My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

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hellsbells
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My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by hellsbells » Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:06 pm

Hello :)

I've been from black to blonde and back again several times, this time I thought to document it just in case it could help anyone else going through (the ginger stages of) this perilous journey...

I've been black for some time, having used mainly permanent black dyes with cool undertones:

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Then I decided I really was rather bored so I used Colour b4 to try and remove some pigment:

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^ this photo's been a bit fiddled with as it was looking much lighter in the pic than in real life.

I then did a 30 vol bleach for 45 mins and ended up with this non-ginge delight:

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Feeling full of bravado and false confidence I decided to repeat the treatment (after 3 days) and ended up wishing I hadn't:

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NUCLEAR GUNGE!!!!

Onto the following day where I decided to ditch the soft stuff and head out to the shops for some 40 vol where I concocted a scrummy blue bleach bath and ended up with a slightly more hideous colour...

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I like to call this one nuclear gunge amplified.

2 Days later and there I am again, this time I used that L'Oreal ultra lightening cream stuff...

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NOOOO!!! I thought, this is starting to really suck eggs. So today I have repeated the L'Oreal stuff (which I think is pretty crap but less that a 40 vol bleach??) and toned "the *insert eff word here* out of it" as suggested by DSM...

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I have nice roots:

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And a slightly too porous/badly mixed toner section...

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It could be worse but I'm not too happy with the result, and to be quite honest it looks more blonde in the photo than in person. I get the feeling that my hair's definitely had enough right now though so I may well end up dying the whole shebang pink and giving up until I have attempted to pump the protein back into the poor ole nest. Any suggestions as to why the hair doesn't seem to be lifting properly would be happily recieved, and any recommendations for a decent protein treatment would also make me a happy bunny.

Ellen x

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Lorny
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by Lorny » Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:27 pm

The ginger is the hardest part to get rid of when you're lifting out black. Especially at the ends where hair colour overlaps from the regrowth application or if you can't be arsed and just shove it all on. Using 40vol is no different to using 30vol, only it's more likely to make your hair shit, which is why it's better to do more 30vol applications. Bleaching from black to blonde in a week is pretty silly if you want your hair to be in any decent condition come the end of it. You're going to have to probably use one of them coloured toners as opposed to the purple toners to try and even that colour out. It will still be ginger, but it won't be ginger and purple with blonde roots. Then condition the hell out of it and leave it a couple of weeks before you try again.

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hellsbells
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by hellsbells » Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:59 pm

Cheers hon, tbh it's condition isn't as bad as I thought it was earlier (it's stretching and retracting at the ends properly instead of breaking or remaining stretched) and I have a suspicion I may have applied the homemade toner a little shoddily which is why it's patchy...
I was looking at different tints yesterday as I'd had thought that purple wouldn't be quite right, I found some proclere beige but thought it wouldn't improve the current state of my hair so decided to bleach again. I did only leave it on for 30 mins and then panicked because when I did a little pull test my hair was a little too eager to stretch and washed it out sharpish :s
I know it was daft to bleach so much in a week but I really couldn't cope with that horrible colour any more, I'll definitely leave it a couple more weeks before I bleach again and then carry on with the 30 vol - I hadn't realised that 40 wasn't any more effective.
I've never had such a hassle going back to blonde before, but that's quite possibly because I was never black haired for more than a few months at a time and I've been black since last June. I was always very well behaved about only doing my roots so it seems to be only the mid length (which is neither natural hair or had ever been bleached) which is being particually stubborn. Which is a complete arse as it's the bit I notice the most.
I'll have a go at washing out the worst of the purple and finding a neutral toner to stick over the top instead, thanks again :)

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Vex88
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by Vex88 » Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:08 pm

eek, what a journey.. I really like the 1st pic :/ and the 4th pic. But I know what its like to get bored with your hair. I'll never be blonde (for more than a few days between colours) I'm far too impatient.
Good luck though. It always good to see how these toners and things effect peoples hair.

I'd suggest some Naked bodycare treatments to get it into a better condition and temp dye doesnt sound like too bad a plan for the mean time
Kirsty x
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Aricyn
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by Aricyn » Fri Apr 01, 2011 3:02 am

maybe im wrong but wouldnt pink a similar problem to get out as the ginger?
ive done the whole dark to light thing again its a pita i dont think ill do it again lol
<3

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ShadowThrone
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by ShadowThrone » Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:41 am

Get some joico k pak reconstructor on it :)

I went from black to blonde about 6 years ago, in about 2 weeks, there were some horrible inbetweeny stages!

I wouldn't bleach again for a while, but you're almost there :lol:

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hellsbells
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by hellsbells » Fri Apr 01, 2011 3:35 pm

Cheers Vex, I really like it black but had just had enough of constant good hair days ;)

:lol: I ordered some of that last night! And thanks for the glimmer of hope Amy, tis appreciated.

Aricyn: I use directions flamingo pink and it's really easy to bleach out :)

To be fair, I actually quite like it today. It looks rather interesting!

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beccah
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by beccah » Fri Apr 01, 2011 7:04 pm

I went from blonde to black to blonde again last year.
Mine was getting in really bad shape and not bleaching too well towards the ends,because of colour build up (which is probably why yours isnt bleaching too well either).
I don't know if you're this desperate to be blonde,but I just got a short cut,it went a beautiful platinum blonde really easy as it was all mostly my natural dark blonde,and its now past shoulder length,has grown realllly quickly and is in very very good condition considering its all bleached pale blonde.
Also,short cuts are lovely and cool for summer :)
Even just a large trim might help get rid of the worst of it?
TL;DR It is doable but I'd recommend a trim and some Joico k pak reconstructor :D
Good luck!!!

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NirvanaMarie
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by NirvanaMarie » Fri Apr 01, 2011 7:16 pm

I took the same journey last month, from a level 2 back to my bleach blonde (still a bit of yellow, but okay) I looked like a tiger the first bleach... was better with the 2nd, even better with the third. Used Sexy Hair's Strong Hair treatment in between each. Toned it with a Paul Mitchel toner, one more bleach, another treatment, then left a purple shampoo on for abut 15 minutes. Always a process, but we do it to ourselves, lol. I'm too color ADD. Yours looks pretty good to start though. Mine is much shorter so a bit easier. Good luck!

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hellsbells
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by hellsbells » Wed Apr 27, 2011 8:01 pm

Well I heeded the advice; got myself some Joico K-Pak reconstructor and some vo5 moisturising conditioning treatment and dyed it pink to get through the ginger stage

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Yesterday I decided my roots were in urgent need of sorting out (it'd grown over a centimetre) so I picked up some 30 vol and some bleach, applied and left for about 15-20 mins and I now have a rather lovely blonde

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My hair's in fantastic condition with no breakage or any loss of texture or length (which was a BIG concern of mine) I couldn't be happier with the results.

Thanks everyone :mrgreen:

RedBoots
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by RedBoots » Mon May 02, 2011 11:38 pm

My hair is currently a dark brown and I want to go back to blond. It's been years since I've tried but I am definitely thinking about doing an un-natural color for the inbetween. This gives me hope. :)

I was thinking of getting it as light as I dare and then slap on a medium blue. But the blue might be turn out muddy.

sodabubble
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by sodabubble » Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:33 pm

Sorry to totally thread hijack here, but I'm really struggling to get some 30 vol in my town - I just need to knock out the ginger stage to a 613, but our Superdrug and Wilko only sell the JR 40 vol - is there an alternative I can use without resorting to 40 vol for this stage?

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hellsbells
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by hellsbells » Thu Jun 16, 2011 10:18 pm

Boots stock Jerome Russell Bblonde for blonde-light brown hair which is 30vol :)


Good luck with your hair!

sodabubble
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Re: My Personal Journey from Black to Blonde(ish!!)

Post by sodabubble » Fri Jun 17, 2011 9:22 pm

I went it today, and couldn't find it - only the 40, the lady said she'd never seen another one :/

Anyway, thanks for your help, appreciate it! Instead I used 40 with but only left it on for 20 mins, not sure if I did the right thing but it seems to have worked, going to look on the boots website now and order some for future! Thank you, and sorry again x

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