I want to add some highlights/balayage bits to my hair, which bleach do I use?

[Mrstumbletap]

Hi all,

I want to add some blonder pieces to my hair just in a few thin sections all around and a few in my front.

I have watched numerous you tube videos and feel confident enough to tackle it, but they are all American so the products are not what I can find in the UK.

So which bleach to I get? The volume number is different so I use 40? 20?

I have darkish brown hair I think I am a base 7/8? I already had balayage done about 6 months ago and loved it so just need to ad a few more.

These are all the different types and I'm not sure which I should get?

Or this one?

None of those. Jerome Russel kits are awful.

Check out Sally’s for powder bleach and developer. You do not need 40vol, no way. Most people only need 20.

Maybe look into a hi-lift product.
Its like a lightner/toner hybrid you mix with developer usually 20 vol.
Joico do good ones.
You can possibly buy on Amazon (i can no longer buy dye on amazon as I'm in NI but I think the rest of uk can)
These lift and tone at the same time

If you just lighten with bleach you could end up orange, especially with level 7/8 hair, and then trying to tone just the lightened bits on your own is a nightmare.

Google hi-lift and read up on it. Joico have lots of info sheets available online. Other big hairdresser brands like wella, schwarzkopf etc will too.

Dont use jerome Russell or bleach London they are too harsh and crap basically

Make sure you are sure you are confident and comfortable doing this. It will be expensive or a big chop to fix.

Also hair grows

(I'm not a hairdresser just a very enthusiastic home DIYer who over 20 years has done everything from melt her hair off to having really healthy dyed hair.)

What is the colour that you would lime to go?
With bleach you are stripping out the colour from your hair and will no doubt need a toner.
With tint you are putting colour in the hair and I would therefore say you had more choice. I would personally use a box tint of your chosen colour and go with that. A base of 7/8 Is probably a medium blond.

This is the colour I am, it's probably worse than this as this was as this was about 8 weeks ago.

My hair is just dull and boring and doesn't suit me anymore I dont think. I think some blonde pieces will lift it a bit. But dont want it to be orange, how do you ensure it doesn't do that?

I will look up those 2 recommendations now.

I think the reason I go for that supermarket Jerome Russel is it has it measured out.

With the Sally's and Joico ones I don't feel like I know what I am doing.

@70sduvet The Joico one looks like it's just a liquid is that right? Do you just put it straight on?

@LightsOff12 with the Sally's ones some are 500grams I'm thinking for hairdressers? And some are small sachets, not sure how much I would need 1 or 2? The Sallys website said to get 30 vol to go 3 shades lighter, would you agree?

If I were you, I'd use an ashy box dye. Something like Excellence 8.1 will lift a couple of levels and neutralise brassy tones.

You need to mix the joico with a developer
20 volume usually.
I think joico is 1:1
So I would weigh out say 50g of the joico and too with 50g of developer to make a total of 100g

Well, it takes a few years to train as a hairdresser/colourist but you've watched a few YouTube videos and are so confident you know what you're doing that you are having to ask on MN what bleach you should use. And then disagreeing with some of the posters about it!
Perhaps you should think again ...

Your hair is a lovely toned blonde op, don’t do anything to it at home, bleaching is for the experts only. You will ruin your beautiful hair.

Thanks @70sduvet so just 1:1. I will order both of those tonight.

@Beyondfedupnow that's very kind of you, it looks a lot duller and boring in real life!

I think you're bonkers OP. This is what trained hairdressers do. The chances of it going badly wrong are high.

And no hairdressers open to fix it!

mrstumbletap read the joico pdfs before you buy/start
As I said I'm not a hairdresser only a person whose done it and it's worked for me.
Please only do it if you are happy to live with the results if you don't get the placement right. All permanent dye is hard to fix.
I am very much of the opinion that hair grows and am happy to work through mishaps. If you aren't, your hair is lovely as it is and wait for a professional
Good luck 👍

If you do it please post pics. Go in easy you can always add more

Yes, stay away from the Jerome Russell!

I bleach my own hair at home - I use Schwarzkopf Blonde Me bleach powder with the Blonde Me developer in 20 volume. I use a lower volume so have to leave it on for longer, but I think it's better for the hair overall. You can get Blonde Me from Sally's.

To tone I use Loreal Dialight which I really like. I get that from Ebay.

I do my own hair....lots of practice and disasters in the past so know what to do now...40 volume plus bleach will work very fast and damage hair...20 or 30 vol is better but you may need to do it twice....i have used jerome russell stuff and it is harsh but then again all bleaches are....not sure a box dye will lift enough shades....most say they lift 2 or 3 levels but i have never noticed this when i used them...also buy the stuff on ebay as Sallys is expensive....ebay has the same items for a lot less money.