Tips for Coloring and Bleaching Your Hair At Home

Hi! Sorry I really wanted to have a tutorial up today but (don't laugh) I have a zit really close to my eye and it's kinda hard to put makeup up on or even feel like putting makeup on when it hurts. So I thought I would share some of my cosmetology knowledge with you to hopefully help you with some questions about dyeing or bleaching your hair at home.
 

Ok so first things first let's pretend you are not buying box color and you are going to Sally's. You look at the swatches and you find the color you like. It has a 5 on the box. Most of the time a number is the level. Hair color is in levels. 1 being black and 10 being very light blonde. So a 5 is right in the middle. Usually a light brown. Also another thing you need to know about is tone. For example let's say you are using Ion Color Brilliance and it says 5.3. Ok so 5 means the level but whats the 3? In Ion 3 means gold undertones. Some color lines are easier to read and others are harder for example my Kenra box says 7 Gold. I think Ion usually has the color there too though so it should say light gold brown so you know it has gold tones. Also another thing to keep in mind when picking out a color and looking at swatches is those swatches started out white to show you the purest form of the color. It's a lot like putting a white eyeshadow base down before applying a bright orange eyeshadow. So chances are it is isn't going to turn out 100 % like the swatch. Also there is lots of different kinds of dye. So there is semi, demi , and permanent. Semi is only going to last a few washes. I recommend this if you are looking for a subtle change. Demi is longer lasting and I should mention these are both deposit only. Meaning it only deposits color. So don't put it on your dark brown hair expecting blonde because it won't change. You pretty much only use it at the same level of color you have or darker. Next is permanent. Need I say more? Well actually yes. So obviously this is permanent and the longest lasting of the choices. Permanent can lift and deposit color. So if you are a 7 and want to be a 9 you can use permanent color. Some brands you will however notice (like Ion have liquid and creme color). To me liquid is a little easier to use and you need less product but creme isn't as messy is more like what most other professional lines are. Its personal preference there. One little tip when in doubt go lighter. It's easy to go darker but harder to go lighter. And lastly one more time of dye. Chances are you have heard of Manic Panic or Special Effects. Those dyes are more like a stain and don't require a developer which leads into my next topic.

 Ok so you pick out your color and the associate asks "Did you need developer?' And you're like what? If you walk around Sally's or have some basic knowledge of hair color you will or have seen this.

This is a bottle of developer and unless you are using a vegetable dye you are going to need this. You will see a few different kinds. 10 vol, 20 vol, 30 vol, 40 vol, 50 vol, liquid and creme.

So let's start with 10 vol. 10 vol technically is suppose to give you one level of lift. Let's be honest though usually this is what you want if you mostly just want to deposit color. Some brands do however have a developer that is strictly deposit only like Aveda. Next is 20 vol. This is technically going to lift two levels. This does lift and then deposit your color. And I think we get that 30 is 3 levels, 4 is four levels, and 50 is 5. So usually 10 or 20 will do the job. I have only used 40 twice in my very short time of doing hair. Once on a mannequin for the heck of it and once on a client using a high lift blonde which is a whole other thing. I have never used 50. Usually if you are a level 7 and you want to be a 9 you would use 20 or 30 vol. So you can see the most of the time a 50 vol is not going to be needed in most cases. Also always follow the mixing directions. Most of the time it's 1:1 but in some cases it is 1:2.  Also make sure you have the right developer. For example, Kenra has a special 9 vol for their demi line. Understanding what you need is essential.

 

Another coloring product you have probably heard of is bleach. Bleach basically lifts color. Bleach is probably the scariest thing to do at home but if you have some basic knowledge it goes a lot better. So bleach can be used to for highlights, to lighten your hair slightly, or to go bleach blonde. So the rules for developer I wouldn't say quite apply to bleach. Usually on clients even with level 5 hair I can get there hair to a level 10 with bleach and 20 vol. Sometimes it requires 30 depending on your hair type and how much color you have on your hair. Talk to an employee if you aren't sure what developer to get. They should help you. Bleach does not have an exact processing time like color. Its more about watching for the color you want. A lot of bleaches will say not to go like more than 45 min. Listen to this. Bleach continues to process until it is rinsed out. It's also pretty damaging if you do it several times so try to avoid that. I will say it is hard to get a one all over color with bleach. Usually you will have spots that are more yellow and sometimes toner doesn't always help. If you are attempting to go like one shade of like platinum blonde I HIGHLY recommend finding a good stylist that is good with blond hair. On that note toner can help a lot. But if your hair is the color of a pumpkin I wouldn't expect to be platinum blonde with just toner. Believe it or not your orange hair has a level and usually orange is not light enough for platinum. Bleach lifts in shades. I won't go through that to add to the confusion. But basically if you want platinum blonde you want your hair to be the color of the inside of a banana (that very light slightly yellow shade). Also toner can be tricky too. I personally don't really recommend buying toner until you know what you are dealing with. By that I mean if your hair is orange you are going to want to look at the color wheel. What is across from orange? Blue! Blue will neutralize the warmth. What is across from yellow? Purple! So you see what I mean? That's why a salon is nice because they have all of those products there ready for whatever the turn out. It helps to know where you are and where you want to go. Also one more thing I want to talk about is soap capping/ bleach washes. This is basically mixing bleach with shampoo and warm water and letting it sit for a few minutes. NO DEVELOPER. Bleach does have a slight bit of lift on it's own. This is usually good if your for example a level 7 and want to lighten it to a 8. It will slightly lighten the hair. It is still damaging but not as bad as mixing bleach with developer.

 

I think that covered most of what I wanted to share. I also want to share that I am not responsible for what you do to your hair or someone else's. I just thought I would share some general knowledge to help you on the right path if you are coloring or bleaching your hair. If you have more questions I can try to answer them. I hope you guys enjoyed this and I will try to post a tutorial tomorrow. Thank you for reading!

-Eat Sleep Makeup