Making Color-Depositing Shampoo and Conditioner

Yes, it is possible to make shampoo and conditioner that deposit color onto the hair. These are typically known as color-depositing or color-refreshing products.

• How they work: These products contain semi-permanent hair colorants that gradually add pigment to the hair with each wash or use. They are designed to maintain or enhance existing hair color, or to add subtle tones.
• Suitable Ingredients: You can use semi-permanent hair colorants like SemiColor or Semi-Permanent Hair Colorant (Brown). These are formulated to be mixed into shampoo or conditioner bases.
• Formulation Tips: When formulating, it's important to choose compatible base ingredients. For example, some colorants work best with non-ionic or amphoteric surfactants in shampoos and may require ingredients like ColorFix to help the color adhere better and last longer, especially in conditioner formulas.

Brown Dye on Black Hair

Applying brown dye to naturally black hair can be challenging, and the results may not be as noticeable as on lighter hair colors.

• Semi-Permanent Brown: Semi-permanent dyes deposit color on the surface of the hair. On black hair, a semi-permanent brown dye will likely only add a subtle tint or highlight that might be visible in bright light, rather than a significant color change.
• Permanent Brown: Permanent dyes use a developer to lift some of the natural pigment before depositing the new color. A standard brown permanent dye might lift black hair slightly and deposit brown pigment, resulting in a very dark brown shade. To achieve a lighter or more vibrant brown on black hair with permanent dye, the hair usually needs to be pre-lightened (bleached) first.

In summary, while you can make color-depositing products for hair, achieving a noticeable brown color on black hair with just a brown dye (especially semi-permanent) without pre-lightening is difficult.