Going blonde is like taking a risk more so than going the extra mile. You can mess it up and in the end, there is distinct a possibility you can do more damage than ever. Not only will this result in damaged hair, but you will end up spending so much money just to fix it. There are a lot of pros, as well as, cons when doing your own hair. Especially something that is of a drastic change.
Today, I am going to demonstrate how it is possible to go from brown hair to blonde hair without messing it up and destroying your hair, as a result. This is the first time I ever bleached my hair and guess what? It turned out amazing. Are you ready? Let’s begin…
First and foremost, you want to make sure that you have the right products to start. One of the most important products is the actual mixing bowl. You need something that is accessible, but also gives you a lot of space to mix the right amount.
You will also need a mixer followed by an actual application hair brush. I like to use a medium to large brush, so to bleach my hair; I went with Diane’s Medium Hair Color/Dye Brush. It’s like a dark red/burgundy color.
Also, when coloring your hair, you want to use rubber gloves simply because the peroxide and other components in the actual developer can irritate the skin. I know this first hand, simply because a little got on my pointer finger and my finger actually dried up and turned white. Obviously if this happens, you just run your finger under cold water and it goes away. It is still a tribulation that a lot of people forget when bleaching their own hair.
To achieve blonde hair from dark hair, you are going to want to use powder bleach. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get decent bleach, but you do want to buy something that lifts several levels, so you can obtain the right color before toning.
When bleaching my hair, I decided to go with L’Oreal’s High Performance Quick Blue Powder Bleach. Not only is it dust-free, providing you with only the easiest of application, but it lifts up to 7 levels. It is also very affordable, costing less than $20.
Powder bleach is nothing without developer. There are many types of developer on the market, however; for my hair, I went with Wella’s Color Charm Clear Developer in Volume 30. It is also 32 oz. The reason that I chose 30 is because it is the right amount of peroxide content you need, when lifting color. The developer works with the bleach to actual lift the color. Using a 20 Volume only works for women with lighter hair or women looking to color their hair, not bleach it. Using a 40 Volume developer is actually not the wisest choice, as your hair can actually fall out. I actually watched several videos of women who used the Volume 40 and ended up having their hair melt off.
When you go from dark to light, you will end up with an array of undertones. Most of them are orange, however; there are many that are yellow. In order to effectively bleach your hair to a nice blonde, you are going to want to use a toning product. You also want something with more of a lavender undertone, as this will cancel out any orange or yellow you may have in your hair. I decided to go with Wella’s Color Charm Toner in T18 Lightest Ash Blonde. This product is also known as “White Lady”. It is clearly one of the best hair toning products in the world today and I highly recommend it.
Once you have these products, you can begin coloring your hair. Please note that this is a process and you won’t achieve this overnight. Well, you could, but you are at high risk of destroying your hair.
Are you ready? Let’s begin!
In the mixing bowl, you want to mix about a scoop of the powder bleach into the bowl. Depending on how much hair you have, you can add more if you feel like there isn’t enough. One scoop goes a long way, as does building.
The developer should be added shortly after. You want to add at least 2 oz. to the powder bleach. If there is more bleach, you want to add a little more developer. As it develops, the texture should be on a paste wavelength. You don’t want anything too dry or too liquidity, otherwise your color will not lift.
You want to mix generously, but allow it to settle. Usually in about a minute or two, you will notice if it will develop into a paste-like texture and not a powder mass or liquid. Make sure you have your gloves on.
You want to avoid the root area and save that part for last, however; once you begin the root area, you want to do underneath the hair, towards the bottom and then the top. Leave the bleach mixture on your hair for about 45 minutes or until desired color. If you are like me going from brown hair to blonde, you may want to leave it on for a little longer. As you do this, make sure that you blow dry your hair, as the heat helps the color lift faster and even more effectively. Wash the hair color out. Blow dry.
If your color is still orange, you want to wait at least a day or two before repeating this process. The toner can cancel out the yellow and orange tones, but only if the number of yellow tones in the hair exceed the orange tones. I have had to bleach my hair a total of 4 times in order to achieve the desired color before toning it.
Once you have bleached your hair and your hair has lifted to a very light shade with yellow tones, as well as, some orange, you want to tone your hair. You don’t have to blow dry your hair, as towel drying works great. In fact, before applying the toner, I just towel dried my hair. Toner works as an amazing product, as it supports the cancelation of any yellow or orange tone your hair will endure. Toner does not lift color, it just helps control it. You want to mix about 2 oz. of developer with the entire bottle of Wella toner. I used 20 Volume developer and mixed a little bit of 30 Volume developer to it. Apply to your hair and leave on for about 40-45 minutes before rinsing.
Blow dry, style, etc.
Bleaching in theory is not the best for your hair, however; for some reason, it has had a reverse effect on me. My hair has actually improved since bleaching it. Weird right? In order to maintain wonderful hair health, you want to use products that allow you to manage your hair. Some recommendations include: Oscar Blandi’s At Home Salon Glaze. John Frieda’s Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner.
I am debating whether or not to go lighter in the future, but as of right now, I am very much content with this particular shade of blonde.
