Home Hair Dye Help!

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  • ThePersnicketyOtter
    ThePersnicketyOtter Posts: 147 Member
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    The best way to do it is probably to bleach it to be semi-light, not like WHITE, but decently light, and then dye it with blonde dye over that to get the shade you want. If yuo put blonde DYE over dark hair, it doesn't really do anything (in my experience).
  • itsjustdawn
    itsjustdawn Posts: 1,073 Member
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    I'm just excited that you spelled "dyed" correctly :-) Good luck!!
  • jboccio90
    jboccio90 Posts: 644 Member
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    Only use a box if your hair is virgin, meaning never been colored or does not have existing color on the ends

    Boxes are designed for virgin hair, when going darker it does not matter because you are just adding to it. Hair color is not designed to lift previously colored hair.

    Will a box make your hair lighter? sure, but it will NOT be even, you WILL have hot roots and it will look nothing like the box pictures

    You will have to bleach then tone it for best results

    Also, like someone suggested GO TO SALLYS! it is about the same price.
  • Temple_Fit
    Temple_Fit Posts: 299 Member
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    I am a professional and I don't suggest you do it yourself. Bleach can be tricky! If it is the cost you are worried about I would suggest to go to see when your local beauty school will be doing a color class and be a volunteer or call around to your local salons or professional hair care stores and see if they need a hair model.
  • rachaela06
    rachaela06 Posts: 167
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    Professional stylist should do it, going lighter at home is asking for trouble. Be sure you are honest about what color you have used in the past, even if it has been a long time, that can affect the outcome of any color service.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I do my own hair at home - all over color and highlights. I've never had a disaster, but will agree that blond is tricky.

    You said in your first post that you want to go 'a bit more blonde' for summer & mentioned highlights - if you're familiar with hair color then it might not be too tricky. I get all my stuff at Sally Beauty supply so when I do all over color I have control over my base color (blue, green violet) which helps combat the red/orange and gets the blond I'm going for.

    I usually add a few highlights by pulling my hair through a cap (I just do my crown, and pull hair through every other hole, depending on how much color I want) and using bleach - works great for me every time. I'm usually pretty conservative with it, because I figure if I want more highlights, I can always add more.
  • rl1421
    rl1421 Posts: 9
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    I've been back and forth between blonde and dark auburn for years. When I go darker, I always do it myself, but I leave it to the professionals to take it back blonde. There's just too much room for disaster.
  • frootcat
    frootcat Posts: 194 Member
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    Heeey, can I butt in a little here? My 10 year old daughter wants to go hot pink for the summer. I'm ok with that in theory, my hair has been all over the do-it-yourself rainbow, but this is MY BABY'S hair... I don't want to damage it too much, and I don't really want it to be a ... giant production, if you know what I mean.

    As I recall, that kind of dye works best on non-virgin hair, right? And it lightens pretty easily, but come school time it would probably have to be color-corrected back to a natural shade, right? Otherwise it will be some yucky shade of dull pink (and I'm not a cool enough mom for her to wear her hair like that, or bright pink, to school).

    Or have they come out with better temporary dyes that we could use without lightening first, that would last a month or so?
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I am a professional and I don't suggest you do it yourself. Bleach can be tricky! If it is the cost you are worried about I would suggest to go to see when your local beauty school will be doing a color class and be a volunteer or call around to your local salons or professional hair care stores and see if they need a hair model.

    That was going to be my suggestion.
  • fuzz_pawz
    fuzz_pawz Posts: 106
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    Honestly? I think going blond should be left to the professionals. Put down the box and get thee to a salon!

    Completely agreed! It's often difficult to properly lighten once hair...there are "lightening" kits you can buy that may be easier than an actual dye if you're doing it at home.

    I don't go lighter, I'm always dying dark...but when I wanted lighter streaks and I used bleach to do it...was a disaster...I do not recommend attempting bleach on your own... it will be patchy...best to have a salon help you.
    You could always try the streaking kits though...usually a plastic cap where you pull small chunks of hair through holes and bleach the exposed hair.
    Also a good idea to have a helper on that so it's even all around your head.

    With that being said, Yes, dye works best on virgin hair, especially if you're trying to go lighter.
    If your hair has been processed and color treated (especially numerous times), a lighter dye.. A) won't take to the hair as well and B) likely won't be the color you expect it to be.
  • mlewon
    mlewon Posts: 343 Member
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    I do my own.

    I do agree to go to a professional though. Unless you really plan to research what you are doing.

    I did A LOT of research before I started doing my own. There is A LOT to learn about going from dark to light. I got it down pat now.

    But it was a lot of trial and error.


    PS Weather you are going to use a darker or a lighter color NEVER USE BOX DYES. (like you get from a drug store) They are filled with crap that is horrible for you. Go to Sally's and buy everything you need. It isn't anymore expensive at all.


    yesss. I'm planning on doing a bit more research and definitely going to sallys if I decide to do it myself!
  • mlewon
    mlewon Posts: 343 Member
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    I'm just excited that you spelled "dyed" correctly :-) Good luck!!

    hahaha thanks!
  • Blaqheart
    Blaqheart Posts: 235
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    Heeey, can I butt in a little here? My 10 year old daughter wants to go hot pink for the summer. I'm ok with that in theory, my hair has been all over the do-it-yourself rainbow, but this is MY BABY'S hair... I don't want to damage it too much, and I don't really want it to be a ... giant production, if you know what I mean.

    As I recall, that kind of dye works best on non-virgin hair, right? And it lightens pretty easily, but come school time it would probably have to be color-corrected back to a natural shade, right? Otherwise it will be some yucky shade of dull pink (and I'm not a cool enough mom for her to wear her hair like that, or bright pink, to school).

    Or have they come out with better temporary dyes that we could use without lightening first, that would last a month or so?

    Look around at Sally's Beauty they can answer this question best. The only one i know of manic panic, but you have to lighten hair first with their Flashlighter kit.
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
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    if you are looking for cost effectiveness, then all i can really recommend is start out with a professional...get them to do it in a salon and asks LOTS of questions about your hair and hte process....LOTS of questions...

    then if you feel confident enough, try and find a student hairstylist who will do it for a fraction of the cost, with your learning curve and her education, it should go ok.

    But blonde is the one that you can screw up really really bad, and coming back from the cliff of a blonde mistake is expensive. So I totally agree with the previous posters about going to a salon...especially for first time blonde experiments
  • Presley0381
    Presley0381 Posts: 88
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    My sister, who has naturally very light brown hair, decided to dye it black and hated it!! She didn't have enough money to go to a Salon and instead went to Sally's and bought a Color Lifter. Her hair did not turn brassy or break. She's back to a nice light brown and her hair actually came out very nice. I'm considering doing the same thing to go lighter because I too have black hair and have considered going reddish brown. Try Sally's :wink: Good luck!
  • dnitcher
    dnitcher Posts: 4 Member
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    32 year professional hairstylist and master colorist here. One level lighter or darker is okay to do on your own if your hair is virgin. Virgin means NO NONE NADA chemicals on your hair. Not the last month, 2 months ago 6 months ago... Try one year if your hair is 6" or shorter. Other then that, you are looking to be disappointed. We have trained for years to do what we do.. Its no joke. So when you "F" it up, come on in , we will be happy to fix it for you at 500% the normal price.
  • EstherTalia
    EstherTalia Posts: 3
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    I currently use a thirty volume developer with L'Oreal Blondes Extreme (or Extreme Blonde?), but I'm only doing my roots and my hair lifts fairly easily. I agree that you should go to a pro if you're doing an all over blonde from a darker color. I've been through major hair disasters in the past, and while I've achieved a nice blonde on my own using bleach and a toning color, it's very tricky and also very easy to overlap color later and wind up with breakage. I won't use bleach anymore.
  • missxjuicy
    missxjuicy Posts: 205 Member
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    For highlights at home: Try Revlon Frost & Glow for medium to dark brown hair. Gave me the perfect highlights.

    With that you can start lighting your hair slowly. After, I had them in, I decided I wanted to go blonde at home but, no box lighten it more than a light brown to dark blonde.

    I decided to just go to the salon and get it lightened. Came out great w. the already highlights I had in. I went back maybe one more time for all over to make it a bit lighter. However, I didn't want to keep spending so much money on touch-ups.

    I found out: I could use: L'oreal super blonde to touch up my roots and then any L'oreal dye in medium ash blonde (my fav color) never turns brassy and haven't been back to a colorist since. I can now achieve it at home & have been blonde for a year and a 1/2.
  • SwimTheButterfly
    SwimTheButterfly Posts: 265 Member
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    I used to sell art supplies in Seattle and one of my co-workers had super beautiful long blond hair. I almost fell over when she said her natural color was a light brown. She used Preference by L'Oreal , which also owns Lancome. Anyway, once she dyed it , she only touched up her roots. You could try it? I would try one of those kits with the highlights too.

    But, in general, if I were to go really blond . I would trust it to a pro.

    :flowerforyou:
  • astorminside
    astorminside Posts: 58 Member
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    yesss. I'm planning on doing a bit more research and definitely going to sallys if I decide to do it myself!

    i love the Ion products at sally's! every Ion product i've tried, all for different things (shampoo, bleach, dye, etc) does exactly what is is supposed to and does it really well. it's a bit pricey though.

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