Pure Black Hair Without Undertones

Shiny black hair in a pixie cut
Photo: Valery Bareta/Shutterstock
Q: I remember back in the days I used to see this girl working as a sales assistant at a department store in my hometown. She had the blackest and shiniest hair I’ve ever seen. It just had NO undertones at all, except for pure white against the light. And paired with her snow white skin she had the most surreal look on earth. Unfortunately, I was too young and not brave enough to ask for her beauty secret and just never saw her again...
 
Trying to imitate her dramatic shade, over the years, I’ve tried lots of brands and shades claiming to be "neutral" or "pure" black, but after a few minutes the mix (and stains) would always start turning violet, blue or even brownish. This obviously means its violet or blue based, and the result is more like a harsh ashy black, rather than a glossy satin pitch black like hers.
 
Does Black hair dye always come blue/violet based? I know jet black is supposed to have a hint of blue, but what I’m looking for is a satin black with NO undertones. I want my mixture to start becoming a darkening gray instead of blue/violet. I wonder, if I pick a regular black dye (blue violet based) and add some golden/orange pigment to cancel violet and mix it all with 10 volume peroxide, will it give me that result? How much gold should I add, and how much peroxide? Or do you know any specific professional brand or formula that gives me the exact shade of the mannequin? Thanks much!
 
A: Odds are good that the girl from your past had hair that was naturally true black, meaning that she had hair that was light level 1 and had a neutral base color. It’s a color that is very hard to recreate and one that you will want a professional’s help with.
 
Anyone can go buy some black hair color and dye their hair. The trouble is, depending on your hair’s natural base tone, and the base color of the hair dye formula you use, the final results can have strong undertones and “glints” of undesired colors. The closest to the “true black” you talk about is probably Clairol’s “Natural Black” in their “Nice & Easy” line of colors.
 
However, you don’t mention what your natural color is, or your other factors such as skin tone. The base color of your hair can affect the color results you get. That’s a simple fact of life. And without knowing what your base color is, I can’t possibly give you definitive advice, except to suggest strongly that you seek a professional’s assistance in achieving the look you desire.
 
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See also:
 
The hair color levels
 
Hair coloring techniques
 
Hair colors to match your skin tone
 
Cool and warm hair colors