Article: Your hair may feel a little greasy beforehand, but try to tough it out. The natural oils present in unwashed hair will help to protect your scalp and roots from the hair dye, especially when you get to the red layer. The hair dye will also penetrate your hair better and the results will be more vibrant if your hair isn’t squeaky clean when you color it. If you must wash your hair before you dye it, use shampoo only and skip the conditioner. Hair dye has a hard time attaching itself to recently conditioned hair. Skip the grocery store aisle and pick up your dyes at a beauty supply store. These dyes are usually salon-grade products and will produce better results. Opt for liquid formulas over mousse formulas for this – liquid black dye will result in a darker and more opaque black than a mousse formula.  If you’ve never dyed your hair before, use a semi-permanent black dye the first time. If you’re more experienced, feel free to use permanent color. If you are a natural blonde, you may want to dye your hair dark brown first, then black. Sometimes black dye on naturally blonde hair can result in a greenish tinge. How much black and how much red you want is a completely personal choice – there is no “right” way to create this look. As a general rule of thumb, you can start by putting your hair in a half-ponytail. Scoop it all up, starting at your ears, and hold it back in the same place you’d put a ponytail.  For a slightly more subtle result, pick up a little more hair after you have it in a half-ponytail. For example, you can part your hair at the nape of your neck. That way, you'll have much more hair to dye black than you do red. Make sure to evaluate the different thickness options before you begin dyeing. It’s best not to make any impulse decisions when you’re in the middle of the process. Use a hand mirror or have a friend help you so that everything looks even after you separate the top layer from the bottom. Clip your hair firmly into place to avoiding having to deal with wispy pieces falling down while you’re coloring it. Make sure that you clip back all of the face-framing pieces of your hair. These pieces need to be dyed black so that the red layer will appear to be “underneath” the black layer. Line a sheet of foil up directly beneath the top layer of your hair. It should hang down over the bottom layer. Make sure the foil extends down at least half the length of your hair. Curl the edges of the foil over the sides of your hair. Clip the foil in place on each side, so the foil will stay in place.  The foil should be right beneath the top layer, protecting the uppermost part of the bottom layer. If you feel confident that you can apply the black dye without getting it on the bottom layer of your hair, you can skip the foil.

What is a summary?
Avoid washing your hair 24 to 48 hours before dyeing it. Use a high quality semi-permanent or permanent black dye. Decide how thick you want the black top layer to be. Separate the top layer from the bottom with clips. Use tin foil to protect the bottom layer of your hair from black dye.