The Whole Process of Adding Brown Lowlights to My Black Hair
Okay so my black hair was feeling boring as hell, looked like someone dumped ink on my head. Saw some pics of brown lowlights looking super natural on black hair and thought – hey that’s my weekend project right there. Headed straight to the store feeling like a pro.
First mess-up? Grabbed box dye like an amateur. Store lady took one look at my cart and goes “Honey no”. She showed me this demi-permanent stuff instead, saying it won’t murder my hair like regular dye. Got brown shades called “Mocha” and “Dark Chocolate” cause they looked food-related so how bad could it be.
The preparation panic hit me hard back home. Spread trash bags everywhere like a serial killer’s lair. Couldn’t find those fancy brushes so used an old paintbrush from my kid’s art set – sanitized it with vodka. Mixed the developer and dye in a bowl and it smelled like a chemical factory explosion.
Started applying sections like the YouTube tutorials showed. Sectioned my hair with dollar store clips that kept slipping. My arms felt like jelly after ten minutes of painting strands near the roots. Dropped the brush twice – got brown splatters on my bathroom tiles that still haven’t come off.
Processing time was the worst. Wrapped my head in cling wrap and looked like a leftover burrito. The dye started dripping down my neck – cue panic wiping with paper towels. Set timer for 30 minutes but kept checking every two minutes like it might explode.
Rinsing out felt like eternity. Brown water just wouldn’t stop running! Used that tiny conditioner packet included – joke of the century. Conditioned properly with my own stuff after. Blowdried feeling nervous as hell.
Final result? When I finally looked… not terrible! The lowlights actually showed up dark brown – subtle but there. Couple spots near my crown looked patchy cause I rushed. Overall though? Made my flat black hair have dimension. Looks like I’ve been hiking in sunlight.
- Lessons learned? Semi-permanent is beginner friendly
- Vodka cleans brushes but stains tiles forever
- Sectioning clips are worth investing in
- Lowlights beat all-over color for natural look
Would I do it again? Yeah but next time I’m bribing a friend with wine to help. Arms still hurt from all that brushing!
