Why do women dye their hair? What are the most popular hair dyes for black women?
Let’s try and answer it by using a bit of history, let’s take you in a ‘hair colour’ time machine.
In Roman times plenty of methods and ingredients were used to colour their hair:
- Berries
- Leeches mixed with vinegar
- Crushed nutshells
The leeches and vinegar mixture would be left to ferment. After it has been applied to the hair, women would sit in the sun to allow the colour to bake in.
A bit closer to home, the Masai people in East Africa used red ochre and animal paint on their hair.
These people went to great lengths to achieve their ideal hair colour, but fortunately for us, hair colouring has become less complicated and more fun.
The hair evolution is continuously happening in front of our eyes, with celebrities setting new trends and introducing us to colours we may have never tried before.
Now that we have taken you on that short trip to the past and we have come back to the present day, you probably ready to colour your hair!
First things first! You need to know your skin type:
Fair Skin
Medium Skin
Dark Skin
Black skin has an assortment of shades, but we’ve narrowed it down to these four Deep complexions
- Dark complexion
- Medium complexion
- Fair complexion
Here are some hair colour ideas, just for you:
Big, black and bold!
In the 1950s, women would colour their hair black to hide their greys. Our gogos would send us to the store for a pack of INECTO Black dye, to keep their look in check. In the 1970s the afro was in, in African American culture and even locally, it was fashionable. Remember Drum magazine covers? It was all about the natural, black afro. We can also take a page from Dianna Ross’s stunning look. The hair was big, black and bold! The afro is still striking and hot! This colour works beautifully on all complexions. It’s a safe bet when you are in doubt. So own that retro look!
Caramel blonde style!
Blonde hair dye was the name of the game in the 2000s with local and international celebrities rocking this colour with pride. It hasn’t changed much; this colour is still fashionable. The likes of Eve, Chrisette Michele, DJ Zinhle and Lil Kim made this colour their own. More often than not, this look is a short-haired girl’s go-to. We have seen medium and fair complexions give this look life while dark complexions have been breaking all barriers by colouring with this bold colour.
Stunning bright red!
In the 2000s, it was all about the weave. The best part about weaves is that they can be coloured so why not colour it a bright red!
Rihanna took this colour to another level when she came onto the scene with it. No one has evolved with the times quite like this bombshell! This colour bounces off her smooth skin and makes you take a second look. Not all reds are created equal; you may choose to go for red wine, cherry red, burgundy, plum or even a cranberry cocktail. Any of these colours look stunning on medium-toned skin.
Chocolate tones!
What more can we say about Meagan Good’s timeless brown locks? This colour has a ‘girl-next-door’ feel. If you are looking for a way to change up your look without straying too much from your natural hair colour, then this one is a winner. It blends in well across all the complexions but is a statement look predominately for dark complexions.
At the end of the day, any colour goes! It’s up to you to decide which one works for you. As Inecto, we would never leave you in the dark. We have a selection of hair colours to get you started or to continue your hair colour journey. Are you looking to be bold or subtle? Visit our website: www.inecto.co.za and share a pic of your new colour with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/inectoafrica