Bleaching hair at home?

[Bunny90]

Hi lovelies!

This is actually my first proper post here!

I have been taking my hair back to blonde after I stupidly died it chocolate brown. My hairdresser friend has been doing it at "mates rates" for me, only charging $80AUD for a full head of foils and toner (bargain! In my town, at a salon that would cos tme $150-180). The mates rates agreement was because I am always doing resumes, cover letters, helping out with hair assignments etc for her for free.

Problem is she has now got a chair at a salon, and although she had promised me she'd charge me that mates rate price until I am back to my usual light blonde, now may have to charge more, which I unfortunately can't afford at the moment.

Now, I am thinking the only option I have left is to do it at home,or be stuck with my current caramel/tan colour for my wedding next year, which if so, I would be devastated.

Any opinions??

[shellygrrl]

When next year is your wedding?

[Sheiky]

Bleaching your own hair is really not a good idea. Bleach will tear your hair up faster than anything. You could come up with some terrible color, or even worse break your hair. Its really not a good idea, neither are color strippers. Its always best to let a professional do it.

[Bunny90]

Shellygrrl - 7th July!

Sheiky - even with professional products? I'm feeling very stuck now as all our money is going toward bills and the wedding.

[Sheiky]

Its not really the product, its the skill. Its really hard to bleach your own hair. I don't want to tell you to go for it and then it end up being worse than it is now (like your hair breaking off). Bleach is just really damaging to hair, especially if you've put a darker color on and are trying to lighten it. I always try to talk my clients out of that because it really just kills the hair.

[Aro]

I can understand warning people about bleaching or colouring their own hair, given the amount of posts I've seen pop up on this forum about such things going wrong. Even if you don't end up seriously damaging your hair, you can end up with it lightening to a horrible colour.

I have thick coarse arse length black hair, and I've bleached and coloured it numerous times without issue, even having bleached my hair out to platinum blonde on several occasions without doing serious damage. So, I think it's completely possible to do your hair yourself without destroying it, however, I think that it takes a certain level of awareness about your own hair that most people don't have. This is not to be rude about what people know about their own hair, this is about the fact that hair dressers are trained and experienced professionals who should be able to assess your hair and choose a course of action that will work for your individual situation. As an example, most people look at my hair and see jet black, but a good hair dresser should see black with a very distinctive red undertone. That red undertone makes a huge difference in the way bleach will react on my hair, if I was simply to straight bleach my hair it would turn a brass colour rather than blonde, but if I bleach and then colour with a light caramel wash it counteracts this and leaves my hair a gorgeous natural looking golden blond. For the record, yes, this is in fact a technique a hairdresser taught me. Because your hair's coloured it's not simply about your natural colour, it's about how the dye that's already in it will react along with that natural colour.

If you're not confident in doing it yourself, I would highly suggest simply saving up to go to your friend. Personally, I think paying for peace of mind is worth it.

[Sheiky]

As an example, most people look at my hair and see jet black, but a good hair dresser should see black with a very distinctive red undertone. That red undertone makes a huge difference in the way bleach will react on my hair,

This exactly! I've seen people turn their hair orange and even big bird yellow because of this. Also, if your hair has different tones its not going to be one color when you bleach it like it does with regular color, this is why your hair dresser has been using a toner, which you would also need knowledge on how to use and what level toner you would need.

[Bunny90]

Thanks lovlies.

You all make really valid points. I have done it once with a supermarket brand, back when I was 15, no breakage, but alot of orange. She's also taken me lighter using foils so it's going to have tons of different tones (of orange!)

I was thinking now that she has lightened me significantly (I'm now a light tan/caramel) I could just go over the top, but I think to be safe is the better option. I'll just save up and get her to do it!

[LisaLuvsMAC]

Maybe you can ask hairdressing friend to give you a list of the products she using on your hair. It's very hard to recommend anything without knowing what your natural and current color looks like. If you truly know nothing at all when it comes to dyes/bleaches or the colorwheel then step away from the bottle!! Do some research first. Would your friend be willing to do your hair as a side job at her home? This way you get charged a lot less and she gets to pocket all the money.

If you slowly take your time going back to blonde you won't damage your hair and by next year it will be the color you want. When I go from Chocolate brown back to blonde it takes me a me about 4 months to get where I want it cause I don't take my time and I don't over process my hair.

Also you color now that's caramel color is it more a caramel brown or blonde?? You might be able to just use a Hilift hair color on that to get to blonde instead of bleach!! Like the Professional Clairol 12 AA with 30 volume.

[Sheiky]

You might be able to just use a Hilift hair color on that to get to blonde instead of bleach!! Like the Professional Clairol 12 AA with 30 volume.

Actually this most likely won't work. If she were coloring virgin hair and her natural color were a very light brown it probably would. But since she would be trying to color hair that is already colored this will not work. You cannot lift color with color. If that makes sense. And again, she could end up with some terrible color trying to use hi lift on top of color.

And as I said before, its not the product, its the skill. Sure some products out there are worse than others but if you have no knowledge of what it is you're using to start with it doesn't matter what brand you're using.

[Bunny90]

Maybe you can ask hairdressing friend to give you a list of the products she using on your hair. It's very hard to recommend anything without knowing what your natural and current color looks like. If you truly know nothing at all when it comes to dyes/bleaches or the colorwheel then step away from the bottle!! Do some research first. Would your friend be willing to do your hair as a side job at her home? This way you get charged a lot less and she gets to pocket all the money.

She refuses to let me do it myself, and I don't think she'll be able to do it at home as she said she couldn't anymore after she had started!

Also you color now that's caramel color is it more a caramel brown or blonde?? You might be able to just use a Hilift hair color on that to get to blonde instead of bleach!! Like the Professional Clairol 12 AA with 30 volume.

More of a caramel blonde than a brunette.


Sheiky - what about colour strippers? Are they basically the same thing?

I think I'll just have to find a way to get her to do it!

[LisaLuvsMAC]

Well I wish you the best of luck!! If you're already in the blonde family I think you'll have no problem getting to the blonde you want!! Don't stress!! I still suggest a Hilift blonde but that's just personal opinion!!! Last year when my hair was Kinda like a Ginger Blonde I used L'oreal Excellence Blonde Supreme with the Pro Keratine in 01 Extra Light Ash Blonde and it gave me the perfect blonde and left my hair super soft!!

[Sheiky]

Sheiky - what about colour strippers? Are they basically the same thing?

Color strippers are awful, do not use them. What it does it strip color like bleach would but it doesn't strip just the color it will strip your natural hair color also. I have not seen one person use a color stripper and it come out correctly. The way to use a color stripper is to apply it and then let it sit for an amount of time, then remove it, then applying color on top of it to correct what it has done, if that makes sense. It does strip color, its harmful to the hair in alot of cases. But to get any kind of wearable color you have to put color on after stripping the color from the hair, which is kind of defeating the purpose of what you want. A color stripper is essentially a type of bleach really, because that's what bleach does, it strips the hair of pigment.

[Bunny90]

All is well! I begged her enough that she's going to keep doing it at home for me, charge me $30 as long as I buy the bleach!!! We are going to do balayage on the ends to get them light enough as most of the roots are light as it is and my natural hair. Then we'll move onto a streaking cap instead of foils so she can watch the hair properly!

Sheiky - Colour Strippers sound scary now :S

Thanks LisaLuvsMAC!!

I feel like I've learnt so much from this thread. Really appreciate it lovlies!!

[Sheiky]

Color strippers ARE scary! lol

I'm so glad she's decided to do it for you. I would hated for you to have done this yourself and something awful happen. You know how us ladies are with our hair! I wouldn't even bleach my own hair, lol!