#i don’t even think the ion semi-permanent colors were around yet. if they were my store didn’t carry them

[ribcageteeth]

I wonder what it is about younger millennials that made us all dye our hair bright colors the second we got access to bleach powder. Cuz like, I feel like twenty years ago, it was super uncommon to see someone with blue hair, and now it feels uncommon to not see at least one person with a half-faded dye job every time you go out somewhere. So what changed? Was it just fortuitous timing? Did hair color technology just happen to improve as we were heading into adulthood? Or was there something specific that made us all seek it out? After all, we were the first generation to grow up with anime alongside western cartoons, right? Could the influence have been that great?

[cellsshapedlikestars]

any thoughts/comments on hair dye? i'm a newbie and all my knowledge comes from youtube LOL. i know arctic fox is bad?? ngl i only like good dye young because of hayley williams but yeah i'd love to hear your thoughts on hair dye!

I'll be honest, the most research I ever did for my hair was before the first time I bleached it . Most of the time I just kind of... go for it

So *warning!* I am not a professional and please also know that I give very little fucks about what I look like and am not afraid of trying whatever I want with my hair.

Also, cause it does make a difference in hair care, I am white. This means that I have only ever done things to white people hair and have *absolutely* no knowledge of any other kind of hair except my own, which is semi curly/wavy, thin stranded but a decent amount of it, and fairly healthy to begin with (though I've been dying it since I was 15). Also, I am naturally a dirty blonde so my hair is somewhat light to begin with.

Below the cut for completely non-professional hair dye advice!

SEMI-PERMANENT/PASTEL DYES:

I'm not sure what you mean by Arctic Fox is bad - I've actually used them and so far they're one of the best, so I'm guessing it has something to do with the company itself that I haven't heard about? I really like their colors, it smells good, and it's not crazy overpriced. The other brand I like is One n Only Argan Oil - that's what I first started using when doing pastels. A popular brand (at least here in the US and specifically at Sally's where I shop) is Ion. I'm not a fan, I found the color weak and faded really quick. I just bought this unicorn color today because it looked pretty, so we'll see how that goes.

These are just the non-permanents that I use for pastels/non traditional colors. They don't hurt your hair so honestly, pick one up and slap it on and the worst it'll do is nothing!

You can also leave this stuff on your hair forever. Usually the longer you go, the brighter it will be. You can also cut the brightness by adding plain, white conditioner (don’t fall for the hair dye company tricks! You don’t need their “diluter”. Just use conditioner!)

PERMANENT DYE:

Permanent dye is a whole other thing, so if you want that, make sure you read the box and get the appropriate developer! Or, you could use a box dye from the grocery store. I may be a pretentious little shit about my hair dyes now, but I used box dye for YEARS when I was dying it red. If you want a straight, traditional color that you don’t have to think about, box is your way to go. A beauty store will have colors that you need to measure and add developer to. It’s more intense, but you can also mix and match!

BLEACH:

If you're going to bleach, be careful! If your hair is very dark and you're trying to go pastel, I wouldn't recommend doing it at home. Also, if you have pre-box dyed hair, bleach might react weird (hello me trying to bleach box red dye out of my hair...). I would specifically not recommend trying to bleach over dyed black hair.

If your hair is lighter, or has already been bleached and you wanna go even lighter, I would recommend starting with a bleach bath, which is the bleach, developer, and shampoo. It's a lot less harsh. (Google for the ratios!)

For example, I did a bleach wash today! I don't have examples of my before color this time, but I've used them in the past to do this:

(this is taking out pink dye from my hair a while ago, though it had already faded a lot, you can sort of see where my roots are, they’re more yellow. You can see the pink isn't completely gone, but my hair also isn't fried.)

Also, if you’re leaving your hair bleached and not dying over it, don’t forget toner! And even if you are dying over it and your bleached hair is very yellow, you may want to tone anyway just to get some of the brassiness out, so it doesn’t come through your dye.

SUPPLIES:

I can't recommend a measured mixing bowl enough, though you can always use a food scale if you have it. Gloves, too. I've recently decided to use them (for a few years I just walked around with pink or blue or purple hands for a few days after...). I know professionals use those brushes to put dye on your hair but... honestly I just use my hands

And then, of course, make sure you repair some of the damage you've done! You can't get real olaplex at home, but I do these Aphogee two step treatments. They're honestly a pain in the ass to use, but they work.

OTHER RANDOM ADVICE?:

- it’s always easier to section your hair! Put it up and do your under layers first, then work your way to your crown

-nail polish remover is great at getting out dye stains. From countertops, sinks, the floor, cabinets, the wall behind you somehow, your own skin...

-you always need more dye than you think you do. Always overshoot, the last thing you need is to run out halfway through, especially with permanents.

-taking out color: you can do this with semi-permanents with a cleansing shampoo (I use Redken) mixed with either crushed up vitamin c or baking soda. Less harsh than bleach or color stripper

-speaking of taking out color, blues are always harder to remove than reds. As I am currently dealing with. I knew better, and yet I chose to dye it blue, then purple anyway...

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SORRY THIS IS SO LONG AND AGAIN, I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL. I have just been fucking up my hair for years at this point and this is the little I’ve learned along the way.

Honestly, if you have a specific question of something you’d like to do, you can message me and I’ll try to give advice! But without knowing what you’re looking for, this is all generic. And if you were just looking at brands, well... I’m sorry if you read through the rest of this for nothing! Your answer is in the first paragraph lmao