Do you have lighter hair but want to go darker for a last-minute event? If you’re looking to darken your overnight with some instant temporary method this article is for you.
Since you are looking for an overnight darkening solution, we assume you need it urgently but only as a short-term fix for the upcoming occasion. Because naturally darkening your hair in a truly permanent way is not possible overnight.
In this guide, you’ll find the quickest and safest ways to darken your hair. Plus, don’t miss our quick FAQ section at the end for more insights into hair-darkening!
Can You Make Your Hair Darker Overnight?
Yes, you can temporarily make your hair appear darker overnight. These methods won’t permanently dye your hair but can give it a darker shade for a short period.
If you want to darken your hair for an event or occasion, we recommend using natural ingredients as they are usually gentler on hair.
However, the most common and effective way to achieve a darker hair color overnight is to apply a hair dye that is 2-3 shades darker.
Depending on your needs you can choose between a semi-permanent hair dye or 1 wash hair color spray or wax.
Natural Ways to Darken Hair Overnight
The damage done by these staining processes is lesser than the damage resulting from using dyes and chemicals.
You can darken your hair without adding harsh or damaging chemicals and save yourself a trip to the salon by following the steps below:
Choose Your Ingredients
Coffee, black tea, and black walnuts are the most common. These methods are used frequently, and the ingredients are something you can find in nearly any store. Most homes have coffee or tea, so you may not need to visit the store!
Cocoa, sage, and henna are also used often. However, they’re less common for darkening hair (and arguably less powerful) than the first three.
Using coffee is your best bet. It’s easy to find due to its popularity and is fairly inexpensive.
Prepare Your Mixture
You’ll want to soak your material of choice into your hair. The best method for this is to make a watery mixture of whichever you want to use.
Take coffee, for example. Brew coffee and let it sit until it’s room temperature. You don’t want to brush scalding hot coffee onto your scalp! The heat would also damage your hair.
Apply to Your Hair
From here, you can either soak your hair in the coffee or brush it through your hair. Once you’re done, wrap your hair in a towel so you won’t have to worry about the coffee soaking into your pillows and sheets.
If you don’t want to sleep with the mixture on your hair, you can also dry it at this step with the coffee still on it. A hairdryer will help your hair soak in some of the colors, however, it’s more effective to let the coffee sit.
Rinse the Mixture
When you wake up, rinse the coffee out of your hair. Don’t leave the mixture in your hair for the rest of the day, or you may begin to experience negative effects such as hair breakage. Once you rinse out all the coffee, your hair will be slightly darker!
Repeat as Needed
Staining your hair takes time, and you may need to repeat the process. Don’t assume that one staining will give you the perfect color!
Brighter hair will need more stains. If you’re only darkening your hair by a shade or two, one stain may be all you need. If you’re attempting to darken your hair by several shades, it will take multiple attempts.
The steps given above for coffee will also work for other materials.
Darken Hair Overnight Using Hair Dye and Products
The most common and effective way to darken hair overnight is to use darker hair dye. Moreover, some shampoos are designed to deposit color onto your hair while you wash it.
Though it is possible to darken hair by one or two shades overnight using a permanent dye, we don’t recommend it as it is risky to apply permanent hair dye without patch testing because you can’t reverse the result easily.
Semi-permanent dyes are less harsh and ideal for keeping your hair dark for 2-3 weeks. Color rinses, 1-wash hair color sprays, and wax can also effectively darken your hair till you wash your hair.
You can choose a dye or shampoo that is one or two shades darker than your natural shade, apply it to your hair, and leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing it out.
So, darkening your hair overnight is as easy as brewing a pot of coffee. However overnight hair darkening will not drastically change your hair color. Expect to repeat your chosen method several times to get the shade you’re looking for!
Frequently Asked Questions
With so much information surrounding darkening your hair, there are always more questions. What’s the best way to darken your hair, and how can you prevent damage? Read on to learn these answers and more!
Yes, you can darken your bleached hair, but you should be careful! Your hair may not be able to withstand the damage from repeated colorings.
You can use semi-permanent dyes or follow the process mentioned above. Doing so can help you darken your hair slightly after bleaching. However, be sure not to darken your hair too much, or you may need to dye it again.
Yes! Consider the processes shown above to darken your hair without dying it. You can also find avoiding the outdoors to be effective.
The sunlight has a brightening effect on your hair. Spending too much time in direct sunlight may brighten your hair.
Yes, oils are another great way to darken hair overnight. You can use products such as coconut oil, castor oil, almond oil, and mustard seed oil to darken your hair.
One could argue that it’s easier to lighten your hair than darken it. Sunlight can lighten your hair naturally, and chemicals like bleach can easily turn dark hair into a lighter shade.
When it comes to overnight darkening and lightening, the processes are similar. Your hair type, shade, and style have small effects on how long it takes to brighten your hair.
Toner is not used to change the color of your hair. Instead, toner helps to neutralize the undertone of hair colors. By doing so, they remove undertones and highlights, which can help make your hair appear darker.