Anyone who blondes at home, advice please...

[ScarletLadyOfTheNight01]

I've always home-coloured, but whenever I've been blonde (I like it as white as I can) I've done it with straight bleach.

However, when I was pregnant I decided I'd had enough of white/bleach upkeep so I started on a journey of pink...then red...then purple...then red again...

I'm now trying to get back to white, but obviously my hair has a random mix of permanent and semi-perm dyes on it. I've done 3 full head bleaches and a bleach bath over the last two months. My mid-lengths are still a little peachy and it's driving me a bit mad.

I'm thinking a platinum box dye might help even out the colour, and I know my hair can take it, but I've never gone blonde with a box dye so was wondering if anyone can recommend one for me? I'm looking for as cool a blonde as possible, as light as possible. I don't want it to be yellow, and I will be toning it afterwards, but any recommendations will be appreciated.

I'd like to add, to anyone who is freaked out at what I'm doing, it is done under the advice of a hairdresser friend and I do know what I'm doing...honest

I find that the schwarzkopf xxl range to be good. Their cool/light blonde is great (I go from dark, to red, to blonde a lot, do understand the orange/gold/peach bits). Can't recall the name of it exactly.

Basically if you look for 00 or 01 in most dye names you should be good.

I was going to use XXL as a first choice, as that's the dye I used to go purple and red. I just wasn't sure if there was a better one for blonde, so thanks for that.

The colour I get with bleach is great, but the upkeep is hard work on your own head, and I am in no position to pay someone else to do it.

Hi, im also very blonde but mine has gone a bit yellowey and ive decided i want to go a chocolate blonde colour! Do u have any advice for this as i do bad jobs at home with the blonde but cant afford a hairdresser
Sorry if ive took over your feed

I've only ever been white blond, I can advise you in getting rid of the yellow if you want to stay more blonde though

Yes please! Mines awful at the minute. Really brassy!

Sorry to hi jack slightly ...those of you who have gone from red to blonde, how'd you do it without a disaster?

I want to get back to blonde from my current bright red.

Hi BonkeyMollocks (love the name) - Hijack away! I've done it recently as I said. I was using various Live XXL permanent red and purple. One full head bleach took my roots and tips to bright yellow and my mid-lengths to nuclear orange...NIIIIICE!! But unfortunately it's a necessary evil if you want to do it properly. Next bleach (leave it at least two weeks... preferably longer, I left it a month )just faded it a lot more. One side of my head is shaved so that bit got white quite quickly. One more bleach and it's basically platinum/white at the roots and tips and the mid lengths are pale peach coloured. Bear in mind, this is MY hair and everyone's is different. I would only recommend doing a bleach yourself once you've done some research and PLEASE strand test. Also, always use the weakest strength bleach that you can. In between bleaches, condition the crap out of your hair. Get some repairing masques etc...treat your hair well...anything with coconut oil is good for repairing damage. If your hair is stretchy when wet, and doesn't spring back when you let go, you have broken the bonds and really fucked you hair so leave it the hell alone if you get to this point (I never have, but I am careful). You can also do bleach baths once you get to a light-ish colour, to get rid of the remnants of colour. To do a bleach bath, you basically take the amount of shampoo you would normally use (get a cheap clarifying shampoo for this, Alberto Basalm will do for £1, it doesn't need to be moisturising or anything). Mix into the shampoo around half the amount of mixed up bleach (ie a small amount of powder bleach and developer). Lather up like a shampoo (use gloves) leave on for 10-15 minutes and rinse. This is a very weak beaching process that will only be noticeable if it's already blonde...it's just for getting your hair that bit lighter, and gently removing tint. Toning takes care of most of the brassiness. I'll tell more about toning shortly so I can include...

Poppykat1 - I use the purple/silver shampoo range (called Pro-Voke) from Savers. They have a toning shampoo (don't leave it on too long or your hair will go either purple if it's very light, or what I would imagine would be a muddy grey colour if your hair is a darker blonde). If this does happen from over toning (it can happen with any toner, which is in effect a weak purple dye) then a quick shampoo should sort it out. If you don't have a Savers near you, you can either use the John Frieda range for bleached hair (not sure what it's called, it's in purple and silver packaging I think). Just look for anything in purple or silver packaging! Superdrug do a great toner, it's called Cool Effect Wash In Wash Out Colour (or something like that). It's 97p for a tube and I could get a couple of months of use out of it on my chin length hair. The colour you want is 8.1. Failing that, you can order a toner form Directions, Manic Panic or similar, but I think that's a waste of money to be honest.

PHEW...sorry for long post, I could talk about hair all day (not that you'd notice). Any questions or if I haven't been clear, please ask

Thanks, another quick question , if I go darker rather thank blonde, chocolate brown maybe?? would it work or would it be a.mess? Any easier?

Bit undecided about which way to.go.

I genuinely don't know...I've never been brown. It would probably be easier to be honest. Are you permanent red? From what I understand about colour theory, most browns are red based anyway so you may even be able to just stick a brown on top and be fine...but I've never done it.

Yup put permanent brightish red onto natural blonde.

My hair doesn't take colour well, it fades fairly fast and I cba with the upkeep of red. Plus it looks ridiculous when blonde roots come through

Maybe I will look into brown for a bit.

Thanks for your info :)

No problem, glad to be of help

Thank you!
Im sure we have a savers so will look out for that toner