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If you’re looking to dye dark hair purple for the first time, let’s get into it! 

Processing hair with bleach isn’t for everyone. Neither is a salon visit. So if you’re looking for a straightforward, simple home dye that’s going to add some purple to your look, you’re in the right place. Here are some color solutions that will work if your current hair color is black or dark brown hair. 

Can I dye black hair without bleach?

Yes! 

The key to coloring black hair (whether naturally black or dyed black) without bleach is realistic expectations. The truth is, if you start with black hair and want Manic Panic pink or another bold color, you’re going to get disappointed. Realistically, you aren’t going to get that degree of vibrant color over a black base. Developer in the dye can only do so much.

Similarly: you aren’t going to get trendy pastel lavender, either. That’s not in the cards unless you’re willing to lift your hair, at least a little. 

What you can get, though, is understated purple shades that catch the light dramatically. If you want purple, you can have it, in a chic way that might require a second look. 

But if you’re looking for a louder, brasher color — you might need bleach for that. If you (like me) have bleach-related trauma from adolescence, but you (like me) still sometimes think about bleaching your hair, then maybe you (like me) would like to consider a bleach bath. It’s a milder lift that is dramatically less likely to burn your hair off at the temples (like mine did in college!), and you’d get a lift of 2-3 shades to a medium brown that will give you many more options when you’re thinking about statement colors. 

If you already have color-treated hair or your hair has been dyed in the past, you’re likely to get a slightly better result than someone doing new color on completely virgin hair. 

I’m good with understated color. What are my options?

Great! Let’s take a look at what’s available for you across the different types of hair dye. Here are the best purple hair dyes and purple hair color options for darker hair colors. 

Semi-permanent dye

Semi-permanent color is going to make up most of our options here. These are box dye options that will coat each strand of hair with dye. That coating is going to last about 20 washes, so depending on how frequently you wash your hair, that could be 4-10 weeks. I use a semi-permanent dye every year to tone correct my soft summer hair and it typically lasts me about a month and a half. 

(Also in the mix here are demi-permanent hair colors — basically the same but they last a little longer and they’re less common.) 

This is likely to be the best option for you, because semi-permanent hair colors don’t need to change the natural shade of your hair. With a black base, that’s almost impossible. So using semi-permanent hair dye is a way to get that color coating on top of your black hair with no lift. 

It also has the least damage to your hair, since it isn’t actually lifting the hair shaft. 

Semi-permanent is also a great choice for someone who likes to be able to change up their color! Lots of these semi-permanent options have many different options in addition to purple, and semi-permanent allows for frequent color changes. Once one washes you, you replace it with another. 

If you’re good with the idea of a purple coating that’s going to give you a purple shine in the light, semi-permanent options will get you there. 

​Arctic Fox Purple AF

This color used to be called Purple Rain–everything’s the same. (You think they got sued by Prince’s estate?)

I couldn’t find great review photos of this being used on black hair, so I’m going to link this video from Jazmin Estrada. The video’s a little confusing because she tries two different dyes in the video. If you scroll forward to 7:55, you’ll get the outdoor video of her Arctic Fox results. Please be aware that she has pre-lightened hair in the front!! So the places where the purple is PURPLE is where she had, like, chunky highlights around her face. But you can see that there’s definitely a pronounced purple shine to the parts of her hair where she had black hair colors too. 

I’ve never used this purple, but I dyed a friend’s hair using their periwinkle shade and it was super easy to use. 

Manic Panic Violet Night

Manic Panic is a classic for a reason — they make a great quality product. This violet night dye is a deep, cool-toned purple. Most of the dye options aimed at dark hair are warm for some reason! Like typically a burgundy shade. So if you are a winter woman who can carry off this super high contrast but needs a cool tone color, this could be a great choice for you. 

Manic Panic’s website is pretty clear that they recommend lifting color to medium blonde hair color before using this dye — however, they also say that the color will add “deep violet tones” to unbleached hair. But, again, we’re coming into this with realistic expectations! 

Permanent dyes

A permanent dye will life the hair shaft in order to deposit color that’s meant to stay put. It doesn’t mean it won’t fade, because it probably will! But you’ll se a longer-lasting color than the semi-permanent dyes. 

L’Oreal Paris Feria Multi-Faceted – Midnight Violet

Note that there are dozen colors on this listing and be sure you’re ordering the right one! 

This color yields a warm-toned violet (helloooooo autumns!) with permanent staying power. If you open the link, they have a color chart that shows what the dye will look like on medium brown, dark brown, and black hair. (I like this a lot because a lot of the time the color charts don’t even reflect the possibility that someone with black hair might use dye!) 

It’s worth noting that this product is depositing black dye as well as the purple shimmer coloring! If you look in the review photos, there’s a woman who started with a brown base and blond highlights, and her brown hair did take distinctly black. So, if you are using this color hoping that a previous black dye will fade, this product is not the best choice for you! You might be better off with one of the semi-permanent choices. 

Temporary hair color

Punky Color Temporary Spray-On Hair Color

If you’re a former cheerleader and this product gave you a jump scare, you’re not alone! 

But these spray-on colors are a lot better than they used to be. When my daughter was a mermaid for halloween last year, I bought the lilac color and it was great for her costume. 

So, some former cheer tips: you can spray this on dry hair and very, very gently comb it out. Whatever you’re imagining, be gentler. Spray it outside if you can, and spray the underside of your hair with hairspray to keep it off your clothes. We used to do the end of our ponytails for spirit week, and we would spread the hair as thinly as we could to keep it from clumping, spray, wait a few minutes, and carefully comb. 

This will last until you wash it out, and it’ll wash out very easily. Throw a towel over your pillow if you’re going to sleep with it in. We used to leave it in for 2-3 days. Once you’ve combed it out, it won’t clump up again. 

If you want a vibrant, bright color on top of black hair, and you’re good with reapplying regularly and/or you don’t wash your hair too frequently, this may be a great way to do it. Color spray might also be a good idea to test out a color this way before you spend the money on purple dye. 

Deep conditioning options

There’s really just the one — Overtone!

Overtone does a color-depositing deep conditioner! I’ve never used the purple one I linked above, but I used to use their ginger color when my hair was dyed red and I found it effective. (I would get my hair lightened 1-2 shades and dyed red, and then when the roots were too much I would use overtone. It darkened the overall color a little but everything blended more nicely, and when I stopped using it before my next salon appointment it would wash out quickly.) I found it to be pretty nourishing on bleached hair too. 

The reviews are mixed on whether or not Overtone will work on black hair, but since the linked version is specifically formulated for brown hair, I think it could be worth a try if you are looking for something with no damage at all. 

How to dye black hair purple – tips for newbies

If you have never dyed your hair before, here’s what you need to know:

• Patch test– yes, really, people really do that. Mix a tiny bit of the dye and put it behind your ear a day before you dye your hair. Allergic reactions do happen, and you’d rather have it in a tiny spot than your whole head. You don’t need to do this every single time, but you should do an allergy test every time you use a new brand of dye. 
• Coconut oil or vaseline along your hairline will prevent accidentally staining your forehead purple on a school night. (Ask me how I know.)
• Wear a t-shirt you don’t care about, and section your hair so you don’t get a big chunk in the back of your head that doesn’t get dyed. Imagine drawing a line along the back of your head between your ears, and pin up everything above it and dye what’s hanging down. Then, draw the same line between your ears, but make it go over top of your head. Pin the front up, and dye what’s hanging down. Finally, dye the remaining section at the top of your head. 
• If you have a coarse hair type, you might need to leave the dye on longer. My best friend has thick Asian hair and she typically does 1.5 times the maximum suggested. The best way to figure this out is to ask a family member who has hair similar to yours who has dyed her hair in the past. 
• If you have thick or long hair, you might need to buy two boxes of dye. 

Love this for you — enjoy your new look!