Alright, so check it, I finally got around to trying out this whole black hair with highlights thing. Been seeing it all over the place and figured, why not? Here’s how it went down.
First off, I grabbed a box of jet black dye. Nothing fancy, just the regular stuff you find at the drugstore. I’m naturally a dark brunette, so going black wasn’t a huge leap, but still, kinda nerve-wracking. Made sure to slap on a ton of Vaseline around my hairline – trust me, you’ll thank me later. Nobody wants black dye stains on their forehead for a week.
Then came the fun part – dying. I followed the instructions on the box, gloved up, and went to town. The smell was intense, as always. Kept it on for the recommended time, rinsed like crazy until the water ran clear (or, you know, as clear as black dye gets), and conditioned like my life depended on it. My hair felt kinda dry afterwards, which is pretty normal with box dye.
Okay, now for the highlights. This is where things got a little trickier. I didn’t want super chunky highlights, I was aiming for something more subtle, like face-framing pieces and maybe some peekaboo highlights underneath. I bought a highlighting kit with bleach and developer – again, nothing crazy expensive, just something from the store.
I separated the sections I wanted to highlight and clipped the rest of my hair away. Then, I mixed the bleach according to the instructions. This is important, people! Don’t wing it with bleach, you’ll fry your hair. I used foils to keep the bleached sections separate and prevent the bleach from getting everywhere. Applied the bleach carefully, making sure to saturate the strands.
Here’s where I almost messed up. I left the bleach on for way too long! I was watching TV and totally lost track of time. Luckily, I checked it just in time. My hair was getting pretty light, but not quite as light as I wanted it. I rinsed out the bleach, shampooed with purple shampoo (crucial for getting rid of brassiness!), and conditioned again.
The highlights were a bit warmer than I initially planned, but honestly, I kinda liked it. They were like a caramel-y, bronzey color against the black. It actually looked pretty cool. I dried and styled my hair, and bam! Black hair with highlights. It wasn’t perfect – definitely could have used a toner to get the highlights a bit cooler – but overall, I was happy with how it turned out.
Things I Learned:
- Vaseline is your best friend. Seriously.
- Don’t zone out when you’re bleaching your hair. Set a timer!
- Purple shampoo is a lifesaver for brassy highlights.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment! Even if it’s not exactly what you envisioned, it might still look awesome.
Would I do it again? Yeah, probably. Maybe next time I’ll try a different highlight color, or maybe I’ll actually go to a salon and get it done professionally. But for a DIY job, I think it turned out pretty decent.
