advice on bleaching dark hair please

random456

i have got dark brown hair and today bought a bleach which is specifically strong to lighten dark hair. i have done a strand test but the result is, as usual, orange. i see the toni and guy models with dark or black natural eyebrows but white hair, how do they achieve this?? i also have a couple of questions:

is there any way to minimise breakage whilst using bleach
why can you not use it on top of henna or red dye?
can you use straighteners on bleached hair or will it break it off


please answer asap as i am about to go for it lol!

impy78

I bleaced my hair and it was a disaster - it was like a bale of hay, and I looked like Myra Hindley.

It is sonething I wouldn't attempt myself again - I would go to the hairdressers.

random456

last time i did it with sun in-it didnt break but it went orange you see, so any advice appreciated-and i cant go to hairdressers so thats not in the equation really, its only the fringe i want to dye.

Karnam

i have black hair and went through a bright green or blue or red stage.

i used the jerome bleach, and the first time would generally go ginger (!) and then the 2nd bleach a few hours later (yes i bleached it twice in one day) would be white blonde. is that what you are looking for? my hair is quite strong and well cared for though and it managed ok with two bleaches.

random456

yeah ive left it on a strand test for abt 3 hrs, i wouldnt do that on my own hair but im just testing whether my hair would disintigrate or not (i cut some off and bleached that)-so far its light gignger. id be worried if i bleached it twice as my hair, although it doesnt break is very dried out.

System

I have very dark hair and went through a blonde phase a few years ago. Your hair has to go through various shades of colour to get to the desired shade. Yes orange is one of the shades - it scared me witless the first time i tried it myself. One of the best ones you can get is the Jerome Russel blonding kit. I found that the others i tried, didnt lift my colour enough.

This site gave me the encouragement and the inspiration to try it myself. I found the forum a mine of inspiration, and Rick the chemist was worth his weight in gold.

I stopped bleaching my hair as i wasnt very successful at doing it without help and the damage was awful, but i do miss having blonde hair.

random456

well i bleached my fringe today and left it on for the recommended 45 mins, it was the strongest pre lightener i could find and it went light ginger. i have covered it with pink (which i wanted to do anyway) but its not bright enough. if i bleach over it it might break. what do you recommend? is sun-in less harsh than powder bleach? opinions on bleacing over bleached hair please (by the way it hasnt wrecked, melted or broken, seems fine)

does any natural stuff work like camomile? really could do with advice, dont want to melt my hair off!

System

You may need to bleach it a number of times to get the lightening that you want. Also, i had to leave my bleach on at least an hour to get a shade i was happy with. It helps if you can heat your head too as it really speeds things up. You could try wrapping a hot towel round your head after you have put the cap over it. What colour is your hair naturally?

Sun In is a hairdressers worst enemy as it is so unpredictable. Saying that, i have tried it, and it didnt lift the colour of my hair and made it dry and frizzy.

Once you start bleaching your hair, you would need to invest in some decent products to help keep your hair in good condition. I used Aveda Sap Moss shampoo and conditioner and occasionally when i was desperate i used e45 on the ends of my hair. However, i still had breakage and was forced to keep it fairly short - but then again, my hair is very dark and yours may not need to be bleached as long as mine did.

random456

wont it melt if i leave it on longer than it says though? my hair is darkest brown.

System

Thats where a hairdresser comes in useful as she can check the lift and remove it at the earliest possible time. How light do you want to go?

Your hair wont melt exactly but will break off after numerous bleachings. Unfortunately that will go with the territory.

To be honest i wouldnt recommend going down the diy route.

random456

i just want it light enough so the pink i do over the top of it is true pink. i used sun in last time but had to do it 4 times and had a bit of breakage. its a bit bright at the min but has an orange tinge and the bleach i used made my hair go copper. i cant afford a hairdressers, not just to bleach my fringe anyway!