Dying own hair bleach blonde - doomed?

[Champagneponies]

Tips, tricks, advice?

Complete newby. Naturally dark blonde hair and I want to go a lot lighter, but can't afford salon prices with the regular root top ups and don't want to go baylage. Want overall bleach/baby blonde colour including roots. If I learn to do this myself I'm hoping I can top the roots up regularly as want to keep them light.

Am I doomed or is it doable? Does anyone else do this?

It’s very risky. Might a mobile hairdresser be an option? At least for the full lighting and first few goes at roots, so you can learn what to do and which products

How dark blonde are you?
I'm medium-dark blonde and have been using L'Oréal casting 1010 for years, it looks great! My hairdresser always compliments me on it herself. She does say though I'm pretty lucky to be able to get away with doing it myself, if I had darker hair to start with it wouldn't work.

It's incredibly risky to go straight to scalp bleach on your own. How long and thick is your hair? My friends who do it themselves swear by Schwarzkopf.
Also, stay well away from the John Frieda go blonder range, tempting as it might be. According to my hair colorist nothing ruins hair like it and then you can't bleach over it, it has to grow out.

True @VanellopeVonSchweetz99 about John Frieda as I used it years ago and my hairdresser said it had ruined my hair. Had to Let it grow out.

Do not do it.
I ave done it a few times, never learn. It always goes badly then have to cover over.
Seriously just pay the price or stick with your hair colour.

My advice would be to go on eBay an by a rubber highlighting cap with metal hook.
Buy 40% developer and bleach powder.
Buy 20% developer and well t18 toner.

Pull thin strands of hair through the cap (full head) then mix 40% developer with bleach powder until creamy.
Leave on hair until very light. You may need to do this twice.
Rinse etc.

Then mix 20% developer and toner and apply. Leave and rinse.
This should leave beautiful creamy blonde highlights that is less risky than your whole head and looks really good.
Maintain colour with fanola shampoo and condition well

You won't get the light blonde you want from a box dye. And using bleach yourself is a crazy idea - SO much can go wrong (damage, colour).

Do you watch You Tube?
Watch the Hair Buddha, it will put you off for life!

Do NOT do this.
It will look unprofessionally dyed, ruin your hair, be hard to get out and look like you’ve got a banana on your head.
I speak from expensive and bitter experience. I had to dye mine darker than my natural - which looked greenish/ khaki but was the best I could do shirt of shaving it all off. Shambles.

It's easy enough to do roots with a box dye like L'Oréal. Maybe try a few shades lighter to start with to get used to doing it? I paint my own colour on with a sort of pastry brush at the roots, wait 20 mins, then comb it through for 5 mins to hair that already has been coloured. The natural highlights still show through. They may even be white streaks by now! Who knows?

Also, never let your hair see the sun once you've gone beach blonde. You'll need a hat, scarf, or spray in protector. It will fry otherwise!

I tried it during lockdown after watching YouTube. It ended in tears and I had to wear a hair band to work. It gave my hairdresser a right laugh when they finally reopened.

I now pay (through gritted teeth) to have it done professionally. It pisses me right off!

Don't

I have done this but my hair was all manner of colours so it was a rocky process.

If you've virgin hair, I would get the Knight and Wilson PurePlex Blonde Cream Bleach (depending on the length of your hair/thickness you'll need 3-4 boxes - bleach needs to be SLATHERED on thickly), a plastic hair dye bowl and brush set, a toner (go online and find a colour you like) and some 20vol developer.

Make sure your hair is unwashed to protect your scalp.

Brush your hair and section well, and start the application from the back of your head. Apply to the mid-lengths to ends first and make sure to keep an eye on the time.
You can use foils to help your hair lift faster/evenly. Maybe even pop a plastic bag over your scalp to keep the heat in, you want to ensure there's no cold spots as that'll hinder the lift.

Don't apply to your roots until you've done your whole head, keeping an eye on what the mid-lengths to ends have lifted too. Your roots will lift much faster as they are helped with the heat from your head.

When you've applied to your roots keep an close eye on them, don't be tempted to twist your hair into a bun or anything while you're waiting as that can cause cold spots.

Once you've reached a pale yellow/inside of a banana skin colour you're ready to wash the bleach off.

Mix your toner and developer at a 1:2 ratio and put it over your towel dried (it needs to be damp, not saturated) hair. You can slather it on, just make sure you cover the entire head. Leave it on for 5-15 minutes (keep an eye on how it looks) and then emulsify it before rinsing.

Get a decent conditioner/mask and strengthen products for afterwards because your hair will need some TLC.
Don't use excessive heat either, not only will your hair not thank you for it but it can cause the toner to yellow.

It is possible, but it takes time and effort, and your hair might not lift to the desired colour on the first go. Have patience!

Good luck

Do it in stages depending on much lighter you go. Leave a few days in between. Use a nice conditioner as well. Before bleaching soak your hair in coconut oil, it protects from damage. I’m a lifelong bleacher. Since your hair is probably close to where you want it there won’t be too much damage.