Hi everyone! As you know, I really wanted to dye my locks this summer and I was trying to avoid the damage that I did to my hair last time. (See my post: Hair colouring disaster? The time I dyed my locks blue and purple). After trying several hair lightening methods, next, I focused on how to dye dark hair naturally, without bleach. I came across a powder clay-like substance called red ochre (also known as red iron oxide). Here’s how it went.
1. Strand test
This step is very important. To avoid anymore disasters, I tested the powder on 4 of my locs going diagonally across. Some of my locs are lighter than others, so I had to ensure that the resulting colour was what I wanted or at least somewhat close.
Product used:
Alpha Chemicals Red Iron Oxide
(As an Amazon Affiliate, I get paid from qualifying purchases.)
2. Wash your locs
Similar to commercial dyes, the colour takes best when applied to clean hair. So wash your hair with clarifying shampoo beforehand. Do not apply conditioner at this stage!
3. Mix the powder with water
Take 1 part powder and 3 parts water. Mix them together in a bowl that you don’t mind staining. Red ochre is difficult to get off. These are my fingers after washing my hands 5 times! So please do this on surfaces that are easy to clean off.
Before dying
4. Soak your hair in the dye
While you can just pour it over your head, because it’s locks, you want the dye to be able to penetrate completely. Thus, soaking is the best option. I only soaked them for about 1 minute. Afterwards, I poured the rest of the mixture over my head to cover everywhere. Then, I put on a shower cap and stuffed cotton wool by my ears and temples. I did this to stop the mixture from dripping down my face, and also to protect my piercings.
Again, this powder stains so please do this in the shower, or outside, or at least in a room that has glossy tiles which are easier to clean if it drips and/or spills.
5. Leave on for 60-90 minutes
Depending on how fast your hair dries, wait 60-90 minutes before washing it out. My hair is relatively long and quite thick, so it didn’t dry completely.
6. Wash out the dye
Be sure to wash it out thoroughly. It takes awhile to stop bleeding colour. In fact, when I showered the next day, I used a shower cap to protect my locks and some of it still came off on the rims of the shower cap. However, once it’s dry it doesn’t bleed, so you don’t have to worry about your clothes.
7. Enjoy the colour
It’s a very subtle red, and will look brown in certain lights; but it’s a beautiful colour nonetheless. And it didn’t leave my hair feeling brittle and dry like box dyes do. The only drawback is that there isn’t exactly an instruction manual on ‘how to dye dark hair naturally’, so this is just how I chose to do the red ochre process. Feel free to drop a comment below if there’s anything you would’ve done differently. I’d love the feedback!
Related posts:
Bleaching without damaging your locks
How to lighten hair naturally: does lemon really work?
How to lighten hair naturally: does hydrogen peroxide and baking soda really work?
Hair colouring disaster? The time I dyed my locks blue and purple
Until next time!
~Jay
You described this colouring process very well and your hair looks great.
Thank you!!
Very informative.
I can tell you thoroughly researched first.
Your hair looks lovely.
Great choice of colour.
Thanks!! And yes I tried my best to find as much information as I could on how best to proceed.
How will this work on grey hair?
I haven’t seen it on grey hair so I’m not sure but I assume the effects are the same. However, if you have trouble dying your hair with commercial dyes, you will probably experience the same difficulties with natural dyes.
It looks sooo beautiful. Going to try this soon!
Thank you! Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
Hi there:) i bought “valejjo red ochre pigment” (powder) i want to dye my dark half using with your method and I was wondering If I Made the richt purchase to Make a mix with water.. i am at the beginning of a dreadlock journey.. hair is not yet dreaded…… i just have short (2 cm) dark hair… thank you so much for this blog post .. your locks look so beutiful really! And i Could’t fint anything on youtube… so is it for me to mix the pigment with water and use your method; i meand did i make the right purchase?
Thanks for your reply and all the best,
Michael ( linkt to product I bought https://www.sceneryworkshop.nl/vallejo-pigment-dark-red-ochre-35ml-73107.html?utm_source=GoogleShopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Verf%2FVallejo%20Verf%2FVallejo%20Pigments&utm_content=Vallejo&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2uH-BRCCARIsAEeef3k2QFmRegsjV7crSMjXJW-Htq99DJ1jN7ak9xNOdJYHSY5Kkp2LhxcaAnWeEALw_wcB
Hi Michael! I can’t attest to the use of this product since I’ve never bought it, but if it’s red ochre then using the same method should be fine. However, if your hair is dark then the colour won’t show up so you’ll have to lighten it first. See my post: Bleaching without damaging your locks. Nonetheless, seeing as your hair isn’t locked yet, I would strongly recommend that you give your locs a bit more time to mature before attempting any of the above.
And thank you for the compliment!! ^.^
Can black iron oxide used for black color hair mam
Hi! I’ve never tried black iron oxide but I assume it works the same as the red one.
How was your first washday after adding the red ochre? Did it come out completely or was there some staying power? Also, did the power bleed out on your pillowcases or hands when the powder dried onto your hair? What was it like living with the red color on your hair did it rub off on things or did it stay in place?
During my first wash, the water was a pale red. The colour didn’t completely come out but was more orange-brown afterward. By the second wash it was more brown. The colour didn’t bleed onto anything, hands and pillowcases included. You just have to make sure your hair is completely dry. It only bleeds when it’s wet so that’s why the few times I used a shower cap it rubbed off onto it.
Any side effects mam for our health ? chemical compositions mam?
I didn’t experience any side effects of using the product but my skin isn’t sensitive. If you’re worried, I would recommend testing on a patch of skin before dying your hair, just to be safe.
Hey,
Is this considered a semi-permanent dye?
Thanks
Hi! Yes, it is semi-permanent.
Hey, how did you prevent it from drying out the hair? I tried it on my non-locked hair but it was really dry afterwards and when I used conditioner after, it rinsed out.
Maybe because your hair isn’t locked it causes the dye to rinse out more easily. Try using a leave-in conditioner instead so that you don’t have to rinse out your hair.