Blonde Trouble

[ShouldaBeen!]

My natural hair is a dark shade of brown (I can add pics if it helps). I have been "blonde" for years and years, but I can count on one hand, the number of times I've actually been happy with it, and I'm now simply fed up.

Recently, since I've found a hairdresser who knows what I mean when I say "really blonde" and since she's been courageous enough to trust that my hair is like rope, and really can take the beating of bleach, it has been lots better - but it's STILL not how I'd like it, and she says she's out of ideas.

As she is a home stylist, I'm thinking of switching to a salon for ease, but this is my biggest fear, as no stylists seem to listen to me when I say that the bleach needs to be left on for extra long, and they always seem to say that I simply cannot be as blonde as I want to be. Please help!!

At the moment, my current stylist is using BlondeMe with 12%. It's still not lifting it to what I'd call "white", and after a week, it's gone down to a a brassy, cheap looking off-blonde! I use purple shampoo's, and every lightening and brightening product you can think of - but all I want is for when the foils come out and once it's all washed and dried, for me to say "wow, that IS blonde".

Any ideas?

 

[sarahpoppy24]

Hey hun!!! Yeh could you add pics of your hair and what you want it to be like!!!!:green:

 

[blutopaz]

i hate to say it but if you've been blonde for years and years and never had a good enough result even now when you've found someone who is leaving it on for as long as they can...it might suggest this is as blonde as your going to get.

with bleaching you need to lift through the colour spectrum to get to a white blonde colour. the darker the natural shade the longer it will take to get to a clean colour. espiecially if you have alot of red in your hair. you have time limits with bleach and any other colouring service, these are for everyones safety. i do, on some clients leave it for up to 50 mins coz they need it and can take it, after that what ever it looks like its coming off. you can go over it again but its not something i would advise with bleach, its a very harsh procedure and not kind to the hair in the slightess.

you have to remember our reputation is at stake...if we were to leave bleach on your hair for too long and it broke off, imagine how much worst that would be to your current situation, it would not be good for anyone, let alone our rep. as professionals. and thats without any of the added day to day stresses to your hair like blow drying and straightening.

i cant say iv used blondeme but i have started using clairol bleach and for the results iv seen brings it up to a much whiter finish (obviously with 12 %). the peroxide is your lifting power, the higher the % or vol the faster and stronger it works. it is very difficult to get anything above 12 %, they have phased it out due to the harshness and danger of using it. if you've ever got 12% with bleach on your fingers your'l know how it eats at your skin. imagine what 18% would do.

the only thing i can suggest other then maybe rethinking being a blonde if your so unhappy with the results all the time, is your hairdresser adding a product to the bleach mix called KMS ADDITIVE. iv only used this in perming and can see the results to using it. it states on the product that it rapidly penetrates the hair for faster bleaching, it helps to prevent dryness and damage. other then that i think your stylist's have done all they can for you.

hope that helps!

 

[liana kay]

sorry ,but for it to fade so , i think there may be some outside influence ,if your hair is really blonde it becomes porous and absorbs everything - cigerette smoke( think the old pat evans colour from eastenders) exhaust fumes,pollution and cooking smells/fats . you could use a deep cleansing shampoo to alternate with the violet shampoo ,but to be honest it will seriuosly dry your hair . Another thoing you could try is temparary toners in white ,platinum ,violet some companys that do crazy colour make them and they may hold more to your hair than the violet shampoo

 

[ShouldaBeen!]

Hi all, thanks for your replies.

I have no idea how to add pictures - could someone help?? I want to add my natural colour, my existing colour, and my wannabe colour.

I went along to a salon today for a consultation. She was very suprised that my stylist isn't using a toner after the bleach. She also said that with 12% I should be blonde, so she is confused. She is convinced that using 6% (I said I'd be happier with 9%) and a decent toner and something else called Pearl something, that I will be white blonde - maybe even "too white". I am unconvinced, but have made the appointment for Friday and will let her go to work.

Do you honestly think a toner will make any difference? In fairness, my home stylist just uses bleach, no leave in treatments or toners, so maybe this could be why it's not lifting to it's potential?? I don't know whether a toner will make a difference, and I also am not at all convinced that I'm going to walk out of there "white" - but when I tried to plead my case, she simply said there is no way I cannot be lifted to a white blonde.

So, from what I've said, do you think she can do it? I sure as hell hope so - but will come back to let you know the outcome!

 

[Alibarr]

Ive got dark brown hair and it is foiled and bleached to 9%. My hair is long and to stop it getting too dry I have the bottom half of my hair foiled half and half fairly dark brown and blonde. Hope that helps! x

 

[ShouldaBeen!]

Hiya,

So what you're saying is you have bleach on your roots, but you alternate bleach and brown on the bottom half to save the ends?? This sounds fab, but doesn't it look strange?? Pic is needed I think!!

Well, I went to the salon where I was told it would be "no problem" and as I suspected, they didn't leave the bleach on long enough, and I now have terribly orange roots!! I did tell them they need to leave it longer, but they didn't listen. They put a toner on it that turned my hair grey, so they washed that off and I'm now left with a horrendous orange hair style!!

So, my existing stylist is coming to save me tomorrow, but God only knows what she can do to rectify this!

 

[blutopaz]

oh no! maybe its time for a change from blonde....or a holiday somewhere hot to naturally bleach it......i know which one id edge for

 

[ShouldaBeen!]

Well thanks to my existing (and now only) hairdresser, I now have very blonde hair!! She put the BlondeMe over the orange, and it has lifted up to a gorgeous bright blonde!! So I'm thankful for the salon for cocking it up, as it obviously helped the BlondeMe to lift fully! Yay!

 

[SimplyEuphoric]

First of all, do you get malibu's regularily? Being blonde is high maintence, and I would sugges washing with a clairfying shampoo atleast once a week (not everyday though, your hair will be so dry if you do), and getting a malibu atleast every other time you get your hair done.

As for avchieve the blonde, does she tone it? Redken makes a really great semi permanent color line that isn't damaging for an after bleach process. Chances are you'r looking for a less warm blonde and a more cool blonde, right? Toning will help with that process.

 

[banukiss]

Hi, just a bit of advise, I too have very dark brown hair. I have been blonding my hair for the past 15 years. I also like the very light platnium blond look. I have had my fair share of hairdressers who a too afraid to leave the bleach on long enough to bring my hair upto the shade I want.

So with my frustration, I got my hand on some good quality bleach with a 9% to 12% peroxide. I had my girlfriend apply the bleach to my root area and I left it on long enough for my hair to go a very light pale lemon colour.

After this I would wash it out and check that the colour was infact a very pale lemon. I would then apply a pearl mouse toner on it and watch the colour in the mirror. I would wait untill all the yellow dissapears then I would wash it out. This would give me a very light almost white platnium blond.

With my experience, if the bleach is left on untill hair is white 9 out of 10 the hair will most definately break off. If the bleach is not left on long enough then no matter how much toner you use it will not tone the orange colour only make it appear darker. If you get a really ash toner and leave it on the orange and wait untill it does anything if it gets on the other lighter sections of the hair it would turn a horrible grey or purple colour.

Keep in mind that a pearl colour will tone any brassyness providing it is not to orange or yellow and if you watch it and only apply it to the regrowth area and wash it out the pearl will make hair appear whiter shade of blond.

I mention pearl as it tones more gently and you can control it and if you wash the bleach off when it is only light lemon colour then there is not much gold to tone and the pearl will do the job without it going too grey or purple. Otherwise some of the stronger ash toners will grab too quickly and before you get to apply it to the rest of your hair the first sections will grab and will go grey or purple.

After applying the pearl and watching it if you are happy with the tone it gives you then just squeeze a bit more mouse and apply to the rest of the hair and wash out straight away that will even out the overall hair colour from root to ends.

I hope this helps as I too have been through everything you have mentioned and more to get my hair the way I wanted it. In the end with trial and error I have managed to get the hair I wanted.

Also every persons interpitation of the shade colour is different when I am talking light platinum blond I am talking about Anna Nicole Smith colour. As I don't have any photo's to show you.

regards
banukiss