Subtle 'balayage' using this???

[youvegottobekidding]

I have at the moment, light/mid golden brown hair colour, which has been coloured. It's just past collar length.

I've had blonde highlights before, where my hair has looked blonde. Streaked blonde that is & also had highlights where it just didn't suit me.

However, I'd like to try a really subtle blonding (if that is a word?!) just towards the ends of my hair, kind of a balayage effect, so my overall hair remains this light brown colour but I have soft blond peices around the ends, a bit like the picture.

Do you think it's achievable using this? I'd go to the hairdressers but OH has banned me as I've paid £££ in the past only to of come out disliking what they done & coloured it a week later!

I'm not sure whether to go ahead & give this a go myself or see how much a salon would charge - actually showing them this pic of what I want so there's no misunderstanding & no surprises!

Has anyone used this kit before & how did it turn out? I know it comes with a cap but obviously I wouldn't be using that.

I did mine with a highlighting kit with a cap over a few uses. I did the highlights from the ears down and then topped up every few weeks starting higher up/fueryher down depending on what I wanted to achieve

Have you tried L'Oreal Sunkissed Jelly, that would do similar highlighting to frame the face and ends.Someone mentioned it on another thread.

I would strongly recommend doing a strand test as the bleach in this may not lift your brown hair to more than a ginger shade. Decant a small amount ( approx.equal measures) of the dye and developer on to a saucer, mix and apply to a small strand test the day before. You may need to leave it on longer than advised but do not exceed an hour.

To achieve a balayage effect at home it's easiest to pour a little onto your finger tips and apply to sections of your hair, concentrating on the mid lengths and ends. Pull the dye through small sections with your finger tips. Apply sparingly, you can always go again at a later date.
It would work best if your hair is curly or in a slightly messy style, simply because any small mistakes will be obvious in poker straight hair.

There are You Tube tutorials online for diy balayage that would give you some good tips.

Okay so I'm doing it right now! Ive decided on the cap method, although I've pulled hair all the way through, I've only applied the bleach from ear length down - I'm kind of hoping it won't leave a severe 'ombre line' - as I've got the cap on so I've pulled only small sections of hair through iukwim?

I've had the bleach on for for about 45 mins & I've checked it & to me it still looks slightly yellowy golden so I reckon a full hour should do it! DS had just said I look hiilarious & DD has just asked what has happened to my hair & why haven't I done it all?!!! My kids have no faith in me when it comes to my hair - they have seen many a hair disaster!!

So a photo within the hour, yes?

Ooh I really like the hair in the first photo. Please show the results!

Ha ha, I don't know if I am that brave, depends on the outcome! Knowing me, I've made a right bollocks of it all 😂 I'll never learn & husband will be huffing & puffing, will just have to shove a plum in his mouth!

OMG! I think I have excelled myself this time! Oh dear. Looks like I'm off to Boots this afternoon 😂. It's awful. I have a band of yellow running across the bottom & orangey-yellow down the sides. I look like a cross between a canary & a tiger. FFS, I'm an idiot!

I'm thinking nice n easy medium golden brown all over? Or just a natural light brown? If I got an ash brown would the orangey yellow parts look green? Help!

Photo!!

You should leave this sort of stuff to the professionals as this was only going to turn your hair ginger or yellow.

You need to get a warm brown over it or it'll go green

Oh dear

Doesn't look 'as bad' on photos!

Maybe light ash brown will be better, do I get a permanent or a semi? I'm not bothered about having blonde bits in the front anymore, I just want one colour hair again & not look like a wild species! (Trust me, my hair is yellow on the ends!)

Balayage is hand painted so you'd need to do it freehand and rub the line between your natural colour and the bleach.

Bleach London is the best box bleach I've ever used from a store. Lifts to white blonde if left long enough (which can then be toned).

If over-colouring with brown be careful not to make you're hair green.

Asuspisiouspanda, I think I've learnt my lesson to stay away from the bleach!

So will I be safe with clairol's Medium golden brown in a semi permanent? It's warm but not too much red tones which I don't want to end up with.

Wow I would use a lot of conditioner, toner and a hair mask beforehand doing anything else.

Beforehand = before

It's a fairly specialist technique best left to experts, not mucking about in the bathroom with household bleach and a holey cap!

You've really dried it out now. I think you need to leave the box colours alone and get a good conditioner/hair mask to get some moisture back into it. Then regroup and see a professional!

Your hair looks very dry :/ get some coconut oil and leave on overnight. Don't dye until it is in a better condition.

This is why strand tests are best done when doing DIY colouring jobs.

If you decide to dye over it later, use a colour that has ASH in the colour name not golden or warm otherwise it will look even more orange.

I've got some good conditioning treatments so will be putting them on, hair looks worse than it actually is as I'd only just roughly blow dried it before taking those snapshots, but yes it's seen better days!

I'll cover it eventually with a brown semi, although I'm not very patient when I comes to my hair! Good job it's thick! My poor hair! Think I'll give it a very long rest from ANY colouring after I've sorted it, have it trimmed & just leave it alone!

I'd get it cut to as short as possible to get rid of the damaged hair tbh. Then just leave it alone apart from regularly trimming it to get rid of old hair and encourage new hair.

When you bleach your hair you strip the pigment out, all colours are made up of a base colour. For brown it's red (which is why your hair went ginger/yellow) to go back brown you need to build the colour back to brown.

So you need a red based brown, stay away from ash or neutral browns as it'll go green swampy brown