Adventures with Bleach

Aug 10, 2014

Emily W.

Hello everyone,

You may recall me mentioning that I wanted to go blonde, and getting (excellent) recommendations from several people. Today was the day!

Everything is going pretty well, except one thing... One large section did not lift as much as the rest. I'm not sure why; it was just as saturated and it was left in for the same amount of time. Now I have a large swath of light brown and the rest of my head is yellow (haven't toned yet). My hair doesn't feel very damaged, just a little dry.

Should I try and bleach the brown section again? Try to part my hair differently to distribute the brown like lowlights? I can't afford to go to a salon (small town and they are all way too expensive).

I was thinking that once my hair is dry, I'll try parting it differently and see what that does, and if that doesn't work then bleach that section again for a much shorter time and see if it will lift any more. Is that plan advisable?

Aug 10, 2014

Alyx T.

I would bleach the brown part again. Only put it on the brown spots or you'll have lighter spots too. But watch it carefully. Some hair doesn't lift as well, and I always just spot bleach after the first bleaching since there's usually darker spots.

But definitely do a hair mask after :)

Aug 10, 2014

Emily W.

Thanks Alyx. It is lightening up a bit as it dries (thankfully) so maybe I will be able to skip bleaching it again and just part my hair on the side to spread out the darker bits. Otherwise, I will spot bleach and hopefully get it to match. I have Queen Helene's cholesterol mask that I plan on using after I tone it all, and an argan oil mask that I can use every couple of days to keep it soft and manageable. :) I'm actually pleasantly surprised that my hair isn't very damaged, though I guess it was pretty healthy to begin with.

I'm just glad this is almost over! It was a hassle to paint in the bleach through my hair, given that I have an ungodly amount of it and it is down to my mid/lower back right now. I should've lopped about eigth inches off before doing this, ugh. Hindsight is 20/20...

Aug 10, 2014

Alyx T.

It might lighten once it's dried completely. Hair is darker when wet and it can make a ton of difference.
Haha yeah I completely understand. I have super thick hair and lots of it so I don't do it myself anymore. It's too much hassle so it's worth the money just so I don't have to do acrobatics just to section off my hair and paint it at the same time lol.

And bleach doesn't do as much damage as everybody thinks, I've bleached my hair like 6 times and it's still in better shape than most peoples undyed hair lol.

Aug 10, 2014

Jack B.

I noticed the underside of my hair got several shades lighter than the top when I bleached it, too. I think it's like hot roots: the underside is close to your neck, so your body heat cooks it and makes it work better than the top sections.

I spot-bleached and later used a box dye to lighten the darker parts and minimize damage. I also found that toning helped a ton. Taking out the brassiness made it seem much lighter than it originally did. And I'll second Alyx's point about it drying a few shades lighter

Aug 10, 2014

Emily W.

Jack: Yeah I have a little bit of hot roots going on too, but I don't really mind. Your explanation makes sense. I wonder why the other half lightened so much though? Maybe half of my head is warmer than the other. ;)

My hair is still drying, but it has gotten a bit lighter so maybe it won't be as drastic as I thought it was. Thank you for the advice!

Aug 10, 2014

Alyx T.

Haha Emily I find I've always got a few spots that don't lighten as well, like on my left side right at the neck always takes 2-3 spot bleaches after the initial bleaching. Some hair is just stubborn. But definitely tone it too, it can make it seem a lot lighter and an even color sometimes. You could even just mix a bit of purple veggie dye with conditioner and make a deep hair mask toner. That's my proffered way since toners aren't really nice on my hair.


Though it looks good, you're going to be a hot blonde 😊

Aug 10, 2014

Taylor C.

What volume developer did you use and was the brown your natural color?

Aug 10, 2014

Emily W.

Alyx: It is so weird how hair sometimes has a life of its own. I have cowlicks all over the damn place, and now apparently a quarter of my head doesn't play nice with bleach? Oy vey. I've got toner on now, so here's hoping I don't come out looking like Pepe le Pew. And thank you, I'm looking forward to bring blonde. :) First time in my life!

Taylor: I used 30vol. for the bleach. My hair is naturally brown, around a level 4 (about 4.5 really).

Aug 10, 2014

Alyx T.

I know haha. I have my one side shaved now and I didn't shave it for a month and it got too long and got curly. My hair is wavier the longer it gets but when it's short it's just straight. So it's weird that a buzzed area growing out goes curly lol. Hair is weird though.

Definitely post a pic when it's done :) being blonde is a ton of fun.

Aug 10, 2014

Emily W.

I would love to have curly hair! Even wavy hair... Even just having the OPTION to have curly/wavy hair. My hair is pin straight and impossible to curl. In order to curl my hair I have to douse it in gel, put it in foam rollers, spray it with hairspray, sleep on it, leave the rollers in most of the next day, spray it with hairspray, heat it with a blow dryer and wait for it to cool, then unroll the rollers and hit it with spray again. Then the (crunchy) curls will last about two-three hours before going straight and stringy again. :(

Aug 10, 2014

Alyx T.

I know how you feel. When I was little I had hair down to my butt and it was ringlets all over. Then my mom cut it to pixie cut length (because I would let her brush it maybe once every two weeks lol) and it was stick straight and wouldn't hold a curl. But as the longer my hair gets the little bit more curlier it gets. But definitely try curling now that your hair is bleached. Or heatless things like braids. You bleached it so you changed it even slightly and it might mold to heat better. I know after each bleaching my hair holds curls better and longer.

Aug 10, 2014

Emily W.

Oo really?? Oh jeez I hope so! Oh boy oh boy could I possibly finally have the curly hair I've always dreamed of? Part of me is seriously obsessed with mermaids, and maybe just maybe I can finally have mermaid hair... You seriously just made my day.

Aug 10, 2014

Emily W.

That photo is exactly how my hair is. I could braid my hair and leave it that way for a week and it would still be straight when I undid it. It doesn't matter how long it is, it stays straight. Well actually it ties itself in knots, which is why I wear it in a ponytail pretty much 24/7. Hopefully now I will be able to do something (ANYTHING) with it. :)

Aug 10, 2014

Emily W.

Okay my hair is finally dry and the toner did absolutely nothing. :/ I used the entire bottle and 20vol developer in a 1:2 ratio, applied to all of my hair for 30 minutes. Then I shampooed with neutralizing shampoo (to stop the developer) followed by Shimmering Lights (purple shampoo) which I left on for about five minutes. After letting my hair dry, it is still bright yellow... I guess I am going to have to run to the beauty shop tomorrow and pick up some purple hair dye and some color-safe conditioner to try and get rid of this before work. UGH Why does my hair have to be so difficult??

Aug 10, 2014

rosemily d.

Story of my life!! I know all about a toner / purple shampoo doing nothing!! (I know your aggravated. ) did you use wella t18 toner? if so you have to bleach your hair to a very pale yellow before it'll work. you need to bleach your hair again. then use a 10 A demi. I've had Better luck with that than wella. good luck

Aug 10, 2014

rosemily d.

I've used that purple manic panic on my hair before. did nothing for me.

Aug 10, 2014

Jack B.

A friend of mine dyed her hair white-blonde and used the manic panic virgin snow to tone. I usually apply purple conditioner, then let it sit as long as possible - at least an hour. I found that worked much quicker than toners or in-shower products.

Aug 10, 2014

Rachel H.

Okay so I read everything and here's what I've gathered;


A toner of the traditional type won't touch that bright of yellow if the picture is accurate. You would need to lighten again. I haven't seen what type of blonde you're aiming for so if you're trying for a pale shade bleach is your option. Now if you're wanting more of a honey/deeper blonde rather than a toner I'd recommend a traditional demi permanent color with a violet undertone which would deposit a lot more pigment than just a toner. Reasons some of your hair didn't lighten evenly could be, I saw your post you were recently sick, were/are you on any medication? Do you take any medication regularly? In my experience whenever something odd like that happens it's usually either from medication the client forgot to tell me about, or water quality.


I hope this helps some, feel free to message me if you've got any questions. Source: 3 years professional experience.

Aug 10, 2014

Alyx T.

Yeah that's why I never buy toner anymore, I just mix a bunch of conditioner with purple dye. If you decide to go for the manic panic toner, don't. It'll do nothing unless your hair is mostly toned already, than it'll turn it white. But if you want a toner like that get the special effects one. It's worked for me to take yellow out from bleaching and even orange dye lol.

Aug 10, 2014

Emily W.

Hmm I don't think they carry Special Effects here locally. I think they only have Manic Panic, Splat, and Renbow (weirdly enough, since that is a British brand). I'll probably grab the Manic Panic purple, I think it is called Ultraviolet.

Wish me luck!

Aug 10, 2014

Emily B.

I let my toner in for an hour haha