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How to Dye Your Hair Blue without Bleach

Alice Marini
By Alice Marini. Updated: November 24, 2020
How to Dye Your Hair Blue without Bleach

Dying your hair different colours is a lot of fun! However, you can seriously damage your hair if you decide to use bleach. Here at oneHOWTO we believe that shouldn't stop you from trying new hairstyles.

That's why in this article we explain three methods on how you can dye your hair blue without bleach. Keep reading to learn more!

You may also be interested in: How to Dye Your Hair Purple without Bleach
Contents
  1. How to dye your hair blue with indigo
  2. How to dye your hair blue with semi-permanent hair dye
  3. How to dye your hair with kool-aid

How to dye your hair blue with indigo

It seems like a dream, but yes, it is possible to dye hair blue without chemicals by using Indigo hair dye, an ancient plant based dye used to color jeans. To dye hair blue with indigo you will simply need to apply henna first, and then Indigo hair dye. Repeat a few times for best results.

This is obviously the best way to go if you want to dye your hair blue without chemicals. Indigo, or Indigofera tinctoria, will dye your hair dark blue and benefit, not damage, the health of your hair. The final color will depend on your base color. If you have dark hair, you will get blue black hair, if you have light hair, you will get brown black. Indigo darkens the color of the hair, so do not expect a light or green blue. A good tip is to always check that what you buy is 100% Indigofera tinctoria, with no chemical addition. Indigo is sometimes called "black henna", but on the ingredients it should always say Indigofera tinctoria. Do not confuse indigo with katam, which is also referred to as "black henna", or you will risk to end up with purple shades!

If you want to know how to dye hair blue with indigo, you can follow our tutorial, but generally speaking, to dye hair blue with indigo you will have to:

  • apply henna hair dye
  • leave it on for 5 hours
  • wash with water only
  • dry
  • mix indigo powder with water
  • apply indigo mixture to hair
  • leave indigo sit on hair for 5-6 hours
  • wash it off with water only
  • repeat at least 3 times to get a more intense color

As you can see, it is possible to dye your hair blue naturally with Indigo. However, if you want a lighter or more punk color, check out the following options on how to dye your hair blue without bleaching.

How to Dye Your Hair Blue without Bleach - How to dye your hair blue with indigo
Image: http://cobblestonegallery.co.uk

How to dye your hair blue with semi-permanent hair dye

Semi-permanent hair dye is a good option to achieve a good punk metal, even denim blue without bleaching. Just apply the blue indigo color form the Splat Midnight hair color collection, or the denim inspired hair dye line by L'Oreal as you would do with any other hair dye.

The reason why we call those hair dyes semi-permanent is because, regardless of what they state on the box, those unnatural hair colors without bleach do not last longer than 6 weeks, at least the punk, "shocking" effect.

The way Splat Midnight colors hair, for example, is by attaching micro-pigments of color to the hair. Those hair colors are meant for brunettes, or to dye your hair blue from dark brown. The result is excellent, but, as we said, it requires monthly maintenance.

We encourage you to check out this video to learn more about how to dye your hair blue without bleach and with semi-permanent hair dye at home.

How to dye your hair with kool-aid

To dye your hair blue with kool-aid simply choose the kool-aid blue color you like, mix it with water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, let cool a bit and submerge your hair into the mixture for 15 to 30 minutes. Dying hair blue with kool-aid works best if you want a dip dye (only the hair tips).

Kool-aid is a powder used to make children's drinks. It however dyes hair in any possible color, if you follow the above instructions. If you dye your hair blue with kool-aid, the color will last until you wash your hair. Go for it if you are looking for a punk, shocking effect, or if you want to try something temporary before dyeing your hair blue permanently.

Another way to dye your hair blue without bleaching, or any unnatural color, is with food coloring. In this tutorial we explain step by step how to dye your hair blue with food coloring. The effect will also be shocking and intense.

There are 2 more ways to dye your hair blue without bleach, and get that punk shocking effect: hair chalk and blue mascara. To apply hair chalk, simply put it on the hair and fix it with some hair spray. To apply blue mascara for hair, simply brush your hair with it. Both methods will only color your hair for a few days.

Watch this video to see how to dye your hair blue with kool-aid, even if you have dark brown hair!

There are several options for dying hair blue without bleach. However, if you have very dark hair, and if you want a very light blue, and you also want the color to last quite long, your only option is using bleach. You may also be interested in our article about how to die your hair purple without bleach.

Try these methods out and let us know which one worked best for you in the comments below!

If you want to read similar articles to How to Dye Your Hair Blue without Bleach, we recommend you visit our Beauty & Personal Care category.

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What did you think of this article?
6 comments
Rating:
shreya
can I use cassia with indigo instead of henna to achieve the same result? (I have dark brown hair naturally)
Rating:
Nefra
I have medium to dark brown hair and I was wondering if my hair will turn out blue-black if I only use pure indigo?
OneHowTo Editor
Hi, if it is light enough it will have a blue/black tint.
Rating:
Apio Madinah
l can l use any coffee to darken my hair "black"
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Apio,

It won't be properly black, but it can be used to darken the tone temporarily:

https://beauty.onehowto.com/article/how-to-use-coffee-to-dye-your-hair-5946.html
Rating:
Zeighn
When the semi permanent blue dye fades does it fade back into the original hair color? (My hair is medium brown)
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Zeighn,

If it is semi-permanent, then it should eventually fade. However, if the hair is light, then it is possible it will cause staining which may leave a different tint or hue. Dying hair is pretty much always and experiment as everyone reacts in different ways.
Rating:
Zeighn
If I dyed my hair using semi-permanent dark blue hair dye on my medium brown hair what color would it fade into? Would it turn green?
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Zeighn,

We can't answer this question as there are too many mitigating factors. However, if your hair is medium brown, there is little reason to see why it would turn green unless you added a yellow color to it (blue plus yellow gives you green). It should turn blue, even if it is not as strong as permanent dyes or those which first bleach the hair.
Anshu
Kindly clear is Indigo used for black colour or blue colour?
Thanks
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Anshu,

It is usually used for a blue/black color. However, it is often mixed with henna to give a deeper black color rather than the blue provided by the indigo. You may need to add more of one or the other depending on what shade you want. Hope this helps!
Image: http://cobblestonegallery.co.uk
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How to Dye Your Hair Blue without Bleach