Holaaa!
As promised, I'm going to talk about the bleaching process in a dedicated post. This may or may not answer your questions about the process, at the same time, you can always run to my ask.fm if you need any more information, or if you don't want any catastrophic scenarios before, during or after bleaching your own locks. I'll thoroughly discuss the process to the best of my /mad/ abilities.
Featured in this post is my awesome friend, Angelique Caballo,
1/3 of Tripod Productions.
Excuse the word vomit as well. Thanks. XD
First things first: Your Hair
Bleaching the hair isn't exactly for everyone, especially if you've had your hair permed. It will undoubtedly kill your locks, if not, you will see a huge chunk of hair fall off TOGETHER. It will also sting--sometimes not so, sometimes like a bich. You'll just have to endure it for a couple of minutes.
In the Video: It Stings!
(No, I'm not scaring you, okay?! I'm just telling you to make sure if you and your hair are ready for the big change. Relax.)
Anyway! What you need to do is to check if you have thin or thick hair strands. This will determine if you need to have the longer or shorter bleaching process.
Let's take my hair type, for example. I have thin hair stands, like outrageously THIN hair strands, but my hair looks thick because (1) I have wavy to moderately curly hair which literally twirls by itself in big waves when it is longer, and (2) my hair consists of one too many hair strands. This may be the reason why it doesn't take me ages to get the pale yellow tone which is needed to have literally any color stick to it. Aside from that, I have been bleaching and coloring my hair for two years from blonde to black to blonde to crazy colors. Yes, my hair is still alive. Yes, I cut it shorter because I had my hair permed two years ago and I want to get rid of all the permed hair. xD
Contrary to popular belief, dyeing your bleached locks to a darker shade does not necessarily mean it is gonna be hard for you to bleach your hair again and get the blonde that you want. Again, it all depends on the type of hair that you have. All you need to do is to wait till it lightens up again, say, about 2-3 months after dyeing it to a really dark shade. You also need to know as early as now that you have to never settle for the cheapo hair colors, because I can guarantee you a really regretful decision.
What you need:
In the picture (from left to right): Applicator, comb, hair ties,
plastic mixing bowl with the bleach, the plastic of the bleach (hehe), and the developers (9%/vol40)
You will need to always have an applicator, a wide-tooth comb (to spread the bleach/dye once your done with applying the mixture on your hair), hair ties or hair clips for sectioning, and a plastic mixing bowl.
Next: The Developer
Developer is the solution you need to mix with the bleach. In Cebu, there are a couple of places where you can buy the bleaching set, but if your hair is long or you need to bleach your hair more than twice, just buy the big bottle of developer and a whole bag of bleach. Although, I suggest not to buy the bleach and developer in bulk if you're still a newbie. You will have a hard time knowing how much you need, much less estimate the ratio of bleach to developer, so just go first with the ready-to-mix bleach and developer set.
I personally always shop at APM, the mall across SM Cebu. The shop is the third one on the left from the entrance. I go there too often for my and my friends' needs so the attendants have come to recognize my face despite the different hair colors I sport everytime I go there. I also get my hair dye stash from my cousin from California.
Going back, let's see which developer you need:
For those with thin hair strands like me, and for those people who have had their hair dyed once or twice to a lighter shade, like maybe two to three tones lighter than your normal hair color, then you should use 9%/vol40 for your first try. It's not too harsh nor too mild, just enough to lighten your hair to an orangey blonde. If you are lucky, and/or if your hair permits, you can get a a yellowish shade of blonde. It all depends. If you have hick hair, regardless if you've had your hair dyed or not, use the 12%/vol60 developer. But if you're only going for a follow-up bleaching/dyeing, use 6%/vol20 developer because it is mild, and you can soak your hair for an x amount of time just like how you can when you first bleached/dyed it.
Finally: The Process
For example purposes, here is my friend, Angelique. I bleached and dyed her hair on the same day last March 29, 2016. Warning! Do not follow what I did. Even professionals don't do it (a lot). Again, she's my friend and I've bleached and colored her hair multiple times already, and I know how healthy her hair.
If you've noticed, she has an ombre. XD
Remember when I said that three of the most important parts of the bleaching process is (1) sectioning, (2) soaking, and (3) timing? Now, we are going to have an in-depth discussion about those three. This also applies when you're just dyeing your hair.
1. Sectioning !Very Important!
In order to get an even color throughout, you have to properly section your hair. You have to use both your pointy finger and run it at most half an inch from ear to ear, and do the same.
In the Picture: How to section your hair.
You have to do this every single step of the way. Yes. It is tiring, at the same time, if you don't want to look like a leopard then suck it up. LOL
In the Video: During the process of bleaching of her hair.
2. Soaking !Also Very Important!
You must make sure that each patch and strand of hair is soaked with mixture so you will get even color and not look like a leopard. Emphasizing on looking like a leopard because it will happen if you are not careful.
Let me just remind you that your scalp may or may not sting when your hair is in the soaking process. But it will get better eventually. Although, your scalp will be tender (like meat lol), so refrain from doing the bleaching/coloring process again right after. It will sting twice as bad.
3. Timing !Another Important Matter!
You also have to make sure that you soak your hair for an ample amount of time. Too short means less than 15 minutes depending on the intensity of color you want to achieve. Too long means you go over 1 hour of soaking time. If you're using a 12%/vol60 developer, do not leave it on for more than 45 minutes. Expect something horrific to happen to your hair if you let the mixture sit too long. You also need to consider the time it took you to color your entire hair; make sure you do it quickly but thoroughly.
In the Video: Just Angelique promoting my awesomeness LMAO
Depending on the intensity of the color that you want to show, you can start from the top part of your hair going down, or you can start from your nape going up. Depending also if you've bleached/colored your hair before, then I suggest starting from your nape going up so you can get a more even shade, because the top part of your hair has been exposed to heat and other elements, so the hair is more porous.
In conclusion, hardwork, patience and a lot of free time is needed to bleach/dye your hair.
Her hair is now Dark Ash Blonde. When I dyed her hair, i started from top going down to have the top part as light as the back part because when I bleach her hair, the back part was lighter and the top part was darker. Hehehe.
And hurray for natural highlights! XD
So this concludes my 2nd post. How was it? Something not so clear? Please do comment and suggest things for me here or on my ask.fm account so I can serve you better.
Till my next post! :)
