How To Go From Black to Brown Hair at Home

Changing up your hair is a beauty rite of passage, but if you want to go from dark tresses to lighter locks, then learning how to lighten dark hair is a necessary first step. While many choose to enlist the help of a professional colorist for drastic hair transformations, doing so can be pricey. Fortunately, it’s not always necessary: Lightening dark hair at home is possible, even if you’re starting with a jet-black base.

If you’re looking to lighten your hair at home, you’ll need the right products, as well as patience—in many cases, you’ll need to bleach your hair more than once to achieve the desired end result. Ahead, we’ll explain why and reveal how to lighten black hair (or dark brown hair) from the comfort of your bathroom with minimal damage. 

How To Go from Black To Brown Hair

Going from black to brown hair typically requires bleaching your hair, finding the correct color for your needs, and applying your dye. Note that this isn’t a one-day process: At a minimum, you’ll want to wait a few days between lightening your hair and coloring it to avoid unnecessary damage. With that in mind, here’s how to lighten hair at home.

1. Determine how much time you’re willing to commit 

The more dramatically you want to lighten your hair at home, the more of a time commitment it’s going to be. For example, if you're going from dark brown to blonde hair, chances are good that you’ll need to bleach your hair more than once. As mentioned above, you’ll also want to wait between each coloring session to avoid over-processing your hair. On the other hand, if you're looking to go from dark brown to light brown, you can probably do that in one day with an at-home hair dye kit. 

Also keep in mind that the more dramatic your hair transformation, the more time you’ll likely need to commit to upkeep, as regrowth will be pretty noticeable. 

2. Choose the right shade

Whether you’re going from black to brown hair or dark brown to lighter brown, you’ll want to take your skin’s undertones into consideration when selecting your new hue. Choosing a hair color that complements your skin tone is a must for a natural-looking end result. Typically, if you have cool-toned skin, cooler hair colors (like ash brown) will complement your features. Reddish and golden-tinted shades, meanwhile, are ideal for those with warm undertones. 

If you’re not sure what your undertones are, flip your wrist over and examine the color of your veins. Blue-hued veins typically indicate a cool undertone, while a green tint suggests you have a warm undertone. If your veins fall somewhere in the middle of the blue-green spectrum, you probably have neutral undertones—which means most hair colors will mesh with your features well. 

Editor’s tip: If you need help finding the right hair for you, consult with a pro via the L’Oréal Paris Hair Color Concierge. Our experts can help you find your perfect shade and offer advice on ensuring a flawless at-home transformation.

3. Bleach your hair, if needed

Once you’ve chosen a hair color, take a look at the box. On most at-home hair dye kits, there will be a chart on the box that indicates what hair colors the dye works on. If your color kit indicates that it should be applied to light brown or blonde hair, you’ll need to bleach your mane before applying your color (and keep in mind that you may need to bleach your hair more than once to reach the required level for your chosen hair color). 

For those bleaching their strands at home, we suggest using the L’Oréal Paris Féria Hyper Platinum Advanced Lightening System Bleach. It’s designed to lift hair up to eight levels, making it ideal for anyone starting with a darker base color. This kit even includes an anti-brass conditioner formulated with purple pigments to help neutralize brassy tones while conditioning and strengthening the hair. Be sure to read the instructions on the package thoroughly before getting started and take your time to ensure a hiccup-free bleaching process. 

4. Apply your chosen color 

Once you’ve figured out how light you want to go, it’s time to apply your chosen color. Always follow the label instructions on the hair color itself, which varies from product to product. And we know we already said it, but it bears repeating: Avoid the urge to dye your hair immediately after bleaching it, as doing so can damage your mane. Lightening dark hair takes time—and rushing the process is likely to yield a less-than-ideal outcome. 

How To Lighten Dark Hair Without Bleach

While bleach is often required to lighten black hair or brown hair, this isn’t always the case. Some hair color kits can help lighten the hair a few levels, so you can change your hair color without having to pre-bleach your tresses. Here’s how to make your hair lighter without breaking out the bleach. 

1. Use a color remover 

If you’re looking to lighten dyed hair—or want to know how to remove a dark hair color from naturally light strands—you’ll likely want to use a hair color remover. While these formulas won’t restore your strands to their natural hue, they can help remove some of the artificial dye so you can dye your hair again (this time, with a hue you actually like). 

To strip too-dark hair color without shelling out on a pricey color correction service, we suggest picking up the L’Oréal Paris Color Secrets Haircolor Remover. It’s designed to help remove both DIY permanent color and salon dyes and leaves the hair ready for a new color application. 

2. Let your existing color fade

Sometimes, the best way to lighten dyed dark hair is to wait it out. Nearly all hair color will fade eventually—even permanent color. How quickly it fades depends on several factors, including your natural base color, the shade you dyed your hair, and your haircare routine. Note that if you take this approach, your regrowth may be noticeable. If you want to conceal noticeable regrowth while you wait for your color to fade (or your roots to grow in), consider picking up a root concealer in a shade that matches your dyed hair color. The L’Oréal Paris Magic Root Cover Up line has several natural-looking hues to choose from, and each provides one-day coverage that easily washes out in the shower. 

3. Use a permanent hair dye

Depending on your starting hue, you may be able to dye your hair without needing to reach for a box of bleach. If you’re simply looking to rock a new hue, consider picking up a box of L’Oréal Paris Féria Midnight Bold Multi-Faceted Shimmering Permanent Hair Color. All of the shades in the collection are designed specifically for dark hair and deliver vibrant, brilliant results with no bleaching needed. You could also try using a high-lift hair dye, like the L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Fade-Defying Shine Permanent Hair Color in Hi-Lift Gold Brown, which is useful for those looking to dye dark hair light brown without the pre-bleaching step. Keep in mind that while you won’t need to bleach your strands before using either of these color kits, they do contain ingredients that lighten your hair. As such, if you’re looking to limit chemical processing, letting your strands grow out may be a better choice. 

How To Care for Your Hair After Lightening It 

Once you’ve taken your hair to a lighter shade, it’s smart to switch up your haircare routine to one that’s catered to color-treated and bleached hair. Follow these expert tips. 

1. Use products for color-treated hair

Bleach can be hard on the hair, so after lightening dark hair, it’s a good idea to update your routine with strengthening, nourishing haircare products. If your hair feels brittle or weak, we suggest reaching for the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Bond Strengthening Pre-Shampoo Treatment, L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Bond Strengthening Color Care Shampoo, and L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Bond Strengthening Conditioner. 

This trio is a three-part bonding treatment that works to strengthen weak, color-treated hair from the inside out. Start with the pre-shampoo treatment, leave it on for 10 minutes, and rinse before washing with the shampoo and conditioner as usual. 

2. Cut down on heat styling 

As much as you may love the hairstyles that hot tools can create, repeated exposure to heat can weaken and damage your hair. Instead of skipping out on gorgeous looks, try creating no-heat hairstyles, like heatless beach waves. If you must use heat, prime your strands with a heat protectant, like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Heat Slayer Leave In, which helps protect hair from temperatures up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. 

3. Try a hair gloss

Enhance your new hair color by adding L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss One Step In-Shower Toning Gloss to your hair care routine. This at-home treatment works to brighten and tone your hair color while also deeply conditioning your strands. It’s formulated with a coconut oil-infused deep-conditioning base and can be used on all hair types and textures.

While hair toning gloss is typically thought of as an in-salon treatment, this product can be used in just 15 minutes at home. There’s no mixing involved—you can just add it to your wash day routine for enhanced color and extra shine. 

4. Routinely deep condition your hair

Anytime you lighten hair—with bleach or otherwise—it’s a good idea to deep condition strands on a regular basis to help restore moisture and strength. You can do this once or twice a week depending on your needs. We love the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Simply Clean Fiber Masque. It’s suitable for color-treated hair and provides intense conditioning for softer, shinier strands.

Next Up: Should You Wash Your Hair Before Dyeing It?

Photo courtesy of L’Oréal Paris