The 8 Best Color Rinses for Natural Black Hair

From at-home color application to salon-quality products, here are the best color rinses for natural black hair.

Published January 31, 2024
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Alongside wash days or days you want to oil your scalp, adding color can go a long way in complementing the beauty of natural Black hair. A rinse, also called semi or demi-permanent color, is often the recommended choice for naturalistas. It's a gentler alternative to permanent color, yet it is still a great option for adding dimension and radiance to the tresses' overall look.

Below are the eight best color rinse products on the market that you can use at home to add vibrancy to your natural mane.

Clairol's Beautiful Collection is perfect for achieving a pop of color you don't necessarily want to be committed to for more than a few weeks. The bottles come with an applicator tip, so you simply apply the color directly to the hair without any mixing or transferring to a different container. Choose from 29 rich color options.

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While the natural blog Thirsty Roots recommends Clairol's semi-permanent color in general, the main difference between Beautiful Collection and Jazzing is the colors in the lines. Beautiful Collection has more natural toned hues, while Jazzing has hair colors like bold reds, pinks, and purples. This option also comes with a convenient applicator tip, and the semi-permanent formula is free from ammonia and peroxide.

This trusted salon professional color brand offers the Color Charm line, which is sold on Amazon and Sally Beauty Supply for easy at-home use. Color Charm offers a variety of colors, especially in deeper tones like browns and blacks, which makes this a great line for gray coverage and for enhancing your natural hair color. It also gives the hair a nice shine that lasts for weeks.

If you're going to use the WELLA demi-permanent hair color, you'll also need this developer to activate the color process. The color/developer mixing ratio is 1:2 (in other words, for every ounce of color, you'll mix it with 2 ounces of developer). The creamy consistency makes it easy to mix with the hair color without making a mess.

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Henna is a natural color option that is continuing to make strides in the natural hair community. Even though semi- and demi-permanent hair colors are free of ammonia, there are still those who would like to use only natural ingredients, and henna is a highly recommended do-it-yourself option that has been used for centuries among Native Americans, Indians, and Africans alike. This Ancient Sunrise Henna Hair Kit in the shade "medium brown" is 100% natural and provides great gray coverage.

Jimy semi-permanent hair color is another great option if you're interested in going the henna route. It's made from 100% natural henna powder that colors hair in as little as 30 minutes without the use of ammonia or peroxide. The rich, long-lasting color provides 100% gray coverage, and you can score it for under $10.

For a serious step up in your hair's shine and natural luster, Redken's Shades EQ is your color line! Shades EQ is a demi-permanent gloss that comes in a wide variety of shades that enhance your natural or existing permanent color. For example, if you have highlights that have faded over time, Shades EQ can be applied to freshen those up and make your weeks' or months' old highlights look as good as new within 20 minutes.

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Aveda’s Color Renewal Color & Shine Treatment is a quick and easy way to get salon-level color and deep hydration at home. It comes in four shades: cool blonde, cool brown, warm brown, and warm blonde. Aromatic notes of organic orange, cedarwood, and various other plant and flower essences combine to create a spa-like experience that rivals your favorite salon.

The 8 Best Color Rinses for Natural Black Hair