Color African-American Hair

Long African hair
Photo: Hugo Felix/Shutterstock
Q: Hi. It takes me 8 hours to do my hair because I am an African-American woman with hair that goes to the middle of my back. But I want to put some permanent color in it and I don't have a perm or anything my hair is all natural so what would you suggest that I use to color my hair that is safe?
 
A: Well, given the length of your hair, I would recommend that you consider visiting a salon to have color done, if for no other reason than the fact that your hair is going to be hard to manage for the color application by yourself.
 
If you choose to perform the color on your own, I suggest you enlist the aid of a friend who can help you perform the color application on the back of your head where you will have the most trouble reaching.
 
As to the subject of products, we at Hairfinder make it a policy not to endorse any specific brand or product line, because we have no affiliation with any maker and want to maintain a level of objectivity. I can however, recommend that you visit your local beauty supply store and look for hair products there designed specifically for African-American women. If you are unsure which brands to choose, look for ones that you know have been around for a while.
 
Please remember that you don't want to lighten your hair too far from your natural color or you risk damaging the hair itself. Any hair color that requires lightening your hair more than 4 levels should only be done in a salon because it needs extremely close monitoring, and a professional stylist will have more experience and be better able to gauge the processing needs of the hair to achieve the color you want.
 
Please be extra careful with lightening your natural color. I would hate to see you damage what has obviously taken you a long time to achieve.
 
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See also: How to color hair
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