To permanently lighten or add a bright colour to dark locks, you need to bleach the hair first so it’s light enough to take the colour. In the past this has been a harsh and damaging process. “Colour, technically, has really improved, so adding golden tones to dark hair is no longer an abrasive process,” says celebrity colourist Josh Wood. But doing it repeatedly can damage hair over time and make it more brittle – as I know well.
But these are great ways of playing with colour before going all-in on the bleach. Josh has a range of hair glosses, which are semi-permanent conditioning colour treatments you can use in the shower. “You can add chocolate, chestnut or red tones to dark hair that will compliment the natural depth of the hair without bleaching or lightening it,” he says.
Revolution Hair Tones for Brunettes promises to add temporary colour to dark hair. I was excited about trying them after watching clips of how well they work on brown hair, but the colour didn’t show on my black hair. Curlsmith has a mix of “hair makeup” shades that coat the hair for instant colour and are easily washed out.
“If you’re looking for an extreme colour contrast, you could have bespoke colour hair extensions put in,” Josh adds. Clip-in extensions that you attach yourself are also good for pops of colour.
Got a beauty question for Anita? Email her at beautyQandA@theguardian.com
