Dying Strips of Hair

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Aug 2, 2011

Kaitlin L.

Hello everyone! I'm hoping to dye about an inch wide strip of hair aqua/turquoise tomorrow. I plan to bleach it before seeing as I have dark brown/red hair but I was wondering if anyone had tips or advice. I'm not positive of the brand I'm using, probably whatever I can find at the drugstore. Any help would be much appreciated!

Aug 2, 2011

Niki D.

Hey hun! I've been dying switching my hair color for 10 years. People talk a lot about Manic Panic and I've tried about 6 of their colors and they just don't last long at all. I tried all the advice I got, colder water, shampooing less frequently but it just fades quick. I know they're demi-permanent but they really fade so fast. I switched over to Special Effects brand and I'm MUCH happier. With the colors Atomic Pink and Fishbowl especially (which is an awesome aqua/turquoise like you want).
When it comes to bleaching, start at 30 volume if you aren't used to it. Or just use 40 volume if you've bleached before and need something stronger. And you'll get there faster by heating the bleach with a hairdryer while it's developing (in foil so it doesn't dry out). Good luck!!! <3

Aug 2, 2011

Kaitlin L.

Thank you so much! I will definitely take everything you've said into my decision. You are amazing Niki!

thanks for the advice also...ive been wanting to do this for awhile but havent found the right place to post questions....but then i found this site and have had all my questions answered!!

Aug 2, 2011

Niki D.

No problem ladies <3
Like I said, I've been doing it for 10 years and had a lot of first hand trial and error so I'd like to save other ppl heartache and have them learn from my screw ups lol. I've definitely had my share of messes.

If you're wanting something that's going to really last, I'd suggest the Pravana Chromasilk Vivids line. They're labelled as semi-permanent, but from what I've read...they're actually quite permanent and last a LONG time.

They don't have an aqua color, but this girl is a rep for them and can help you get the right shade :) http://nikkilipstick.tumblr.com/ (She's super sweet, but her blog is a little NSFW...sorry haha) Unfortunately, I'm not sure where you can purchase them locally...so if you're wanting to dye your hair like NOW, you'd probably have to wait on them to be shipped to you :/ But if you're wanting a color that is going to seriously last, I'd recommend it. If you go through her blog you can see a lot of the colors she's done for people, and can also read a lot of advice she's given to people asking about how to get the right colors :)

Anyway....good luck :D

I've used Special Effects and Pravana and I have to say that I prefer Special Effects over it. It's easier to find and less expensive for sure. When I dyed my hair with Pravana, it did not stay for some reason. 

The only at home line for vivid colours I've used is manic panic, which works, but like Niki said it fades fast without help.

Two tips I can give is after you've coloured your hair, soak it in vinegar. This raises the pH level of the hair colour and makes it last MUCH longer.
The second is to take some of the hair dye and put it into your conditioner. It'll give you a little colour boost every time you condition your hair and help to keep it vibrant. This worked really well with my manic panic.

Aug 2, 2011

Jeny W.

I've used pravana too, some of the colors stay well and some don't, but if you use colors like that no matter what the brand, they aren't going to stay very long. I wouldn't use a 40 developer for the bleach if you aren't familiar with bleaching your hair, you will fry it for sure. Make sure you don't leave the bleach on longer than 60 minutes, and keep checking to see what it looks like.  

Aug 3, 2011

Christina G.

yes i currently have manic panic hot pink in my dark brown hair. It's been about 4 weeks and its fading quite a bit. My friend did it at her salon but because my hair is so dark it took close to an hour to bleach. I also find it dries out your hair quite a bit. And yes, all the cold wash, separate shampoos is not only a hassle but not worth it. I'll continue to do it but am interested in some of these other brands! Great post

Aug 5, 2011

Kaitlin L.

So this is how it turned out :) Thanks for all the help!

Aug 5, 2011

Niki D.

It looks great! The blue is so vivd, great job girl! <3

Aug 5, 2011

Christina G.

great job! I love the blue

love it! It looks fantastic Kaitlin.

Oooh it looks so good!