WE
ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OUTCOME OF YOUR HAIR NOR
INJURY
IF
YOU ATTEMPT BLEACHING ON YOUR OWN, AND WE RECOMMEND YOU SEE A
PROFESSIONAL FOR HAIR BLEACHING! THIS IS SIMPLY A COLLECTION
OF
INFORMATION AND IS IN NO WAY A TUTORIAL FOR AT HOME
BLEACHING!
BY
VIEWING THIS INFORMATION YOU AGREE NOT TO TRY THIS!
THANK
YOU!
OMG
funny story my friends dad took her to a salon inside a gym (classy!),
She wanted
blonde hair for the first time (her natural hair is dark brown), the
PROFESSIONAL STYLIST told her it
would damage her natural dark brown hair too much and advised her to
pick
another color (she picked Fire Truck red...stylist made it burgundy)
disappointed, but determined, she asked her if it would be possible to
use
good 'ol basic house cleanin' bleach. The PROFESSIONAL looked at her
blankly and said, "Yeah, I suppose". Oh yeah, she got home, picked up a
large cooking pot filled it with bleach, and stuck all her hair in it.
Did it work? Not really, in fact, she almost passed out (yeah, I mean died),
and her hair was brassy and falling out everywhere. DO NOT DO
THIS!
Basic white
hair bleach, if you're wanting to buy it, you'll
need to go to a beauty supply store, most will sell to NON-professionals. Otherwise,
online is your best bet.It
comes in a white powder form. Some
powders are colored, as in
a lavender powered bleaches, gold and blue, these are supposed to be a
slight help with toning.
Cost
of the bleach itself varies by amount, and store. Sold from small
1oz. packets (great for ((off the)) root touch ups or high-lights) to
2lb. tubs (for the hard-core bleacher!)
You
can expect to pay about
$2.99 for the 1 oz. and about $35.00 for the 2 lb. tub
Double
Drabbers (aka Creme
Hair Lightener) come in a liquid form. These are excellent
for going
from Black Hair to Platinum Blonde or a high lift hair color
very quickly, and they are more gentle than powder bleach when used
properly. They claim to lift 8-10 levels of
lift.
They come in a 2 fl. oz bottle, so if you have longer than shoulder
length hair you may need two.
Wait! Don't run
out and buy it without developer!
Developer
MUST BE
USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH BLEACH FOR BLEACH TO WORK PROPERLY.
Developer is basically hydrogen
peroxide. Developer
comes in 5 volumes (a.k.a. strengths)
Comes in cream or liquid formula (cream is better IMHO!)
10
Volume ~ This will open the
cuticle (as will all
developers) but will not lift (a.k.a. lighten levels) the color, great
for adding a toner to fragile hair, or using a booster color. The
lowest level developer.
20
Volume ~ The most commonly used
volume, this will deliver 1-3 levels of lift.
I recommend this volume for beginners and lightly damaged hair.
30
Volume ~ This will be the highest
strength you'll want to go, it's intense lifting action!
It should lift
2-4 levels. You
will
not want to use this
volume is your hair is damaged, as been colored in any way within the
last 2 weeks, PERMED, STRAIGHTENED, glossed, or chemically altered in
any way. In
fact,
do not exceed maximum developing time at all. I guarantee you,
you have a 90% chance of
severe breakage as
a result of neglecting to
follow the rules here.
Never leave 30 volume in for longer than 45
minutes.
40
Volume ~ No. Don't do it. Oh okay, do it any
be bald, and have scalp burns. Your choice.
50
Volume ~ I have never even seen it before.
You use, you lose!
Special
Note: Mixing of 2 volumes will produce a deduction in volume. ~
Example:
You mix 30 vol. with 10 vol. you get 20 volume,
NOT 40 volume.
You can get
a 32oz bottle
(enough for about 4-8 uses) for about $5.00
Tools
These
are suggested tools to aid in the bleaching process.
Gloves
Brush
Timer/Clock
Damp Towels
Bowl
Old Shirt
Toning
Don't like that Orange/Brassy/Yellow hair you have? Time for Toner!
Bleaching
from black or brown to blonde shade with most often leave a brassy
tone left in the hair!
There is a
simple way to help remove the undertones, until you can re-color the
hair...
Toner. You
will need to mix these with a developer (10 vol. is best after
bleaching)! Most will
ask you use a 1 + 2 ratio of toner to developer. Example:
1.5 oz toner + 3 oz
of 10
vol. developer
= directions.
You
can purchase toner at a beauty supply store, or online. Look
for a
Blue, or Purple (violet) BASE. Toners cost
about $2.50-$4.50 per bottle, those of you with long hair may need 2
bottles.
There
is
another way to
tone down the brassiness of hair, since you are going blonde, you'll
want a purple (yes, the color) shampoo, and/or conditioner. You
can leave the purple conditioner on for 30 minutes to help, results
will still not be as nice as toner.
About
bases:
Base- Neutral:
No base color Base-
Gold:
Golden (warm, brassy,) Color Base- Ash:
Green Grey (dull) Color
Base- Blue or
Violet: Cool (blue, purple) Colors
Consider the following: Red cancels out Green Blue cancels Orange Purple
cancels Yellow
It's
important to note by going
blonde you are effectively removing the red tones from your hair, more
and more, until you reach a "level 10" blonde. Say
you want to go
dark brown? Stay away from blue purple, and especially GREEN based
color. You
must add the RED base back into hair.
After-Care
Your
hair feels like straw? Breaking at the ends? Looks a little
orange, or yellow?
Ah
yes. The
many complications of becoming blonde. For
starters make SURE you have a nice conditioner, and leave in
conditioner. You'll want a nice purple
shampoo and conditioner, if you're going for the hot
platinum blonde look. Try not to comb, nor
brush your hair while it's still very wet, or damp, this may cause more
breakage.
There's
also some sheen sprays or spray oils designed for hair that
help if your hair feels straw like and brittle, even a spray gloss will
help, just use a little, as a little goes a long way. Directly
after a
harsh bleaching process you may want to purchase a protein packet, but
beware animal lovers, some contain animal protein, make sure to read
the ingredients first.
I have
found personally, a nice thick leave in conditioner, directly after bleaching,
(but while your hair is still wet), will help a whole lot in
saving hair from major breakage. If you have any hair oils, now is the
time to add them to the ends of your hair, before you dry your hair,
this helps prevent additional breakage and dryness. Remember no
combing while hair is damp!
Maintenance
& Touch-ups
Platinum
blonde fading after a couple weeks? Got roots? Not platinum
blonde enough?
First
of
all like I said before, purple shampoo and conditioner! Since
sweat
is yellow, and yes, you do sweat, make sure you wash and condition your
hair often.
Okay,
now a
good investment may be a water filter for your shower head.
If
you're
naturally a
brunette, you may notice after a couple weeks your roots are a little
dark. 2-3 weeks after your bleaching is a great time for
touch-ups at the roots, this is much more simple then doing your whole
head, not to mention quicker.
For
you
Platinum Blonde
lovers, find a nice toner.
Ask
your
Salesperson at the beauty supply
store, make sure it's a violet/purple/blue base. Any one of
those
should do nicely. I
would
suggest using a toner every 1 1/2 months on average. Now
don't
panic if your hair is a little purple or blue after toning! It fades
out nicely!
Still not
platinum enough? Maybe you like the white look? A simple
fix would be to add some high-lights in the form of hair
extensions, synthetic hair can be
printer paper white and looks great with platinum hair!
Bleaching
Hair with Hair Extensions
Have
hair extensions and bleach your hair?
Or thinking about
extensions, but you currently bleach?
The
best thing to do is go to a professional for this. I
have found having heat seals is wonderful for the DIY
bleacher, the
seals, as well as the synthetic hair, are unharmed by bleach. It's still
a recommendation to completely remove the extensions prior
to bleaching, or
touch-ups and a 3 day wait after bleaching to re-install extensions.
Tips & Tricks
I
have
found the best
way to get almost white hair is after you do your final bleaching, to
add a purple colored non-ammonia toner or deposit to your hair after
it's dry. Ask your beauty professional about this. The toner will
appear to turn your hair a purple shade and this is temporary!
Color
on left is during toning. Original
color is on the right.
