I currently have dyed black hair, and I want to go to a bright red color. So, I'll need to bleach it first.
I've decided to do it at home because going to the salon is too expensive and my mom would never pay for it!
So, I was looking for advice on bleaching my hair. A certain product that you would recommend? What do I do before and after the bleaching? Etc. etc. :) Thank you!
I'd stick to a 20 volume developer since you only need to lift your hair two or three levels to show the red. Black hair lifts red, so as long as you're watching your hair through the process you shouldn't have to worry about damage. You could rinse your hair with a pH restoring conditioner or something with moisture just to calm your hair down afterwards.
Okay, first off I have to warn you: The time-before-last when I bleached my own hair, when I dyed it lilac and teal from my natural hair color, I ended up giving myself a chemical burn. When I went from dyed black to purple a few years ago, I had to bleach my hair 4 times to get it light enough; needless to say, I destroyed my hair. I assume by "bright red" you mean something akin to Manic Panic/Punky Colours, and you do need to get your hair pretty much white to achieve the best results with anything like that. If you have any sort of orange or brassy tones left in your hair, they'll be evident even after you go over with the red and you won't get the color you want. Honestly I think that since you're trying to go from dyed black to bright red, you need to go to a salon. Just save your money or ask your mom to pay for it for your birthday/Christmas. It will be worth it to get at least the bleaching done correctly so that you know your hair will turn out the way you want.
Now that I'm done with my bleach lecture, I have some suggestions for you if you do decide to do it at home. First, get Color Oops (I believe that's what it's called) and get out as much of the dye you currently have in as you can. I've only seen this at CVS but you can probably find it at other drug stores. Nice 'n Easy has a great bleaching kit you can pick up in drugstores. I'd recommend you get the maxi version to help lift any remaining dye, because black dye is pretty hard to get out, especially if it's old. I would also recommend toning with the Jerome Russell Punky Colours toner, which you can find at Ulta or on Amazon. Just an FYI, the Punky Colours tubs are rather small and you may need more than one. Also be prepared to have to bleach more than once. You might be walking around with funky hair for a while if you go the DIY route. And as for after care, you'll need to invest in some good deep conditioners. I recommend Palmer's Coconut Protein Packs (at Target/Walmart). Also try not to use heat on your hair if possible. Your hair is gonna need some TLC after all of this. For washing, get some sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, preferable something for colored hair. L'oreal has a great sulfate-free line. Be prepared to see a lot of dye run in your shower, because for some reason reds/pinks seem to wash out for a long time.
Okay, that's the end of my novel! Best of luck to you!
I bleached my hair with Splat and it turned out great. And I also dyed it bright red. It was gorrrrgeous! Pretty much any bleach product will do some damage to your hair. Oh and you can leave in the red longer than recommended. Those colors don't damage hair. And leaving it in longer makes it last a lot longer. Especially since red fades super fast.
Be careful lightening your hair. Do a deep conditioning treatment every week or so to prevent dryness. Just warning you. It's hard to lift red hair if you go back to a dark color. Just saying.
I have three manic panic colors in my hair currently and hair that is almost black that has been bleached numerous times both at home and in a salon. As mentioned above, your hair is going to take a beating. Manic Panic actually makes a home bleaching kit that is pretty good but your hair will really dry out. I highly suggest you get your hair bleached by a professional and have them seal your hair. Then, you can add the colors on your own over and over again. I have my hair bleached professionally and then I go in every couple of months to touch up the areas where the bleach is growing out. I have the salon put in the initial Manic Panic colors and then I just touch it up along the way. I also suggest to have the salon do a deep conditioning treatment and then I use a cocktail of morracan oil, two keratase treatments and a heat sealer daily. It's a lot of maintenance but worth every penny! You'll love having a truly unique hair color
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Sep 10, 2012
Stacie P.
I currently have dyed black hair, and I want to go to a bright red color. So, I'll need to bleach it first.
I've decided to do it at home because going to the salon is too expensive and my mom would never pay for it!
So, I was looking for advice on bleaching my hair. A certain product that you would recommend? What do I do before and after the bleaching? Etc. etc. :) Thank you!
Sep 10, 2012
Niki C.
I'd stick to a 20 volume developer since you only need to lift your hair two or three levels to show the red. Black hair lifts red, so as long as you're watching your hair through the process you shouldn't have to worry about damage. You could rinse your hair with a pH restoring conditioner or something with moisture just to calm your hair down afterwards.
Sep 10, 2012
Courtney B.
Okay, first off I have to warn you: The time-before-last when I bleached my own hair, when I dyed it lilac and teal from my natural hair color, I ended up giving myself a chemical burn. When I went from dyed black to purple a few years ago, I had to bleach my hair 4 times to get it light enough; needless to say, I destroyed my hair. I assume by "bright red" you mean something akin to Manic Panic/Punky Colours, and you do need to get your hair pretty much white to achieve the best results with anything like that. If you have any sort of orange or brassy tones left in your hair, they'll be evident even after you go over with the red and you won't get the color you want. Honestly I think that since you're trying to go from dyed black to bright red, you need to go to a salon. Just save your money or ask your mom to pay for it for your birthday/Christmas. It will be worth it to get at least the bleaching done correctly so that you know your hair will turn out the way you want.
Now that I'm done with my bleach lecture, I have some suggestions for you if you do decide to do it at home. First, get Color Oops (I believe that's what it's called) and get out as much of the dye you currently have in as you can. I've only seen this at CVS but you can probably find it at other drug stores. Nice 'n Easy has a great bleaching kit you can pick up in drugstores. I'd recommend you get the maxi version to help lift any remaining dye, because black dye is pretty hard to get out, especially if it's old. I would also recommend toning with the Jerome Russell Punky Colours toner, which you can find at Ulta or on Amazon. Just an FYI, the Punky Colours tubs are rather small and you may need more than one. Also be prepared to have to bleach more than once. You might be walking around with funky hair for a while if you go the DIY route. And as for after care, you'll need to invest in some good deep conditioners. I recommend Palmer's Coconut Protein Packs (at Target/Walmart). Also try not to use heat on your hair if possible. Your hair is gonna need some TLC after all of this. For washing, get some sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, preferable something for colored hair. L'oreal has a great sulfate-free line. Be prepared to see a lot of dye run in your shower, because for some reason reds/pinks seem to wash out for a long time.
Okay, that's the end of my novel! Best of luck to you!
Sep 10, 2012
Danielle B.
I bleached my hair with Splat and it turned out great. And I also dyed it bright red. It was gorrrrgeous! Pretty much any bleach product will do some damage to your hair. Oh and you can leave in the red longer than recommended. Those colors don't damage hair. And leaving it in longer makes it last a lot longer. Especially since red fades super fast.
Sep 10, 2012
Jennifer T.
Be careful lightening your hair. Do a deep conditioning treatment every week or so to prevent dryness. Just warning you. It's hard to lift red hair if you go back to a dark color. Just saying.
Sep 12, 2012
Christina G.
I have three manic panic colors in my hair currently and hair that is almost black that has been bleached numerous times both at home and in a salon. As mentioned above, your hair is going to take a beating. Manic Panic actually makes a home bleaching kit that is pretty good but your hair will really dry out. I highly suggest you get your hair bleached by a professional and have them seal your hair. Then, you can add the colors on your own over and over again. I have my hair bleached professionally and then I go in every couple of months to touch up the areas where the bleach is growing out. I have the salon put in the initial Manic Panic colors and then I just touch it up along the way. I also suggest to have the salon do a deep conditioning treatment and then I use a cocktail of morracan oil, two keratase treatments and a heat sealer daily. It's a lot of maintenance but worth every penny! You'll love having a truly unique hair color