WHY did I decide to go blonde? Well I’ve always wanted to and never had the guts, and I finally thought to myself: why NOT? To quote my friend Sara -
“You’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did”
The process was long, and I had to fit the steps in as I had time.
Clairol Professional BW2 Dedusted Extra Strength Powder Lightener
Clairol Kaleidocolors powder lightener in Violet (in hindsight, I should have just used this throughout)
Pure White Extra Lift 20 Volume and 30 Volume Creme Developers
Loreal Superior Preference les Blondissimes Extra Light Ash Blonde LB01
This account is very detailed and will walk you through an extensive step-by-step of how I did everything. Note that it is very helpful to have a friend help you through the process to avoid missing any spots, and also remember: this is just how I did it, mistakes and successes included.
Day 0
Don’t wash your hair the day before or the day of the first process. The natural oils from the scalp can actually work to protect your hair from this damaging experience you’re about to put it through, so try and start with about 2-days of not washing.
Day 1
Before starting – De-tangle and divide hair into 5-8 sections and clip up
Steps
1. Mixing
Mix equal parts 30 Volume developer with BW2 powder lightener (about 2 oz each) in a plastic bowl. (You’re only mixing enough for your hair NOT including roots. You’ll mix a separate batch for your roots).
2. Starting Application in Back
Un-clip a back section and use a brush to apply bleach to that section working from the bottom-up (start from the ends of the hair and work your way slowly up the strand) but stay away from the roots. You can repeat this process on the remaining back sections.
3. Moving to the Front
Now move on to front sections. Work with one section at a time and repeat the same process as you did on the back sections.
4. Combing and Re-applying as Needed
Use a medium-to-wide tooth comb to comb through all of your hair which should now be processing. Do not tug or pull, and start from the bottom of each section, working your way up gently. This is to help spread the bleach evenly through each section (have a friend go through and check that each area is evenly coated; reapply to areas that need it).
5. Waiting Around
Depending on how light you’re trying to go, let the mix process. You can test a small strand to see how it’s developing; once it’s abouthalf as light as you want, move on to step 6 (I waited about 15-20 minutes before moving on)
6. Mixing (Part II)
Mix a fresh blend of developer and lightener (make less because this is only for your roots). This time, make your mix with the 20 volume since it’s for the roots, which need less intense lifting.
7. Applying to the Roots
Now it’s time to add mixture to your roots, so use your brush to start applying it. You can use the back end of your brush (or the tip of a comb) to part your hair and get your roots all over. Again, helpful to have a friend get the back of your head for you.
8. Waiting Around (Part II)
Generally you can eye-ball this, but after another 30 minutes I decided to be done. My hair appeared orangey in sections and yellow in others.
9. Wash Yo Hair
Use lukewarm water and work into a lather to initially get the bleach out. Then, add a mild shampoo to re-lather and rinse clean.
10. Deep Condition
Now my hair looked like fiery autumn leaves (I promise, NOT the look I was going for) so I deep conditioned (left it on about 5 minutes then rinsed) and towel dried gentle. I rubbed in some leave-in conditioner and went to sleep.
When you’re done with today, your hair should be a nice and ridiculous orange.
If it looks even mildly appealing in this picture, assume it’s a trick of the light, because IRL it looked like insanity.
Day 2
I used foils to put more bleach throughout my hair.
With bleach on various sections to add dimension and lighten more areas
Day 3
I repeated the entire bleaching process again.
After I let it process and then washed my hair, I used toner (I used 1 part toner for 2 parts 20-vol developer).
The final product looked a little like this…
Above: me with the final product, blonde with dimension
Some considerations & a disclaimer…
I know it’s unpopular to display a do as I say, not as I do attitude, but in spite of everything I’ve done, I have to insist: please think very carefully about doing this at home. Even if you consider yourself an expert you likely aren’t, and going to an experienced colorist with a solid education in color theory will pay dividends in the form of your hair’s lasting health.
Please be advised that bleaching is notorious for the damage it can cause, and there’s a pretty high likelihood that you will fry your hair. That said, this is the method that I used and this post is meant to be taken as a personal account rather than as advice.
Last Thoughts…
After spending little more than a week as a blonde, I was ready to go back to dark hair, and the process of going from bleached blonde hair back to your naturally dark shade is just as daunting as going bottle-blond… but I’m still in the process!
Hope everything I’ve shared helps!
** A very special thank you to my friend Sara for her tips.
To view more pictures of me as a blonde, check out this post.