out visible red and the bottom portion is still so dark. What would you recommend me to do if I wanted to get the bottom part to match the top part? Please, help! Thank you!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on August 10, 2012:

Hi Summer!! So glad you enjoyed reading my article :) I try to be as entertaining as I can, haha.

Anyway, sounds like your hair is in a good position to be dyed red! My hair is down to the small of my back as well, but its not very thick, so i usually only end up using a tube and a half of the hair dye. so I'm thinking 3 boxes for your hair should do the trick; that's pretty much double the amount I use. Also, I would definitely suggest going back for the 40 volume. Just to be on the safe side, and you can check it every 10 or so minutes after getting passed 30 minutes to see how its reacting with your hair.

As for the amount of developer, haha i really don't know about that one. The measurements/instructions on the box should be a guide for you to follow. I usually just eyeball it, but if you don't feel comfortable doing that, by all means follow the box measurements! And don't mix everything all at once, in case you don't need to use all of it! I would say mix one box of red hot at a time until you need another one.

Hope I've helped! let me know how it turns out!!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on August 10, 2012:

thanks for the help heaven215!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on August 10, 2012:

Chelsea,

I honestly don't know how what to tell you here. maybe your hair is still too freshly dyed to pick up more coloring right now? or you might have used a strong enough developer creme. I would try the 40 volume and keep it in for longer than 35 minutes.

heaven215 on August 09, 2012:

DESTINEE- the boxes you're looking at are the Loreal Hicolor "Hilites", it only comes in Red, Copper, & Magenta. If you want more shades of red you have to look for the Loreal Hicolor (not the Hilites). Same brand, the box looks just a little different. That one has the Red hot, intense red, red fire & so on..

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on August 03, 2012:

Destinee, I purchased my hair dye from Sally's Beauty Supply. They have locations everywhere so you should check out the site and find one near you!

destinee on July 30, 2012:

Sorry, i just wanted to add this:

I didn't want to choose copper because its more brown ish than red. The red looks like SUPER bright which i don't want. And the magenta is purple red which i also don't prefer. I cant find red hot :(

destinee on July 30, 2012:

When i look up this color online i only find it in copper, red, and magenta. I have dark brown hair and i recently dyed it with manic panic rock n roll red. It came out kinda faded and i really want to try your method instead. Where did you find the different shades of red?

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on July 12, 2012:

Dulce, I'd actually suggest going with the color and volume developer I used in my article! It shouldn't be too red if you're dyeing it right from black, and it sounds like we have similar skin tone, so it would look really nice!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on July 12, 2012:

Jana, I'm glad you liked my hub!

About the highlights, i'm actually not sure which would be the best volume developer to use. It might be best to just stick with whatever dye you used to color it in the first place, to be safe. I think that would work in refreshing the color quite well if you don't want to go any brighter!

dulce on July 07, 2012:

i have dark natural black hair , and i've always been wanting to dye my hair red, like a dark tone since my skin is a honey/tan color..

what color of the dye do you think i should use? and what # developer please respond i need some help (:

Jana on July 07, 2012:

Your hair looks great, thank you for the write up :)

I just dyed my hair a deep red yesterday, but it isn't L'Oreal HiColor. I was thinking of refreshing it with the Red Hilights, probably in a few weeks from now. Since it's already a kind of deep red, I don't want to risk using the 40 volume developer, if it's going either brighten my hair too much, or damage it a lot. I'm not sure about the 30 either. Do you think 20 would be alright? Especially since I'll be wanting to maintain the colour, and I don't want to be using too much developer on my hair.

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on July 06, 2012:

Tabbykat312, since my hair was a little lighter than black when i dyed it, i think you could go with the same shade. and to be honest, when you first dye it, it's a little darker, and it lightens up later on. And i have the flash on my camera, in reality you have to be outside in the sun to see it this red.

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on July 06, 2012:

KI you have to use the oreor creme. its what reacts with the tube of color to dye your hair.

Tabbykat312 on July 06, 2012:

I love how your hair came out but i think i want to go one shade darker than yours. I have black virgin hair, should i go your color or should i go a shade darker. Im afraid that if i go to dark you wont be able to see the color...I was going for a deep aubrun red but if i want that color should i use the color you used?

Ki on July 04, 2012:

Do you have to use the oreor or can u just use the tube by itself?

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on June 08, 2012:

emmy, I've never used color remover before so I don't know if it'll make a difference. it should work with the 40 volume, but I can't say for sure as hair types are all different. I can only say it works with my hair that i often dye darker. so hopefully it will work for you!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on June 08, 2012:

mkforty7 definitely try the 40 volume! i think it makes a big difference

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on June 08, 2012:

thanks so much mizzy!! hope it works well for you!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on June 08, 2012:

danii, i used only one box. and the lighter brown might end up being brighter.

Emmy on June 02, 2012:

So the last time i colored my hair blue black was a week before april 27. (prom)

Just yesturday i used color oops and my hair is a dark brown with a red undertone from trying to get the red look from a box dye on my black hair ( only my roots were bright red but dyed over that way back).

Do u think i could get a bright red from using the loreal hicolor in red hot? And 40 vol. Developer? I really want a nice bright red.

should i use another color remover before ? Like the loreal one? please respond ! I need advice i cant find what i need anywhere else/:)

mkforty7 on June 01, 2012:

I dyed the top half of my hair w/ hicolor red hot & hilight red mixed together & it came out fine. Then I tried dyeing the other half w/ red copper hicolor w/ 30 volume & the dye didn't work at all. So the next day I tried dyeing it with hilight red copper & still didn't make a difference. Should I try using 40 volume? or do you have any idea why it's not working?

mizzy on May 31, 2012:

The first blog on hair colouring I actually think makes sense... going to buy my colour tomorrow I am sooooo excited. Your hair looks Lush!! by the way. :-)

danii dgaff on May 29, 2012:

Oh wow !(: im gonna try it thanks! I have dark brown hair on top and light brown on bottom thoe , will my hair turn out even.? :o and how many boxes of color did u use.?

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 28, 2012:

An, yes it did look pretty dark. and it looks pretty dark in unnatural light as well.. it the sun it's pretty bright though.

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 28, 2012:

dani, it was a dark brown, from dyeing it. but my roots were black yess. And I know! i was shocked by the color, but very happy with it.

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 28, 2012:

when i wrote this hub, my hair was probably a few inches below my shoulder. and thank you!!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 28, 2012:

Runee, i've never used 30, so i'm not sure what the difference is, but i know that it colors my hair really well. but i think that means it also has a stronger amount of chemicals that are pretty bad for your hair... so try to get a really good moisturizing conditioner. I use L'oreal nature's therapy.

an on May 27, 2012:

Did it look really dark when it was wet?

danii dgaff on May 26, 2012:

so your hair was black when you died this? and it turned out this red??

anonymous on May 26, 2012:

Hey, the color looks really nice on you! But i wanted to ask how long is your hair?

Runee on May 26, 2012:

That's what I was planning on doing! Is 40 that good?

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 26, 2012:

Runee, try the 40 volume! that's the strength i use, so maybe the 30 just is strong enough for your hair color/type.

I hope that fixes the problem! otherwise, i just don't know what else it could be!

Runee on May 26, 2012:

Hey! Thanks for responding! That's what I thought too but the feria color I was using was a red very similar to the red hot. And also my mother tried it out she tried the same color as you and used 30 developer instead. Though she cut her hair shorter and all her hair is natural. But it didn't do a thing for her:( I was shocked. I know I should be mixing and following instructions properly so it can't be be what do you think?:/

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 25, 2012:

I'm so sorry it didn't work out! may have been because the feria was so fresh still? try again in a week or two!

Runee on May 22, 2012:

Hi there! I had tried actually this brand though I got red hot and a 30 developer and like you, I have naturally dark south Asian hair but I had dyed it many times with feria R68 since I had cut out my hair so it's only that Color on my hair. It's a red also I've been trying to bring out without bleach. Actually four days before using this I used feria again but found out about this and couldn't wait. But it didn't do really anything for me.:(

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 20, 2012:

it should work on your hair! i've done this before when i've previously dyed my hair a dark brown. I can't say for sure though!

and I'm not sure about the extensions either. I've never worked with them!

carlyrose1987xxxx on May 18, 2012:

Hey ! thx for the article.. i have dyed black hair that i did like 3 months ago do your think it would work on my hair?

Also i have brand new black extensions from sallys and i thought i would have to bleach them but do u think it would work on them as well? thx :)

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 14, 2012:

yep everything you need is at Sally's! don't forget gloves!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 14, 2012:

When I say one part, it means like... for every 1 ounce, you add 2 ounces of the oreor creme. that's just an example, but yah. good luck!

Valerie on May 13, 2012:

Great! Hmm.. where can I get the supplies I'm going to need? Is everything there at Sally's?

me(; on May 13, 2012:

When you say 1 part color u mean the whole tube? Plz answer asap im dying my hair in a week c: the same color as ures and i have really dark hair too (:

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 09, 2012:

Renee,

Usually I just redye my whole head! After a month i get tired of maintaining the color in the shower (wash hair in cold water, in as little time as possible) so by the time im ready to dye it again a few months later, it's very faded.

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on May 09, 2012:

Kelsey,

I would just bleach the roots to match the rest and then use a bright red dye like Manic Panic. The loreal is meant or dark hair only! like dark brown/black.

Renee on May 06, 2012:

How do you touch up the black roots, or do you just re-dye all of the hair? Thanks!

Kelsey on May 04, 2012:

Do u think I should use a 40 volume on haft bleached head w dark blonde roots? The box say no but she wants it bright!!!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on April 29, 2012:

Lizzy, I don't know much about dyeing African American hair. My ex boyfriend's mom used it I think and it worked well, but she's also half Peurto Rican so I don't know if that helped or anything! If regular box dyes work for you, I don't see why it wouldn't work! don't take my word for it though. Maybe ask the ladies who work at Sally's Beauty Supply, or whatever beauty supple you go to. They should be able to help you out!

thanks for reading!

Lizzy on April 28, 2012:

Do you think it work on African American hair

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on April 26, 2012:

I honestly don't know what went wrong! I do it this way every single time. and my hair is naturally black but sometimes i dye it dark brown in between red dyes, so often there is dark brown dye when i'm doing it just like yours.

i really wish i knew why that happened to you :( i'm sorry!

maybe the chemicals in this dye and your hair just dont mesh.

Denyse on April 25, 2012:

its naturally dark brown but with some black in it from past dyes. i used 30 volume :(

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on April 24, 2012:

ahh. that's no good! what color is your hair? or what color is it dyed? and what volume did you use?

Denyse on April 24, 2012:

i just dyed my hair with this today and it just touched my roots :( i used the light auburn, and it got my roots orange!!!! so emberrasing! help?

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on April 18, 2012:

aw i'm sorry that happened to you!

maybe just dye it back to black for another month or so?

and then try again with 40 volume!

Quaneisha on April 15, 2012:

I really wish i has read this beforehand. I went with 30vol. I have dyed black hair. The girl said to get the 30, but it only dyed my roots. It's so embarassing!

rizzayvette (author) from Illinois on April 04, 2012:

Lea, the box says only about 30 minutes, but I keep it in for about an hour, just because my hair is pretty resistant to coloring. It may be different for your hair though! I would check your hair at the 30 minute mark, and if it's not where you want it to be, check again every 15 minutes. I don't recommend going over an hour though!

hope I helped!

lea on April 04, 2012:

How long do you leave it for ?

How much developer do u put in HiColor for dark hair?

Do you wash your hair before using HiColor?

Do you have to use developer with Loreal HiColor?

What volume developer do I use for Loreal HiColor?