FAQ - My Colorist Cannot Make My Hair Ashy Brown

Question:

I have dark brown hair & want a light brown ashy colour i have been going to my hairdressers telling them this but every time after colouring my hair with a full head colour i still come away with reddish results all the time. I am always disappointed i have since been back at the same place despite the results, its a place that I like going to & it's also very convenient for me. I have booked yet another appointment & i have explained again about how i am still washing my hair with the silver shampoo as they keep suggesting with me still getting the reddish results & when i booked another appointment they told me that they will use a toner this time. Do you think that will this work or have you any suggestions? Thanks

Answer:

Hi,
well your colorist should explain to you that what you want cannot be done without bleaching your hair and depositing the brown color. But that may not turn out perfectly as well.

This is what is happening if they use ash brown color over your naturally dark hair:
The chemicals in the bottle work on natural pigments in your hair, bringing them to certain "level". Then the pigment in the bottle gets deposited into your hair - which "mingles" with the chemically altered pigments that were few minutes natural. Ant that's it. There is nothing else a colorist can do for you, because there is not such powerful ash brown that could do what you want it to do. No scientist developed such color in the bottle and no scientist will ever be able to do it in one step coloring process (= permanent haircolor in one bottle).

Your options:

Single/double process coloring - either color (depending on a color of the hair) or bleach hair to yellow stage, and then apply the ash-y pigment to your tresses. But no colorist knows an exact pigmentation in these bottles, so they do not know how exactly it will turn out if mixed with your hair color bleached to the yellow stage on the first try. The best way it would be do a test - snip a small amount of hair, bleach it and then apply the color from bottle. The bleached hair color level would have to be the perfect "shade base" for the ashy brown that is in the bottle.
If it would come to somewhat desirable shade (you are looking for) then the hardest trick would be with each touch up. Your colorist would have to bleach hair to almost same yellow "level" as previously done - your colorist has to have a good eye for the bleached shades.

Also consider:

1. bleaching and then coloring is time consuming
2. it is actually two processes (done in one session) - so therefore more expensive
3. after "first initial color correction", the bleach would be applied only to regrowth area - so if your hair is not strong these heavy duty chemicals won't be gentle to your hair

Highlighting idea - Probably another solution would be to highlight hair in fine strands to a very light stage and then apply a toner. This light hair mixed with your natural hair color can create an effect of ashy & lighter brown color. However, you have been coloring your hair, so on your color treated hair (you no longer have a natural hair color) it could come out a little different than on natural hair you will grow each month. You really need to employ a colorist who does a really fine highlights and understands pigmentation in the hair.

I hope this helps in making a decision what your next step will be.


Credit: Above image is published on the internet by to me unknown owner, but is the best illustration of the Highlighting idea mentioned above.

Note:

This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advise you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.

FAQ: Which Is Better L'Oreal's Quick Blue or Clairol's BW2?

Question:
I was wondering which is better for lightening dyed black hair: L'Oreal's Quick Blue or Clairol's BW2? I did a strand test with the Quick Blue, and got blond with 30 volume bleach, bleaching it once. Can I use heat with the Quick Blue? Is Clairol BW2 better? Looking forward to hearing from you, thanks so much in advance, and thank you for the awesome blog.

Answer:
Both products are powder substances. The powdered bleach is usually designed for an off scalp (foil or cap) application. However, some colorists (and people at home) use it on scalp as well. There are other lighteners (bleaches for hair) that are designed for an on scalp application - they are liquid, such as L'Oreal's Super Blue or Clairol's 7th Stage.

Now some people prefer Quick Blue, because they feel it is gentler on the hair. Others prefer BW2 because they feel it lifts hair to the lighter stage better and faster. I think that they are very similar in "power". Check on the package what the recommended peroxide volume is - the higher volume the faster and lighter outcome. I think you can use up to 40 Volume, however I usually used 20 Volume peroxide since my clients were business people and needed their hair to look "natural". But people in arts use higher volume of peroxide to make their hair lighter.

If my client was in a rush, I used heat with my formulas, just to speed up process. If you do that also, be careful not to over process your  hair. Over-processed hair can become "gummy", and it can break off - this is so called chemical haircut.

Do not forget to use a good hair conditioner - before and after bleaching.

Credit:
I found the above image on www.zimbio.com

Note:

This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.

FAQ: Hair Chemically Stripped - What To Expect

Question:
My hair is colored, but I am planning to strip my hair with bleach and color it different color. Is it OK to do so? What should I expect to happen?

Answer:
Your description is not detailed enough to answer, so there are more variables than if you would describe the color you currently have, and what is your target color. Lets look at it if your hair is colored dark, then medium and finally if you are coloring your hair to a light shade.

1. Dark hair - if you colored your hair black, dark brown or medium dark brown and if you want to strip your hair to medium brown, your hair may strip to different levels of red/orange-y shade. If you would like to color your hair to medium NON red/orange-y shade, you probably will have hard time toning it down.
   If you would like to strip your hair to a light shade, you may end up with yellow blond. Which you would need to tone down, but you may have a hard time with that task as well.
2. Medium brown hair - if you will try to strip it to light color, you will end up with yellow shade (as in 1.), but it may be slightly lighter. Again it is hard to tone down a strong yellow pigment.
3. Light brown/dark blond hair is probably easiest to strip, but again it really depends what kind of shade you were coloring your hair with previously. You may end up with yellow to pale yellow shade. Toning your hair would be easiest. 

Now another question is what color so you want to color your hair after you strip it? Is it "normal" color (browns or blonds) or some "wild" color (purple, blue, green)? Each color will intermingle with the pigmentation in your hair. A light vibrant color on deep red/orange-y shade would not show as well as on pale yellow/white shade. Also the vibrant colors (as in Manic Panic coloring) may mix with the deeper reds/oranges/yellows and create a secondary shade (ie. strong yellow in your hair covered with blue pigment may create blue/green shade.

For any shade (including strong vibrant colors), it would be the best to strip hair to pale yellow and then color your hair to the desired shade. Prepare yourself for a "dry" hair after you are finished with stripping it. You will need hair treatments to make your hair strong again. Be careful not to over-process your hair. It would be the best to put your hair into hands of a very skilled colorist, since this process involves strong chemicals and a very good pigmentation knowledge.

Products you can remove your color with:

• color remover(ie. Effasol)
• on scalp bleach if foil is not used (7th Stage by Clairol or Super Blue by L'Oreal)
• if you want to remove color as in highlights, then off scalp bleach can be used (ie. Quick Blue by L'Oreal or BW2 by Clairol)

Note:

This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.

FAQ: How To Protect Hair After Chemical Treatment?

Question:
How do I protect my hair after a heavy duty chemical treatment? My hair is dark brown and I would like to have it bleached.

Answer:
The day before your chemical treatment shampoo your hair, then apply a deep conditioning treatment (a heavy conditioner with a dash of protein mixed together - bought at a local beauty supply store), put a plastic cap (or an aluminum foil) on your hair and wrap your head in a towel - keep it on for about 20-30 minutes, rinse and style. Your body heat will help the conditioner to penetrate inside the hair cuticle.

 Do the same after the treatment, and then again once a week for as long as needed. On daily basis keep your hair conditioning with heavier conditioners.

One of the famous people who bleaches her hair is Donatella Versace. It always looks great.

Credit:
Donatella's image is from listal.com.

Note: 

This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.

FAQ: Can I Bleach My Hair Every Month?

Question:
I would like to use vivid colors on my hair and to do so, I need to bleach my hair. Is is possible to bleach my hair every month without damaging it?

Answer:
If you do it CORRECTLY and if you have a good hair to start with (not too fine and weak) you should be OK. You need to bleach only root area (it is called touch up), do not overlap with the bleach (doing so would cause breakage). It would be best if a professional, or a friend who knows how to do it correctly, would help you.

Note: 

This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.

FAQ: Bleach And Washing My Hair

Question:
Can I wash my hair the day I want to bleach it?

Answer:
Yes, but it depends what do you mean by bleaching your hair.

• If you are having your hair high-lighted (cap or foil) then just make sure your hair is dry even if you wash it right before the procedure.
• If you are having your hair bleached with "on scalp bleach", then you need to make sure you wash your hair couple of hours before the procedure. You do not want to have your pores open from massaging your scalp. Chemicals could get into your body easily. Also, you do not want your hair to be wet and dilute the chemicals.

Note: 

This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.

FAQ: Can I Use Bleach Over My Color Done In Salon?

Question:
My hair was colored in a salon and I would like to bleach a side strand for a special effect. Will I damage my hair? Will it come blond?

Answer:
Any bleach removes a color in stages - the longer you keep it on, the lighter your hair will get. If your color is artificially dark then it will be harder to remove than if your hair would never be colored. The success of getting your desired color also depends on health of your hair at the starting point and how many color applications you had done. The healthier it is, the longer you can keep it on to make it lighter, before you will destroy the hair shaft thus causing a breakage. I would suggest talking to a colorist in your area, who has a lot of experience with such a process and who can evaluate your hair before any steps are taken.

Note: 

This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.

FAQ: How Do I Bleach My Own Hair

Answer:
My hair is dark brown and I would like to bleach it and then dye it blue. I would like to get any tips for before, during and after bleaching. Will my hair get very dry/damaged after I bleach it? Is there anything I could prevent it? Would you recommend any hair mask? Can I dye my hair blue right after bleaching? Thank you.

Answer:
Your hair is dark brown and that means you will need some strong bleach. I would not recommend bleaching your hair at home unless you really know what you are doing. You may run into a trouble of over processing your hair (that would cause a hair breakage), or burning your scalp/skin. You cannot see what is going on in the back. Another reason not to do it at home is that you could get the bleach accidentaly into your eyes. Then there is one more reason - in order to have your hair turn beautiful blue color, you need to bring the hair to a very pale color (almost white). If you do not do a good application the blue color will not turn great in the end.

You asked about coloring your hair blue right after it has been bleached - yes, it is done on the same day. The blue color is not as harmful as bleach.

If you are on the budget and cannot afford salon prices, go to a BEAUTY SCHOOL in your area. Let the teacher and students do it for you for a modest fee. Your health is more important than saving few bucks.

As for "tips for before, during and after bleaching" - condition, condition, condition. There are many great deep and moisturizing conditioners on the market that are designed for color processed hair. Read what it says on bottles and pick one that you think is right for your hair type. If you still have no idea - ask a reputable stylist/colorist to help you out with hair products that will keep your hair as healthy as possible.


Note: 
This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.

FAQ: How Can I Prepare My Hair For Bleach?

Question:
I will have my hair bleached soon. What can I do to prepare my hair for this process? And how should I care for my hair after it's bleached? I'd love to keep my hair as healthy as possible.


Answer:
Healthy diet and use of conditioner will make your hair healthier. Use your hair conditioner the day before you would have a chemical process done, and do not shampoo your hair on the day of your chemical process. After the chemical process do the same - use conditioner and eat healthy foods full of vitamins and protein. Follow an advice of your colorist.


Note: 
This post should be taken as a first step for a discussion with your hairdresser and/or colorist about your ideas, desires or problems with your hair. Under no circumstances, you should act upon this post ONLY. I strongly advice you to have your hair done by a skilled and reputable hairdresser/colorist in your area.