How To Get Olive Green Dye | Easy Ways To Dye Hair 50 Shades Of Green!

January 30, 2024

Here’s how to get olive green dye easily. Learn if you can use Rit dye or Dylon dye to create your own olive green shade to dye your hair at home.

In This Article:

Do you know what the latest hair color trend is? Dyeing your hair in bright, punky shades. And green is a hot favorite.

You can thank celebrities like Billie Eilish for making green hair dye such a rage among the fashionistas in the world.

But a lot of green dyes come in shades of electric green, neon green, parrot green among others. There isn’t a lot of variety if you want a darker, more subdued version of green for your hair. Say for example, olive green.

There aren’t a lot of hair dyes in the market that specifically have an olive green shade. So in this article I am going to elaborate on how to get olive green dye.

Also, I’m going to be debunking some hair dye “hacks” to ensure you get to color your hair safely!

What Exactly Is Olive Green Dye?

Olive green is simply the exact color of unripe olives. It is a subdued, less brighter shade of green with yellow undertones to it. This color is also commonly associated with military wear.

As it’s darker and comes with slightly warmer undertones it’s difficult to get this exact shade of olive green on hair.

So if you want olive green hair dye you’ll have to start off with a brass-free, platinum blonde or white palette to get the hue to show up well.

How To Get Olive Green Dye

With Arctic Fox Hair Dye

Technically, the shade olive green is usually a mix of the following colors: cobalt blue, crimson, and burnt umber.

The lightness and darkness of olive green can be adjusted by varying the levels of white in the color.

But if you want a simpler way to get olive green dye without worrying too much about color mixing and composition, then here’s what you need to do.

how to make olive green hair dye using arctic fox

First, get the closest shades of green you can find. I got the Arctic Fox Neon Moon Green hair dye which as the name suggests is a bright, neon-green color and then added a bit of Arctic Fox orange to the mix.

The orange creates a bit of muddiness in the green hair dye which is necessary to get the olive shade. I then mixed in a bit of Camo Green from Sparkle to get the yellow undertones.

You can use this hair dye after you’ve bleached your hair to the necessary level to get the perfect olive green shade.

But if you think the dye still looks too muddy, then you can add in a bit of yellow dye (just a smidge mind you!) to make it look more “olive”. I used a tiny bit of Cosmic Sunshine Arctic Fox in this to get it back to green when the dye seemed too brown.

With Rit Or Dylon Dye

There has been an unfortunate trend going around with people trying to dye their hair with fabric dye which is a big no-no!

Yes, there is a shade of Rit Dye called Olive Green and no you cannot use it on hair. Cotton fibers or polyester fibers are very different from hair.

Most fabric dyes bond chemically with these fabrics to color them. But hair dyes penetrate into your hair cuticles to create a different hair color. So, a fabric dye won’t work as well on hair.

And there’s another thing. Yes, a lot of fabric dyes these days are made of natural, plant-based pigments, but the majority of fabric dyes including Rit or Dylon dyes are made of synthetic chemicals.

Some of these chemicals include sodium chloride which can dry out hair and leave it damaged. In severe cases it can trigger inflammation if the dye comes in contact with your scalp or skin.

So don’t take this risk and use temporary hair dyes to create your shade of olive green instead.

With Food Dye

how to make olive green hair dye at home

CAN you use food dye to your hair? Absolutely, yes! But SHOULD you be doing that? No, I don’t think so. Granted food dyes are not like fabric dyes and won’t harm your hair as much.

But these are still not suitable for your hair. They have very little staying power and won’t last beyond a single shampoo session.

So if you’ve bleached your hair and can’t find the right shade of olive green dye, then try mixing two or more temporary hair colors in to get the right shade as I’ve suggested above.

Don’t be tempted to use olive green food coloring. Your hair might look perfectly green for an hour or two but a little bit of sweat or rain will cause all the dye to come running down staining your hair and skin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to some of your frequently asked questions on how to get olive green dye or other shades of green for hair.

Is olive green hair hard to maintain?

Yes, this particular shade of olive green hair can be pretty difficult to maintain as regular shampooing can remove the darker green tones, leaving hair looking more “lime” colored with every wash.
Also, you cannot use a toner as you would with bleached blonde hair. The best way to maintain olive green hair is to use a sulfate-free, color depositing shampoo which contains olive green dye pigments.
These shampoos add color to your hair every time you wash, preventing hair color from fading.
Reducing the number of hair washes per week by using dry shampoo instead of regular shampoo and applying a protective hair gloss are some other ways you can increase the longevity of your olive green hair dye.

What color does your hair have to be to dye green?

Your hair needs to be either completely white or at least an unblemished shade of platinum blonde for the olive green hair dye to show up properly.
Olive green has a lot of yellow undertones that need to show up well. Otherwise you will be left with a drab, dark green color on your hair.
So you need to make sure there’s no brassiness or copper undertones on bleached hair. And if you hair is naturally blonde it’s still best to bleach it to at least 1-2 levels to remove any honey or strawberry blonde tints.

How light does hair have to be for dark green?

This actually depends on the shade of dark green you want for your hair. If you want a muted, forest green hue then only 1-2 levels of hair lightening is sufficient, even if you have black hair.
But if you prefer a more complex shade of dark green like olive green or jade, then you’ll need to lighten hair to a platinum blonde shade. And for black/dark brown hair this could mean at least 6-7 levels of hair lightening.

Can you put olive green dye over brown hair?

Not really. The thing is, the green hair dye will mix with your hair’s natural brown tones and won’t really show up other than as a slight undertone.
And for a shade like olive green it’s important for the yellow undertone to come out on strands as well otherwise you’ll be left with a “regular” dark green color.
This isn’t possible on brown hair. So you will have to bleach it at least 5-6 levels (depending on your hair) and then tone your hair to get a pristine, platinum blonde base to work with.

Why You Should Trust Haireveryday?

The author of this article, Leah Marie Priest has a degree in Cosmetology with years of experience in dealing with hair care, scalp care, and hairstyling. As someone who extensively deals with all kinds of hair textures, products, styling methods and more, hair Leah Marie knows what kind of products and procedures suit each hair type and person. We have also tested these hair products and processes ourselves to provide you an unbiased review about every product. Each of our articles are also reviewed by a team of medical professionals so that you get the most accurate and expert-reviewed information.

Summary On How To Get Olive Green Hair Dye

It is difficult to dye your hair olive green as this particular shade has a lot of yellow undertones that might not show up well on your strands.

Plus, a lot of green dyes in the market are usually brighter neon greens or dark forest greens. So there’s not a lot of dyes that can cater to your needs.

In this article we’ve seen how you can create a shade of olive green using Arctic Fox hair dye. As it’s a color depositing dye and not a permanent one, you can even use it without bleaching.

I have even elaborated on how to get olive green dye using fabric dyes like Dylon and Rit but no matter what social media trends say, these are NOT meant for your tresses.

To sum it up, if you have dark brown/black hair and want to dye it olive green, it’s best to visit a hair coloring specialist instead of doing it at home, as it involves a lot of bleaching, toning, and color correction.

Otherwise, using a temporary dye like Arctic Fox or Manic Panic is your best bet.