How to get Blue Highlights in Black Hair without Bleaching | Step by Step Process
Blue highlights are a dream to many especially when they have dark hair. Many people crave to have blue tints on black hair but are unaware of the ways how to do it. There are methods to try safely without having the hair bleached.
Blue highlights on black hair are a lovely combination as it gives a bright look to your hair. You can change your entire personality with this combination.
Most hair experts won’t share the secret of how they manage to highlight black hair to blue so flawlessly. It is because they internationally don’t want you to share it for fear of losing business.
Although we will share ways of how to have blue-black hair without bleaching, we still recommend that you visit a hair expert for his advice.
It is because not everyone has the same hair texture and hair quality. Before we begin understanding the method, let’s quickly answer the most common confusion as explained next.
Can you highlight black hair without bleaching it?
You can certainly highlight black hair without bleaching if you are a DIY expert; kidding! Any layman who reads the steps well can go through the process safely at home.
Black hair is the hottest thing one can have and to add more beauty to it, some highlights can work the best! You don’t have to necessarily bleach your black hair for getting the desired highlights, however; some alternatives can work for you.
Before you begin following the instructions, remember what your hairstylist would have warned you.
The results of highlights will depend on various factors such as:
- Skin tone
- Hair texture
- Hair products used
- Haircare
A blue highlight adds vibrancy and shine to your black hair making it look gorgeous to flaunt. Let’s jump to what you are desperate to read, the process!
Below are a few scenarios that you must remember:
- People with dark black hair will get dark blue highlights without bleaching.
- People with dry black hair are recommended to visit a salon for the desired results of blue highlight.
- Avoid using hair sprays and chalks to highlight your black color blue as these won’t be as effective on black hair.
How to get Blue Highlights in Black hair without Bleaching – Step by Step
Prepare yourself to get started with the blue highlights.
Pre-Preparation to get Blue Highlights in Black hair without Bleaching
Items needed:
- Bleaching agent
- Hairbrush
- Hand gloves possible Latex
- Petroleum Jelly/Vaseline/coconut oil
- Shampoo and conditioner with color protection
- Ragged old clothes
- Plastic bowl and spoon for mixing the dye
1. Pick the correct blue highlighter based on your black shade
Remember, the majority of hair dyes usually work for light or medium hair. Be careful of what you pick for your dark black hair. The package of blue hair color will contain phrases such as:
- Designed and meant for dark hair
- Designed and meant for light hair
- Midnight blue shade and more
2. Shampoo your hair
The purpose is to have clean and smooth hair before the highlighting process begins. If you haven’t shampooed your hair any sooner, then shampooing is a must.
Pat the hair dry gently. Avoid rubbing or scrubbing your hair while making it dry as the process needs some natural oils to be present on the scalp that can act as protection from chemicals.
3. Brush your hair
Ensure all knots are clear. You must have detangled hair or the blue highlight would not run smoothly on the hair tips.
For extreme or difficult knotted hair, you may use a hair softener or detangling spray. This is an important step to ensure that every hair strand is coated with the blue dye properly.
4. Cover up yourself before the process begins
Cover-up is essential as we don’t want the bright blue shade to come in contact with your skin leaving stains behind.
Highlighting the hair blue can be messy as you will be applying the color tones only on the selected or desired hair strands and not the entire dark black hair.
Wear old clothes and wrap a towel around your neck. Before covering your neck and other areas, apply Vaseline to prevent blue stains.
5. Prepare the dye for highlighting blue without bleaching
Remove all the contents from your blue dye package. Follow the instructions as mentioned in the booklet or instruction manual.
For your quick reference, you may also refer to the below tips:
- Shake the bottle well before use for about 5 seconds
- For avoiding accidental spillage, mix the dye over a sink or a large vessel
- Keep a hairbrush ready
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Step by Step Process to get Blue Highlights in Black hair without Bleaching
1. Saturate
Apply on the desired hair strands either using the tip of the bottle applicator or with the support of a hairbrush.
Massage your roots evenly so that the blue color is evenly distributed. You may also coat your hair with zigzag lines to give it a trendy look.
2. Wait-period
Leave the colored strands as recommended on the package or as directed by your hair expert. For most hair dyes, the general wait period is 45 minutes.
Don’t make the mistake of rinsing immediately post the wait-period. The harsh dye chemicals may damage the hair and your hair may give you uneven results of the highlights while rinsing.
*Note: During the wait period, avoid wearing a shower cap as you are not dyeing your entire hair blue but only the desired part that must not get messy and mixed up with the shower cap.
3. Shower rinse
Stand under the shower and give a straight rinse. Allow the excess dye to run down the water. You may smoothly push down the dye from the hair under running water.
Continue to rinse until all the dye is washed off. Don’t panic looking at the blue dye running down the your bathroom. It is just the excess dye that your hair failed to hold.
*Note: Do not rinse with hot water or the color won’t give desired highlights and may even damage the hair texture.
4. Cleaning the hair
Take a small amount of shampoo in your palm and gently scrub your hair. It is to ensure that no unwanted residue of the blue hair dye is left on your hair.
Scrub for two to three minutes and wash off the shampoo nicely with cold water. This will lock your blue highlights nicely on your hair strands. Use a color protection shampoo.
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5. Conditioner time
Your package must include a conditioner. Cut the sachet and smoothen your hair ends with the conditioner. Leave it on for about 2 minutes or as instructed in the instruction manual.
Rinse thoroughly with cold water. In case your package is missing out on the conditioner, you may use a color-protective conditioner too.
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- You may use make-up remover to get rid of blue color stains from your skin.
- Coconut oil is also a better alternative to make-up remover.
- You must wait for 48 hours for the second hair wash. It allows the highlighted color to settle well so that the lovely blue color doesn’t fade that easily.
Aftercare
Here are quick aftercare tips that will come in handy for you to enjoy those beautiful blue highlights on your dark black hair:
- Never use hot water for your hair wash after you have colored or highlighted your hair. You may switch to lukewarm or cold water for hair wash.
- Use a shampoo and conditioner that is free of sulfate.
- The lesser times you wash your hair, the longer your highlights will stay.
- Try dry shampoo for some days.
- Ask your hair expert to recommend a good leave-in conditioner for you. That can protect the blue color locks before you expose those for styling and other heated elements.
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Final Words:
Now that you know that it is certainly possible for you to get blue frozen highlights on your black shade, go get those and flaunt them! We would love to see the results too on your hair. Feel free to share your experience in the comments section and let us know how it was. You may seek support from hair experts near you for any queries and confusion.
