Best way to pre-lighten boxed hair dye?
September 27, 2022 6:47 AM Subscribe
What's the best way to lighten the color of boxed hair dye before application?
I’ve just bleached my ½” buzz cut from dark brown to light yellow and am coloring it with this. (It’s hard to find a decent permanent blue.) It’s a color I’ve used before, I like its sheen and it didn’t fade AT ALL over six weeks, but this time I want it maybe half as light --- it was so dark it sometimes looked almost black depending on the lighting. What’s the best way to do this without compromising its longevity? Add conditioner to the developer? Or thin it with more 20 developer, and at what ratio? Or apply it to damp hair? Or process for a shorter amount of time? Or a combination of these techniques, or some other method I’ve not considered? If it matters, my hair is coarse and fairly bulletproof; I normally bleach in a single session with 30 developer.
I’ve just bleached my ½” buzz cut from dark brown to light yellow and am coloring it with this. (It’s hard to find a decent permanent blue.) It’s a color I’ve used before, I like its sheen and it didn’t fade AT ALL over six weeks, but this time I want it maybe half as light --- it was so dark it sometimes looked almost black depending on the lighting. What’s the best way to do this without compromising its longevity? Add conditioner to the developer? Or thin it with more 20 developer, and at what ratio? Or apply it to damp hair? Or process for a shorter amount of time? Or a combination of these techniques, or some other method I’ve not considered? If it matters, my hair is coarse and fairly bulletproof; I normally bleach in a single session with 30 developer.
Since it’s a permanent dye I think the only way to do it is by combining colors as above. If it was a semi-permanent/direct dye I would say use a color diluter instead of conditioner, works better and doesn’t waste your conditioner. IANA hair professional but have been bleaching and dying at home for years and still have all my hair.
posted by assenav at 7:26 AM on September 27, 2022
posted by assenav at 7:26 AM on September 27, 2022
Maybe you could leave it on for a shorter amount of time?
posted by mareli at 9:08 AM on September 27, 2022
posted by mareli at 9:08 AM on September 27, 2022
Disclaimer: i had to roughly google the brand but i wasn't sure which colour because Walmart apparently hates my geographic location and won't load.
I can't remember offhand but if you try to google for forums where hairdressers hang out you might be able to find the developer strength/% of the included developer, if you prefer to be very exact in your method. Because basically you should fiddle with the processing - you'll want to increase the developer strength (to lift up the cuticles faster) as you reduce the colour exposure.
The developer ratio is pretty straightforward arithmetic (double the volume, iirc) while the colour part is a lot of visual guesswork (checking it every 5 mins after 15 mins). Diluting it with water can also help but it might be inexact and leave you with spotty colour since you'll be affecting the cream consistency.
Adding another colour from the same product family can also work well if you're confident the mix gets you the result you're looking for. It certainly removes a lot of the guesswork for boxed dye formulas. If the colour combo is right, it's honestly the best option considering what you have on hand.
Btw have you looked at salon-line products like L'Oreal Professionnel? They don't just do respectable colours, punky permanents are usually under some kind of candy or boost line and you can apply them on their own without adding to the standard colour range.
posted by cendawanita at 1:39 PM on September 27, 2022
I can't remember offhand but if you try to google for forums where hairdressers hang out you might be able to find the developer strength/% of the included developer, if you prefer to be very exact in your method. Because basically you should fiddle with the processing - you'll want to increase the developer strength (to lift up the cuticles faster) as you reduce the colour exposure.
The developer ratio is pretty straightforward arithmetic (double the volume, iirc) while the colour part is a lot of visual guesswork (checking it every 5 mins after 15 mins). Diluting it with water can also help but it might be inexact and leave you with spotty colour since you'll be affecting the cream consistency.
Adding another colour from the same product family can also work well if you're confident the mix gets you the result you're looking for. It certainly removes a lot of the guesswork for boxed dye formulas. If the colour combo is right, it's honestly the best option considering what you have on hand.
Btw have you looked at salon-line products like L'Oreal Professionnel? They don't just do respectable colours, punky permanents are usually under some kind of candy or boost line and you can apply them on their own without adding to the standard colour range.
posted by cendawanita at 1:39 PM on September 27, 2022
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posted by Rube R. Nekker at 7:07 AM on September 27, 2022 [6 favorites]