Expert: Dana Sear - 6/29/2009

Question
No parlour at my village, hair color question, please all help me!!?

I wanna color my hair which is black in color, can i use pre-lightners like honey or lemon to lighten my hair and then color my hair to get the color i choose light brown. After using pre-lightners after how many hours should i wash it and after how many hours should i apply the hair color. Please help me!


Answer
Hiya Tamanna,

Honey or lemon will not lift your black hair color enough. You need to use hair color to do that. You are most likely going to end up with a reddish brown because as you lift color, the warmer undertones are exposed and contribute to the final result. You will get the best results if you lift only to a level or 4 and you will need to use a level lighter than you want to get that. Here's a formula to help you choose the right color level and if you don't want red, use an ash tone. It will still be reddish or warm in tone because home colors are not particularly good at toning.

DL (desired level)
NL (natural level)

Multiply your DL by 2 and subtract your NL. This will give you the level you need to apply to get the amount of lightness you want.
For examplple:  Since your hair is black it is a level one. Say you want a level 4 medium brown

So:

DL x 2 (4 x 2) = 8 - NL (1) = 7  You will need to apply a level 7 ash to  get a level 4 brown with not too much red.

I hope that helps.
Please keep in mind that even some hairdressers do not understand color and doing color at home is difficult. I would call the manufacturer's help line from the  brand of color you are going to use before you do the color and get advice from them about what to use on your hair. You should  be able to find a phone number on the packaging or online.

Good luck,

dana