First blog! Lavender/Pastel Purple Hair

Okay, so after a few weeks of hard work, I have finally managed to get pastel lavender hair! And yes, I still have a full head of hair! I've decided to make this post into a tutorial for those of you who are trying to accomplish the same look without having to do all this research because I personally did about a million hours worth. So basically, you can do this starting out with any hair color. Naturally, I have dark brown hair but for a couple years, my hair has been all different shades of red.  Starting off, my hair was basically this color:

Now, I am going to be honest with you, no matter what hair color you have, even if it's blonde, you are going to have to BLEACH YOUR HAIR. Yes, it can be VERY damaging to your hair but if you bleach it correctly and take good care of it, you will not go bald.

I suggest that if you have a color in your hair already that is not natural, use a color stripper. I didn't use it until after the second bleaching and I wish I had used it first. I used Ion Brilliance Color Corrector:

I bought this as Sally's and it wasn't too expensive. It really works wonders in stripping the unnatural colors from you hair but it smells absolutely HORRID and I would suggest using this in a well ventilated area or even outdoors. Fortunately, this is NOT a bleach so it is not really that damaging to your hair so don't worry about that.

Next, you need to buy bleach. Any powder bleach will do however, I suggest a powder bleach that is violet or blue because those bring out the cooler tones as opposed to the brassy ones. For powder bleach, I used Kaleidocolors Tonal Powder Lightener Violet:

For this 8oz tub it was only about $10 so i would definitely suggest buying the tub as opposed to the packets. Also, I purchased just a regular 40 vol peroxide, any brand will really do. I believe that the volume of the developers go from 10 vol all the way up to 50 vol but I would not suggest ever using 50 vol because that is just way too harsh. If you have a lighter hair color already you can get 30 vol or even 20 vol.

Now that you have your powder bleach and developer, just mix them according to the directions and apply the mixture to your hair immediately. Only leave the bleach in your hair for as long as the directions suggest because if you leave it on too long your hair will break. I sat with mine in my hair for an unbearable hour. I say unbearable because it was SO ITCHY.

Your hair will most likely be a yellow/ginger color at this point and that is normal. You will probably need to bleach your hair at least one more time but I would wait as long as you can between bleaches, I only waited a week but I don't recommend that. So after you bleach your hair again, your hair will be another few shades lighter and you want to purchase a purple/silver toner. There are tons of toners out there such as Manic Panic Virgin snow that will tone out the yellows from your hair. I personally just went for the toning shampoo by Generic Value Products and it was their Conditioning Shampoo:

It was a generic version to a much more expensive Clairol product called Shimmer Lights. The shampoo is dark purple and that is because purple is opposite orange on the color wheel and it neutralizes those brassy tones. I use this whenever I shampoo my hair which I also recommend not doing everyday.

Now my hair is a light blonde but it is not as white as I would like it. The problem with my hair was that when it was red, I used so many red intensifiers that there was still a slight pink pigment to my hair. I did not want to bleach it again but I read up on a much less damaging way to remove excess color and that was called a bleach wash. This is really an optional step but I want you all to know that this option is out there. Basically, I mixed a small amount of bleach powder with 20 vol developer and added a ton of conditioner and oils. Then, I applied it to my wet hair, let it sit for about 30 minutes and then washed it out. That remaining pigment was finally gone!

Now it's time for the coloring!

You will need:

1. Mixing bowl

2. Something to mix with

3. White conditioner

4. Purple hair dye. (semi or demi-perm)

1. Empty enough conditioner into your mixing bowl to cover your entire head.

(I purchased my conditioner from the dollar store.)

2. Scoop up a small amount of purple hair dye.

3. Begin to mix in the purple dye with the conditioner.

4. Make sure you mix the dye well until you obtain a color that you like."

(The more color you add, the darker it will show up.)

5. Apply all over dry hair, massaging it in so that it covers every inch

6. Leave the color in for at least 30 min.

I tend to leave mine in for an hour and a half when I have time.

The good thing about this is that, other than the bleaching, it really doesn't damage your hair. I use a refresher shampoo that I will post abut next which is what I use to wash my hair with and maintain the color. I also repeat the coloring process every couple of weeks or so, you can rally do it as much as you want. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments and I will try my best to answer them. No, I am not a hair dresser but I have done hair for a long long time.