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AIBU?

To consider bleaching my hair myself?

34 replies

MumblingRagDoll · 27/05/2011 12:49

Well am I? It's naurally a pale brown colour but for years I have dyed it a darker shade of brown. I have been steadily going grey since I ws 17 and my roots when they appear are terrible...almost a solid white line. I am 34...I dont want to go grey....I just don't!

Surely if nature has decided that I can pull of white/grey hair then I can also pull off a cool blonde?

I have googled and found a v good website which gives instructions about DIY bleaching....pre-lightner is applied (first to a bi of hair which you snip off) then you wait and see how lon it takes to lighten....then once you have that time correct...you put the pre lightner on your hair....apparently this is where people go wrong...they often remove it too soon as they panic when they see the hair changing....also you need an assistant to make sure that it is not patchy...if there is a patchy area, you have to re-apply it...after all that then you apply a blonde dye...

I just cannot afford a salon job...they're SO expensive and the two which I cisied to enquire were unsure about the final cost....which I cannot risk a on a tight budget.

So AIBU? This dark hir just doesn't suit me anymore!

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nurseysclone · 30/05/2011 08:24

I've been dark brown and black, bleached it to a very light blonde each time. It goes patchy, then you do it again, no prob. Use deep conditioning treatments after though, it worked with mine! Best pre-lightener is definitely without a doubt, (and I've tried 'em all) Schwarzkopf Live Color Blonde Absolute Platinum. It's easier to apply than the other dyes, doesn't go patchy as easily and goes 2-3 times more quickly than the others I've tried.
Strippers, in my experience, have no effect and can be more damaging than just using a lightener.

www.superdrug.com/permanent-colour/live-colour-xxl-absolut-platinum-00a/invt/113816/

Available for a bit cheaper (£3.99) in Wilkinsons and Savers, and found in pretty much every supermarket.

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Piglet28 · 27/05/2011 20:25

Nooo don't do it yourself! I made this mistake as a teenager and my hair went ginger/green and snapped off... had to have it all cut off and expensive to fix!

I've learnt my lesson, my salon does 40% off days and I just get a T section done :)

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MumblingRagDoll · 27/05/2011 20:12

Oooh thanks for that Tatty! Very helpful....I wouldn't have thought about buying 2 boxes but glad you mentioned it as my hair is thick and long....it's been dyed ark brown for years and there must be a lo of build up....really glad you explained about not putting a colour on for 7 days....

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TattyDevine · 27/05/2011 18:30

I have used ColourB4 to go from Red to Golden Blonde and it worked.

I reviewed it on Style and Beauty a while back, I'll show you the link in a minute.

Do be careful about using semi or permenant dye on it for 7 days and 3 washes - previous colour can reoxidise, meaning you are back to square one. It is better to use a wash in wash out for 1 week to tone down the orange.

You will go orange. This is because there is some peroxide in even brown dyes which lift your hair, but you don't know because the colour pigment of the brown obviously "fills it in". Once you remove these pigments, you are left with orange.

But you will be left with a much lighter colour and will need to bleach for less time which is kinder on hair.

Once you have your desired base shade you can use a permenant or semi permenant "blonde" shade to reach your desired colour, like "light ash blonde" or "medium beige blonde" or whatever.

Here's my review

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squashycreech · 27/05/2011 18:06

I have white blonde hair and yeah, it is a faff. After 10 years of dying it, I really can't be arsed any more, but I've almost always done it myself.

If you do it yourself, make sure you buy everything you might need first so you don't have to dash out to the shops with weird hair.

Pre-lighten it (I use Jerome B stuff with 40% peroxide), then use another blonde on top (something like "ash" in the name not "honey" - the honey ones make it go ginger). You might need to do one of these steps twice to get it a nice colour. Then, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use Manic Panic Snow White semi-permanent dye, or else your hair will be brassy and yellow and grim.

By the time you've bought all of this stuff, you're more or less better off just going to the hairdressers and getting them to do it to be honest!

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LadyOfTheCuntryManor · 27/05/2011 17:38

If you go ahead and do it, and it goes wrong, can you post a picture up?

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TakeMeDrunkImHome · 27/05/2011 17:37

I have done it myself and my hair is naturally red. Took a couple of boxes of dye to get it right but it didn't go orange/green.

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MizzyFizzy · 27/05/2011 17:34

I've used the ColourB4 stuff.

Naturally very dark hair with probs 20% grey...was using a warm choc brown hair dye and wanted to remove it as my shoulder length hair had gone very, very dark on the ends.

It does/did work on my hair...the only problem is that even a dark brown dye has some bleach in it to make the dye take to your hair (if a permanent coulour) so when the dark brown bit of the dye is remove my natural very dark hair was orange due to the mild bleaching of the dye.

I then had to use a 24 wash colour over the top of my orange hair in an ash based light brown to blend the orange glow away. The Colour B4 people recommend using a wash in wash out toner to calm down the orangey effects....I did that and it didn't work.

The instructions even warn you about the orange look....so be warned have a 24 wash ashy colour in reserve just in case. Wink

Good Luck!

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MumblingRagDoll · 27/05/2011 16:53

Thanks Garlicbutter and disco...thanks everyne for tips.

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MumblingRagDoll · 27/05/2011 16:51

Just googled it and have sent DH to Boots.....am excited as reviews look great and at the moment I would be very happy to get back to something close to my original light brown....at least then I could dye it paler.

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discobeaver · 27/05/2011 16:46

Is it Colour B4? You can get it in boots, supposed to take dye out, although not certain dyes I thinkthe Live colour ones, dont come out with it apparently.

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MumblingRagDoll · 27/05/2011 16:29

Can you garlicbutter??? Can you REALLY? Where do I find this colour stripper then?? That's what I really need! To get a cleanish slate!

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LittleJennyRobyn · 27/05/2011 16:07

I used to do mine years ago, although i didn't go completely blonde in one go, i used to highlight it but every time i did my roots i would dye more of the un-highlited bits so eventually ended up blonde.

I used Smart colour Blonde and Jerome Russell B Blonde which dyed my very dark hair to a lovely blonde. these are both suitable for very light to very dark hair and no need for a pre-lightener.

Saved myself a fortune over the years.

In fact i was toying with the idea of highlighting again for the summer.

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garlicbutter · 27/05/2011 15:55

I do mine :) DIY products are really good these days. You can even get colour remover, to strip out the brown you've been using. Go for it!

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discobeaver · 27/05/2011 15:51

Yes after you have done all the bleaching and dying, I think i used a silver shampoo once a week or so, just keeps any yellow/ brassy tones away.

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LDNmummy · 27/05/2011 13:47

As someone who also studied hairdressing way back when, I would say do it in stages if you are doing it at home. It will minimise any possible damage and allow you to gauge just how light you want to go. Have you done a strand test yet? You may find that your hair will damage and frizz and a strand is easier to cut out than having to cut everything off.

And yes, make sure you have a friend with you will not panic and make you feel unsure of what is happening. You will need that person to help do the back most probably. Have you decided if it will suit your skin tone and features? I made a mistake of not checking once and looked washed out.

Good luck if you do it!

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cannydoit · 27/05/2011 13:19

i did it once, just awful. and looked bad on me its a drastic move. i promptly went out and bought some red with a scarf over my head. [shudders at memory]

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AngryFeet · 27/05/2011 13:14

Yes started with just highlights which went a funny colour so I asked him to come back to sort it and he put lots of bleach and a toner through it. So it looks now like it is bleach blonde. I disagree about the highlights though - if you do it with several colours it does not look stripy but I suppose a professional would have to do that.

You really should check out local beauty colleges. My friend has hers done at the salon of her local college and a full head and cut is £30 and looks really good.

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Callisto · 27/05/2011 13:10

Sorry, yes it is a pre-lightener.

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RevoltingPeasant · 27/05/2011 13:06

Mumbling I used to bleach my hair myself when I was a teen/ early 20s and it looked fine - admittedly I was going for a 'punky' rather than coiffed look.

You might try if there is a university near you, the campus hairdressers. These are often independent hairdressers but have to be cheap to cater to students.

Alternatively, rather than getting it done by a hairdresser the first time, do it yourself BUT promise yourself that if it all goes horribly wrong you will spend the money getting it put right.

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MumblingRagDoll · 27/05/2011 13:03

Jas...I don't know if I would be devestated...I might have at 14 or 15 but at 34? Nah. It's a calculated risk...I can't wear short hair...I have VERY thick hair and it always "mushrooms".

disco d you mean after bleaching I should use a silver shampoo?

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MumblingRagDoll · 27/05/2011 13:01

Lightening kits? Is that pre-lightner? I will look at mobile hairdressers now...thanks for th tip!

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Jas · 27/05/2011 13:00

How upsetting would it be if it all went wrong? If you would be devastated, then don't do it. If , like me, you would just cut it shorter and try something different next time then give it a go!

I did recently bleach mine to a pale orange before dying it red though, so will not be offended if you ignore my opinion!Grin

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discobeaver · 27/05/2011 13:00

If you want to avoid brassy tones use a silver shampoo or rinse it keeps it pale and lovely.
I can only use my experience but I definitely didn't have patches or looked like a freak! But I love dying my hair so will usually say " do it!" to most dye questions.

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Callisto · 27/05/2011 12:58

Maybe find a mobile hairdresser who will be cheaper? I would be very wary about bleaching your hair - it does it no good. But, the only way to go lighter is to bleach. You could try one of those lightening kits and then put another lighter colour on top? Good luck.

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