Most people who want to conceal gray hair often turn to permanent dyes, which are readily available. After all, these dyes are effective at concealing gray hair uniformly and stay the longest. Unfortunately, they have potent chemicals that could potentially damage your hair.On the brighter side, nowadays, you can find products that can help conceal your gray hair without worrying about the damaging effects of permanent dyes.
Specifically, shampoos for blackening hair or gray-reducing shampoos are the most popular alternatives to conventional permanent dyes.
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Do Hair Darkening Shampoo Bars Really Work?
In general, yes, they do. In fact, they serve as a simple yet effective solution for concealing gray hair without the harmful effects. However, they don’t last as long as permanent dyes.
How Do Hair-Darkening Shampoo Bars Work?
Similar to other hair-darkening shampoos, these hair-darkening shampoo bars work by coating your hair’s strands with plant pigments, effectively covering up gray strands and giving them a darker appearance.
Simply put, they sit on top of your hair instead of being fully absorbed by the hair’s strands, which is why the colors gradually fade and wash out every time you wash your hair. In contrast, permanent dyes work by removing some of your hair’s natural pigments and replacing them with the dye’s color.
Moreover, hair-darkening shampoo bars tend to work best when you leave the shampoo in your hair for a while, allowing it to absorb more of the plant pigments present in the shampoo.
However, the downside to using hair-darkening shampoo bars is that they don’t last as long as permanent dyes, so you’ll need to use them regularly if you want to maintain a darker appearance for your hair.
Fortunately, since hair-darkening shampoo bars typically use more natural ingredients and avoids harsh components like ammonia, they can be gentler for your hair.
Because of this, you don’t have to worry about its long-term harmful effects on your hair and scalp, even if you use it more often.
Who Uses Hair Darkening Shampoo Bar?
Hair darkening shampoo bars are highly recommended for individuals who like to maintain their hair color without needing to dye it.
Moreover, this shampoo bar is an excellent solution for those who would like to cover up a few white hairs temporarily since it blackens their hair without making it permanent.
In addition, if you have different hair chemistry, then you may prefer to give the shampoo bar a try. This is because it is gentler for the hair and can restore the hue of colored or faded hair with time.
Also, since these shampoos contain red or copper pigments, they tend to be widely used to maintain their red hair color. However, to counteract the orange tones that develop in the strands, blondes should choose shampoos that contain more violet or bluish tones.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using a Hair Darkening Shampoo Bar
Are you wondering how to get optimum results from a hair-darkening shampoo bar? Well, a hair-darkening shampoo bar can be used just like any other shampoo.
In this case, you just need to wash your hair thoroughly, shampoo it, wait the time indicated on the package, and then rinse it. However, to maximize the effects of these hair-darkening shampoo bars, it’s best to follow these tips.
Step 1: Wet Your Hair First
To begin, you need to soak your hair with warm water until it is saturated throughout. This will help create a bubbly foam and provide you with the best cleansing possible.
Step 2: Work up a Lather
Next, run the shampoo bar beneath the water for a few seconds before massaging it between your palms to make foam. After this, massage the lather into your hair. Alternatively, you can also massage the bar straight into your hair if you like.
Step 3: Work it Into Your Hair
After this, you should rub the lather into your hair as you would with a conventional liquid shampoo. However, make sure that you put more focus on the scalp and roots.
Step 4: Rinse and Condition Your Hair
Once you’re done, rinse your hair thoroughly and make sure that no shampoo residues are left. If needed, you can follow this up with your regular conditioner or a solid conditioner bar after washing out the shampoo.
Step 5: Comb Your Hair
Next, after rinsing and conditioning your hair, you should use a towel to dry your hair and comb out any knots with a wide-tooth comb. Make sure you do this starting from the tips and make your way upward to the roots.
Step 6: Style
Lastly, all that would be left to do now is blow-dry, or air dry your hair and style it as usual, then that’s it! You have now beautifully darker hair.
Bottom Line
Overall, for individuals who want to change their appearance, using a hair-darkening shampoo bar can be the perfect option. After all, it can change the color of your hair without causing as much damage as bleaches and dyes do.
Moreover, in terms of whether or not hair-darkening shampoo bars work, the answer is yes, they do. However, since they simply coat your hair to give it a darker appearance, the effects don’t last as long compared to permanent dyes and gradually fade with every wash.
Nevertheless, the gentler and less harmful nature of these shampoo bars can make them excellent alternatives to permanent dyes, especially since you can use them regularly without experiencing any negative consequences.
