Blue Hair Dye Tips for Black or Brown Hair

How to dye black or brown hair blue – hair tips for bleached, unbleached, blue black and dip dye. It’s not easy but it can be done. And if you’re going bold with your hair, why not explore your favourite shades of blue lipsticks too?

Going for Dark Blue Hair

Dyeing new hair is as satisfying as getting brand-new hairstyles… but it takes a bit of upkeep. Are you ready? Then read on!

Do you want to dye your dark hair a midnight dark blue? You might be hoping that the closeness to your original dark hair tones makes it easier, but you will still need to bleach your hair from black to blonde (or at least a lighter shade) for the dye to take hold. The colour won’t show up or stay in without the bleach – even if you go to a professional hairdresser. Blue dye also tends to fade quickly, so be prepared to top up your colour on a regular basis.

Dark blue hair dyes:

For a longer-lasting result, try blue hairdyes “Special Effects” or “Directions: Atlantic Blue” or “Directions: Blue Velvet”. or “Matrix”. It WILL fade and the colour will be 4 to 6 colours darker than stated because of your black hair and no bleach.

Blue Hair Dye on Unbleached Dark Hair

If you go for a dark blue hair dye on top of unbleached natural brown or black hair, you’ll still get an (extremely) subtle effect but the colour will be a good few shades darker than stated and it’ll fade quickly. Still, you can try it out as a test. You’ll notice that the colour isn’t totally obvious, but when the light hits it will reflect. Do you like the effect? Unnatural hair colours are AWESOME, but does it feel right for you? Testing a high contrast hair dye out on unbleached hair is a good place to start if you’re not sure you’re ready for the commitment of bleach.

Blue hair dyes on unbleached dark hair:

Go for Manic Panic or any semi-permanent.

Bleaching Your Hair Just a Bit

Bleaching your hair just a little – for half the recommended time – will allow the dye to take hold in a way that is more immediately noticeable.

Bleaching Segments of Your Hair for a Dip-Dye Effect

Dip Dye:

Dip-dyeing your black hair blue requires bleach, but only on lower areas which can then be cut away to leave the rest of your dark hair natural if you’re not happy with the effect. Simply bleach the bottom inch or two of your hair for the full recommended time, the next inch or so up for half the recommended time, and apply the blue hair dye of your choice.

Blue streaks and segments:

A safe option is to take segments near the front on the inside, bleach them fully and then apply a blue hair dye in the tone of your choice. The blue will be there for all to see, but how much of it is revealed depends on the swish and movement of your hair and whether you wear it down or up.

Want Blue-Black Hair?

You want to look like a raven’s wing glinting in the sunlight, or like Wonder Woman? Blue-black hair is a striking effect and a lot of brands sell blue black hair dye nowadays. It’ll complement black hair beautifully, and will darken brown hair and give it a blue-black sheen.

Blue black hair dyes:

The Live Colour XXL blacks collection has some good black hair dyes with a hint of colour. Live XXL Blue-black has been recommended for this effect by members of the Mookychick forum.

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