Purple hair and all that comes with it!

Oct 20, 2012

Tessa C.

I always have wanted to dye my hair, and I think I want to go with purple. I feel like i'm at a place in my life where i'm allowed to be a little more out of the box (university, woo!) before I need to go through the whole rigamarole of looking normal for job applications etc.

Did I mention I never dyed my hair before? Ever? Nothing. No highlights, bleaching, darkening, even that stuff that washes out within a week has ever touched my hair.

Any tips/suggestions on brand of hair dye, technique, aftercare, social effects/backlash etc?

Oct 20, 2012

Danielle B.

I've gone purple before. I liked it. At the time I used a dye from Hot Topic and it worked great. Never faded. But now I'd suggest Manic Panic. Depending on how dark your hair is, you might have to bleach it. Manic Panic has bleach. But I've used Splat bleach and it worked perfectly. And it's only about $10 at drugstores. Also with Manic Panic's dye you can leave it in as long as you want. It won't damage it. The longer you leave it in, the longer the color will last. I've left mine in for as long as three hours. Hope this helps! Oh and bleaching will most likely irritate your skin but that's just because it's a harsh chemical. Use a shower cap to keep the heat it. Heat is what activates the bleach. And it will get surprisingly hot. Don't be alarmed. Good luck!

Oct 20, 2012

Courtney B.

Okay, first off I'm gonna warn you that this will be long. Lol.
So if you don't have any experience with bleach (since you have virgin hair I'm assuming you don't), I would say go to a salon for the bleaching, especially if you plan on doing your whole head. (You can have them do the color as well but I think it's more fun to do that yourself. ) Anyway, if you do choose to do at-home bleaching, I've had very good experiences with the Nice 'n Easy Born Blonde line. I personally use the maxi version because I've always done my bright colors over dyed hair. You can also get bleaching kits from Hot Topic, or from Sally's or any other beauty supply store. I recommend following the directions on whatever you use because you can really mess your hair up. Trust me, I'm dealing with inch-long broken bangs at the moment because of my over-zealous bleaching. If you're at a beauty supply store, ask them what they would suggest you use as far as volume and such. Sorry I can't be of more help on this part, I have no formal training; I just speak from trial and error.
For color recommendations, I've had great success with Jerome Russell Punky Colours. I really didn't like Special Effects or Manic Panic, but my hair doesn't really take color very well unless it is on the thicker side, and those are a bit watery to me. I've also heard good things about Directions color. This is where you can have lots of fun-- mix up a pinky purple, go with a bluer shade, whatever you like!
For after care, you need to focus on maintaining your vibrancy (unless you want more of a washed out, fade look) and restoring moisture to your hair. Don't wash your hair too often, and use products for color treated hair. And don't be surprised at the initial running of color in your first few showers. You can put a bit of your color into your conditioner to add some back in if you'd like I've never done this, but I've heard good things. You also might need to go over your color every 2-3 weeks to boost it up, and you can do that without having to rebleach. I recommend Palmer's Coconut Protein Packs (they have a longer name that I can't remember at the moment, sorry) to keep your hair soft and healthy.
As for the public reaction, I say if you're gonna go for an unusual color, you can't be concerned with that. I've had purples, blues, greens, and pinks in my hair and I've learned to take the strange looks I got on occasion in stride. Most of the time I got positive reactions and compliments. I never had any problems at work or school. Granted, I work in a lax retail environment and I couldn't care less what my classmates think of my hair, but like I said, go for it if you feel like it. I no longer have colorful hair but I'll go back one day.
I really hope this helped somewhat, and I also hope you have fun with your new hair!

Oct 23, 2012

Tessa C.

Thank you Danielle and Courtney!
I definitely will be using your advice in my continuing research! :)