Definitive guide to white hair.
Contents:-
1. Introduction and important information
2. Tool kit and things you will need.
3. How to maintain the condition of your hair whilst achieving
white hair.
4. How to bleach hair and How to do a bleach bath
5. White hair for those with hair already dyed with vegetable
dyes
6. White hair for those with hair dyed with box dyes
7. White hair for those with virgin hair
8. Toning, the last step in white hair (no matter the original
color)
9. FAQ
Helpful tips will be marked in yellow and recipes will be marked
in green.
1
This will be a tutorial of sorts, but more than anything, its a
guide. It will include FAQs and how tos for techniques and tips
that I get asked about again and again.
This piece is for those that want to attempt white hair at home.
I always say that if you can afford it, please go to your local
salon.
If you are thinking about starting the journey to white hair,
you must understand that it is not a light task to undertake. White
is not like a box dye you can plonk on your noggin and in half an
hour have a brand new look. No. White hair will take months of hard
work and careful preparation. Ultimately our hair is not supposed
to be white, and whether its a colour you want to maintain or
something you would like to achieve so as to then dye lilac, silver
or a similar pastel shade.
Certain things must be considered before attempting to go white,
these include:-
The condition of your hair
This is the most important factor when deciding to go white. If
your hair is already very heat or chemically damaged then going
white will not be a good idea for you. Going white will require you
to put your hair through some very intensive chemical treating,
which no matter how careful you are, will damage it.
If you have virgin hair, this process will be much easier for
you than if you are trying to lift layers of colour build up.
The current colour of your hair
The current colour of your hair will directly dictate how easy
going white will be for
You. If you have red or black hair, for example, you will be in
the most difficult category, whereas if you hair is already light
blonde, going white will be a straight forward enough task for you.
Again, I stress that if you have a great deal of colour build up
(many previous colours layered on top of one another) you will have
a longer road ahead of you.
The two aforementioned factors must be taken into consideration
and taken heed of. I really do understand more than most the desire
for that perfect hair colour, but sometimes it really is not
possible. You are literally taking the life of your hair in your
hands if you think that you can take this transition against
recommendations of either colour, condition or time restraints.
If you have dark hair that is already over processed, or hair
that is already very bleach/chemical or heat damaged, I advise you
now, turn back. Give your hair some months to recover, get
haircuts, protein treatments and conditioning. If when your hair is
healthy you still want to carry on, then come back to this tutorial
and read on.
If you still want to continue there are three main avenues I
will write on.
Hair that has already been bleached and that is dyed with
vegetable dyes.
Hair that is dyed with a colour containing a developer, either
by the hairdresser or with a box dye.
Virgin Hair.
(you can use the ctrl+f function to jump to your required
section)
2
Whilst I shall cover the differences on lightening hair to make
it white depending on your current hair condition, all tools and
products mentioned will be the same.
You will need the following:-
Blue Bleach powder. Blue bleach helps tone as it lifts.
Crme Peroxide. Peroxide comes in various volumes, those readily
available are 10 (3%), 20(6%) and 30 volume (9%). The percentage
refers to the amount of oxygen found in a given amount of peroxide.
The more the developer can oxidise, the faster and more violent the
reaction. You will need to choose your peroxide depending on the
amount you want to lift. 30 vol peroxide will lift 3 levels but is
more damaging than a 10 vol which will only lift one.
A non-metallic mixing bowl and brush. Bleach is much easier to
apply with a brush than with your fingers. Any metallic instruments
or equipment can be corroded by the bleach and can deposit unwanted
colour into the hair.
Non metallic hair clips
A showercap (or plastic bags)
Latex (or similar) gloves- it helps to have a large supply in
stock.
Shampoo (does not matter which brand, though clarifying shampoos
are preferred)
A deep conditioner. I recommend Aussie three minute miracle
reconstructor
A protein treatment. My favourite is red ken deep fuel.
Some kind of oil for the hair. You can literally use any oil
from olive to the more expensive Moroccan. I recommend for a cheap
alternative and as a very good oil, coconut oil. I also love The
One n Only Argan Oil.
A dedicated towel. Always best to have a towel just for
bleaching and dying your hair, so as you dont accidently leave
orange bleached marks on mums best.
I always find when lightening the hair that its best to buy your
bleach and peroxide in bulk. Dont bother with the one application
sachets that you need two of for long hair anyway. It will cost you
a great deal more than it need. Instead, buy a litre of developer
and a 500g box of bleach powder on ebay or from a salon supplies
store. You can expect to pay around 3 for the peroxide and around
10 for the bleach powder, instead of paying 5 a time for the
individual amounts. If you are lucky enough to live in a city, then
ethnic hair shops often carry these cheaper and bulk
alternatives.
When attempting to heal the hair, argan oil and coconut oils are
best as it is found that the molecules resemble that of sebum in
the hair, this means that they can penetrate the shaft and actually
help rebuild the hair from the inside out rather than just
smoothing damaged ends like most conditioners.
3
Maintaining the condition of your hair.
The following information applies to all bleaching techniques
and processes and I will refer only in passing to deep conditioning
or protein treatments from here on in. You should be careful at all
times to keep up a rigorous hair routine and keep a close eye on
the condition of your hair through the lightening process.
Things you will need:-
Note:- Images are for reference of my preferred products, feel
free to use your own!
A conditioner containing an oil that can be used as a deep
conditioner. I recommend Aussie three minute miracle deep
reconstructor.
A type of oil. Any oil can be used to help condition the hair
but the best are coconut oil and an Argan oil.
A showercap, plastic bag or cling film.
A wide toothed comb.
A leave in conditioner.
Serum
A protein treatment
Maintaining the condition of your hair can be involved process
during the journey to white hair but it is of maximum importance.
It is likely you will need to bleach your hair more than once to
achieve white, and as such, you need to make sure you have healthy
and strong hair. Bleach does cause damage to hair, no matter how to
tackle it, you are putting a chemical on your hair that changes the
fundamental structure. It is how you deal with that damage that
counts.
It must be noted before I go on, that every persons hair is
different and what may work for some will not for others. It may
take some experimentation and patience for you to find your perfect
conditioning routine. The one I will outline here is what works for
me, and in my experience, for many others with chemically processed
hair.
It is likely that you already condition your hair after every
wash, this should be continued with your preferred product (my own
favourite is Dumb Blonde by Tigi Bed Head as it is formulated
especially for chemically damaged hair. I purchase large salon
bottles for cut price on amazon). On top of your regular
conditioning, whilst attempting to achieve white hair, once or
twice a week you should indulge in a deep conditioning. Deep
conditioning should be attempted with a product specifically
branded as such, I use Aussie. The conditioner should be applied as
normal to wet (but wrung out) hair and covered with plastic or a
showercap and left for twenty minutes. The heat from your scalp
will allow for a more efficient conditioning process. After twenty
minutes rinse the conditioner as normal.
On wet hair it is advisable to spray or apply a leave in
conditioner to assure maximum support to your hair. Also make sure
that you never brush wet hair, rather use a wide toothed comb to
separate tangles. Chemically treated hair can become very fragile
and pulling a brush through tangles can cause a great deal of
breakage. By using a wide toothed comb you are minimising damage to
the hair.
You can also condition your hair using coconut oil. This should
be applied to damp hair, wrapped in plastic and left for any amount
of time between twenty minutes and two hours. Coconut oil is an
incredible way to condition your hair since it is made up of small
fatty acids which can actually penetrate the shaft of the hair in
ways that other oils may not. This is key since it can then help to
repair the hair from the inside and also prevent protein loss.
Oils are essential for chemically damaged hair since the main
reason your hair becomes dry, brittle and frizzy is because the
natural sebum is stripped from the hair during the chemical
process. The scalp is unable to create oils fast enough to repair
the hair, and as such, you must re-add these (or similar) in order
to keep your hair in good condition.
The best oil currently available for your hair is argan oil. The
most popular brand is Morrocan Oil which contains argan oil and
other ingredients. You can however buy similar products and pure
argan oil much more cheaply.
Argan Oil is unique since it is almost 80% fatty acids including
a high amount of vitamin E. These are essential for helping to keep
hair strong. When hair is chemically treated it becomes brittle,
when the hair can be strengthened in any way, it will reduce
breakage and therefore frizz. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and helps
to eradicate free radicals in the hair. Free radicals oxidise
molecules including those in the proteins and membrane. When these
become damaged the hair can eventually become hollow and this
causes complete breakage.
Argan oil can be applied directly to damp hair before styling
and to dry hair to smooth frizz and create a healthy shine. Simply
pour a small amount (about the size of a 5 pence piece) into your
palm, rub your hands together and apply evenly through the
hair.
Serum is perfect for helping to moisturise dry ends. With a good
argan oil, you shouldnt need one, but its always best to have one
on hand. Serum simply coats the hair in a protective layer that
helps smooth and adds shine, as well as protecting from everyday
damage as well as moisturising.
Lastly, I will cover Protein treatments. These can be confusing
and potentially dangerous to your hair If used improperly. Protein
treatments can however be the ultimate saviour when it comes to
bleach damaged hair.
Bleach damage essentially breaks down the natural protein in the
hairs cortex, protein treatments can work to artificially re-fill
the hollow cortex, and thusly strengthens the entire shaft and
prevents breakage. Protein treatments come in various strengths
from everyday products such as Lee Staffords Hair growth product to
the last resort such as Red Kens Deep Fuel and Joico K-pak.
It must be noted with the latter two that if you use these
products when your hair does not need them, they can cause more
damage than good. Extreme strength protein treatments are to be
used when your hair is severely chemically damaged- this means that
you are suffering breakage and stretching of the hair. If you
simply have dry hair, use a lower strength product, there are many
on the market.
If you ensure to follow some or all of these processes, you
should be able to maintain a good hair condition.
Do ensure that with every precaution, you still check the
condition of your hair often and if it seems too damaged, stop. You
can carry on lightening your hair after you allow your hair to
heal, or you can follow other lightening methods later on.
4
This section outlines methods and recipes for bleaching and
bleach baths.
Bleach
Basic bleaching of the hair is the same no matter what your base
colour- this section outlines the method used to bleach. From this
point forward when I mention bleaching (as a full strength bleach)
this is the method I will be referring to.
Make sure you have everything youll need before you begin (as
outlined in the toolkit) for a basic full head bleach you will
need:-
Bleach powder
Your chosen volume of peroxide
A mixing bowl and tinting brush
Non-metallic clips
A shower cap or plastic bag
Gloves (latex or similar)
A measuring container
Bleach is mixed using one part bleach powder to one part
peroxide, if these are not pre measured for you, you will need to
use a measuring jug, cups or something similar. Try and have a
dedicated measuring container for your chemicals (dont use kitchen
items!). If you are familiar with bleach or bleach often, you will
probably be able to mix the products by eye to the right
consistency. Do be aware however that as bleach powders often
differ slightly, they can create different consistencies.
Always follow the directions on the packets! If the directions
differ to what I outline here, follow the manufactures guidelines,
not my own.
Tip your measured powder and peroxide in your mixing bowl using
a tinting brush, make sure you have a smooth paste and all the
powder is mixed thoroughly in. You are now ready to begin
application.
For a full head bleach you will need to begin applying bleach an
inch from the scalp, use the rat tail on the tinting brush to flip
sections of hair so as to apply the product to each side and
various layers. Use non metallic clips to hold hair out of the way
If needs be. Once you have completed the rest of the hair, you can
apply bleach to the roots. The heat from your scalp makes
development of the bleach more efficient, and as such, you must do
the roots last to avoid an uneven colour.
Work as methodically and quickly as possible so as the hair can
process together where possible.
Once bleach is applied to the entire head, cover with a plastic
bag (tie off with elastic band) or showercap and leave to develop
for the stated time or until the correct level is achieved (never
go over time, but if the colour is achieved before the allotted
time, wash the bleach off immediately).
For already processed or damaged hair check the condition of
your hair every 10 minutes. Take a small amount of hairs between
your fingers and pull. If the hair stretches at all, wash the
bleach off immediately. For any hair type it is always best to
check, but especially where extra damage is a worry.
Once the bleach has developed rinse thoroughly and deep
condition for twenty minutes.
Never leave the bleach on for longer than the manufacturer
suggests. If your hair is not the colour you hoped for, there are
methods of correction that can be attempted later on. Do not risk
the condition of your hair for the desired colour of your hair.
Bleach Bath
A bleach bath (also sometimes known as a soap cap) uses half the
amount of peroxide as a normal bleaching and as such is much
gentler on the hair. The lift from a bleach bath is not as
effective as bleach but neither will it damage as much. Often you
will not need the power a full bleach can offer, this is a good
alternative.
You will need:-
Blue bleach powder
20 vol peroxide (recommended but works with any vol over 10)
Shampoo (any, cheap is fine)
Gloves (latex or similar)
A mixing bowl and tinting brush
Non-metallic clips
A shower cap or plastic bag
The recipe for a bleach bath is as follows.
You will need two parts bleach powder to one part peroxide and
one part shampoo (it doesnt matter what kind). Depending on how
much bleach you are mixing will depend on how big these parts are
of course.
Put one part shampoo, one part peroxide and two parts bleach
powder into your mixing bowl and using a tinting brush, mix well.
The mixture should be applied immediately to the hair using your
tinting brush. Once hair is covered, massage gently and cover with
plastic or a shower cap. Using plastic helps create heat and speed
up the development process. You can use a shower cap, a plastic bag
secured with an elastic band or simply wrap cling film around the
hair. Leave for no more than twenty minutes to help further reduce
the risk of damage. Rinse well- be aware that the large amount of
shampoo will make the mixture harder to rinse, patience will be
needed! The bleach should have lifted any remaining stains from the
hair. If the bath was not successful then wait at least a week and
try again.
The process is still chemical and damaging so make sure to
maintain conditioning routines.
Be aware that this can often be an itchy process and its nothing
to worry about, its the rapid oxidisation of the baking powder and
bleach.
5
White hair for those with bleached/veg dyed hair.
For those of you with bleached hair, or veg dyed hair, then
white hair will be difficult, but in some ways, you are the most
equipped. You probably dye your hair a lot, and are familiar with
bleach.
For this section, I will assume you have hair that is dyed with
a vegetable dye, that is a brand such as manic panic or directions
that does not use a developer.
To get white hair, you will firstly need to strip your current
colour. Your hair is most likely already a light bleached colour
beneath the dye, and you need that base to work from.
As a bonus if you have blue or purple dyed hair, as you fade,
your hair will probably go to the colour you want on its own
(providing you already have a light base, so beware of that before
just chucking bleach on.
You will not be able however to use a colour remover such as
colourB4 since these work by reversing oxidisation that developers
in dyes use. They have been known to strip veg dyes, but this is
purely because you are using a strong chemical process.
Instead I will lead you through a series of easy things you can
do to strip stubborn vegetable dye from your hair.
As we all know, veg dyes claim to last only 8 washes, usually
this is not true, and they stain the hair and become difficult to
remove. Alkalis are the best way to remove veg dyes from the hair,
but caution must be used since alkaline products are also very
drying, so make sure you have a good deep conditioner on hand.
Vosene or similar anti-dandruff shampoos are very alkaline and
drag colour from the hair. Washing you hair in these three times a
week, with deep conditioning between can really fade the hair
quickly.
If simple shampoo does not work, you can always try washing up
liquid such as fairy liquid, these however can cause the hair to
become gummy if its already chemically processed, so use care.
Great for fading colour.
My personal mixture for fading dye comes from years of
experience and a collection of many recipes I have found online.
Put into a mixing bowl two applications of vosene shampoo (enough
to cover your head twice) two and a half to three teaspoons of
baking soda/ bicarbonate of soda half a shot of lemon juice. The
quantities dont matter a huge amount, and I dont measure, but this
is about what it should be. It will fizz, so be aware of that.
Apply the mixture to damp hair then cover in plastic and leave for
thirty minutes, before rinsing very thoroughly. Wash your hair as
normal, then deep condition. Leave your conditioner for twenty mins
under plastic, rinse again. This should strip the colour greatly
from your hair, but the process is harsh and you should deep
condition afterwards. This can be done a maximum of twice a
week.
A product has recently come on the market named Colour B4U by
Scott Cornwall, it is a clarifying shampoo designed to leave the
hair fresh for new colour, but is great for stripping veg dyes
too.
If all else fails, you will need to do a bleach bath to lift the
very last of the colour.SEE SECTION 4
If by this point you have blonde or white hair, stop! You have
reached your goal
If you have stripped as far as you can, its time to bleach. Make
sure you wait at least a week after your bleach bath to do this.
You are trying to achieve a level 10 blonde or lighter to get white
hair. Ideally youll want a level 11. Levels of blonde can be seen
in this scale.
It is possible you have remaining stains in the hair, you can
spot bleach these to get them out before lightening the whole of
your hair later if needs be. Always only bleach what needs
bleaching, for example if you have one blue streak in your hair, or
your roots need bleaching, only do these bits, never overlap
sections that are already blonde. Even if your hair is not yet
light enough, if you have noticeably darker sections, make efforts
to get an even base colour with bleach baths or lower volume
peroxides before continuing on the journey to a lighter level.
Once you have an evenly bleached base of hair- i.e. all your
hair is at a level 10 or 11 blonde, you can begin to tone. Toner is
purple or blue based product that will counteract yellow tones in
the hair and make it appear white. If you over-tone (leave the
product on too long or use too strong a product) then your hair
will appear silver. To read more on toning, see section 9. You may
need to tone slowly over a couple of weeks to achieve the right
colour.
It is at this point that you should have achieved white
hair.
6
White hair for those dyed with box dyes
For those with hair previous dyed with box dye, white hair will
be the most difficult journey of all, especially if you have colour
build up (dye over dye over dye).
The instructions assume you have dyed your hair with dark or red
tones of permanent box dyes containing peroxides or similar
developers. If you have blonde box dyed hair, white will be easier
for you, and you will not need to strip.
The first thing you will need to do is to remove the build-up of
colour- the best way to do this without having to use an unsafe
amount of bleach is to use a colour stripper. Popular brands
include ColourB4 in the UK and ColorOOPS in the US. Salons will
also strip colour for you. Colour strippers work by reversing the
oxidisation process that occurs during the use of permanent
dyes.
In simple terms, when you use a permanent dye, the colour
molecule is shrunk through oxidisation, so as it can sit in the
hair follicle, when the process completes, the molecule of colour
becomes large again and so cannot escape the follicle. To remove
the colour this needs to be reversed. Because of this you must be
sure to rinse the product off very thoroughly since if the colour
is not all removed, the molecules will return to their natural size
after the strippers chemical reaction ends. In this case you will
be left with patches of dye where it has not been successfully
removed.
Depending on the colour build up, using a stripper should bring
you back to a level colour, though often this is not your natural
tone since most modern box dyes also lighten your hair before
depositing colour.
There are generally two boxes of colour stripper available in
the chemists/drug store. Regular strength and extra strength for
darker hair.
Colour Strippers will not work on vegetable and semi or demi
permanent dyes since these do not use oxidisation to deposit colour
into the hair.
There is a myth that colour strippers do not harm your hair,
this is untrue since you are using strong chemical processes on the
hair and upsetting the PH balance. The myth comes from the fact
that the stripper does not lighten you hair at all; merely returns
it to the colour it was before the permanent dye.
You must make sure to deep condition your hair, and wait a week
before moving on to bleaching your hair from its new dye free
base.
Once you have stripped and conditioned your hair you are ready
to bleach. Please refer to sections 3 and 4 on how to bleach your
hair successfully.
Be sure to wait adequate times between bleaching.
Those with dye deposits even after stripping will find white
hard to achieve, especially if the dye was red toned. These
candidates may wish to use a higher volume of peroxide on their
first bleaching (assuming of course that the hair is in very good
condition to begin with) and use a lower volume for all subsequent
bleaching.
It is likely than on first bleaching your hair from box dye you
will have orange tones throughout. Do not be tempted to try and
bleach these out immediately, but do so slowly over time, and the
closer you get to white, the more you can lower the volume of
peroxide and move onto spot bleaching.
You will need to tone your hair to remove yellow and blonde
tones so as to achieve white hair, see section 8 for instructions
on this.
In this journey to white hair you will benefit from protein
treatments since the processing is often harsh and frequent.
7
White hair for those with virgin hair.
Achieving white hair for those with hair that has never been
bleached or dyed is the easiest start point since there is no need
to strip artificial colour, only natural.
Virgin hair simply needs to be bleached in short, safe bursts
with a week between each bleaching until level 11 blonde is
achieved, at which point you can tone the yellow tones out to
achieve white.
On virgin hair a level 20 peroxide can be used to lift the hair
two levels at a time, if using a higher volume the user must use
care not to bleach the roots with the same volume. A lower volume
should be used on the roots towards the end of the processing time.
Roots will usually only take ten or fifteen minutes to develop
whereas the rest of the hair will take between 30 and 90
minutes.
The only issues you may find are that if you have never before
used dyes or bleaches then you cannot predict how your hair will
react/how robust it is, but care and scrutiny will see this is no
issue.
For instructions on bleaching see section 4, and for toning
which will need to be undertaken to achieve white from light
blonde, see section 8.
As with all other sections the hair must be deep conditioned
after bleaching and at least a week if not three must be left
before trying to lift the hair any more levels.
Do not be disheartened if the hair does not lighten evenly or
tonally. It is likely that the hair, especially if lightened from
dark will lighten with orange tones, rather than sliding easily to
dark brown, light brown, blonde and white.
8
Toning the hair
Toning the hair refers to using a blue or purple tinted shampoo
or conditioning treatment in order to counteract the yellow or
orange tones in blonde hair so as the colour is left appearing
white.
Toning should be attempted when you are a level 11 blonde to go
from light blonde to white/platinum or silver tinted.
Orange counteracts orange tones and purple counteracts yellow
since they are opposite on the colour wheel. One does not lighten
the other rather neutralises it by tricking the eye. The slight
purple colour will cover the yellow to make the hair appear
white.
Hair toners come in many forms, though are usually shampoos,
sometimes conditioners. More often than not and especially in
common retail store purple toners are easier to come by.
Toners can be called toners, purple shampoos, toning shampoos,
and sometimes rinses. You often hear of the elderly having a blue
or purple rinse, in fact, the purple is an over-toning where the
purple tint has been left on the hair too long; since white and
grey hair can be toned to make it appear more silver and give it
more depth.
Some popular brands of toner include:-
Matrix So Silver,
Shimmer Lights
Daddyo (Lush)
Schwarzkopf a Touch of Silver
Bonacure Colour Save
These range in price and effectiveness. Some stronger toning
shampoos are only available from hairdressing suppliers and some
are readily available in most drug stores, though different makes
will be found depending on your country.
Most vegetable dyes (Such as directions and Manic Panic) make
their own toners also, which tend to be called white or snow or
something similar, though these tend not to be particularly
effective. If using a vegetable dye toner, I tend to mix my
own.
The easiest way to mix your own toner (this is a cheaper option
also) is to buy any generic white conditioner and add a little bit
of purple vegetable dye and mix well.
The mixture should be this colour.
The toner should be a lilac in colour, and should be applied to
the hair in place of normal conditioner once every three weeks or
so. Leave for five to ten minutes, making sure to check regularly
that the hair is not being dyed purple.
Toning conditioners work like normal conditioners and can
theoretically be left for any amount of time without fear of
damage, though they can tint the hair purple.
Toning shampoos on the other hand are often very drying as they
drive the colour into the cuticle of the hair, so you must make
sure to condition well afterwards.
Toning shampoos often work differently depending on your hair
type and desired outcome, so experimenting with different brands
and developing times can be to ones benefit.
Toners should be applied, then rinsed well. The outcome of
toning ones hair should be a silvery or white colouration to the
hair where there was light blonde before.
Spot test showing pigmentation of various toners from the
UK.
FAQs
Can I get white hair without bleaching it? Technically yes, but
not really. Even when tutorials say you can by using box dyes in
stages, you are still lightening your hair with peroxide just not
necessarily with bleach powder. This however is often more
dangerous and damaging.
I need white hair for an event next week, can you help me? No.
The only thing I can help you with is directing you to a good
online wig store. White hair should be attempted slowly over a
number of months. You should never attempt it in one week, or even
in one day as I have heard others do.
What do you mean by saying my hair should be in good condition?
Hair should be strong, if it is breaking as you comb it, or
stretches when wet, then you should stop lightening. If your hair
feels brittle and dry to the touch when dry or is particularly
frizzy, deep conditioning should be undertaken.
What are the dangers of bleaching? Over processing the hair with
chemicals can damage the fundamental structure of the hair, the
oxidisation breaks the chemical bonds in the hairs natural proteins
and therefore weakens the structure of your hair. If this is
continually practiced, then the hair can break anywhere, including
at the root. This is why you hear horror stories about peoples hair
falling out with bleach. However, with careful planning, time and
conditioning, the dangers should be greatly lessened. It should
also be understood that these dangers are no less evident in
products such as box dyes.
What is a toner and how do they work? A toner is a purple or
blue based shampoo or conditioner. The product will have a small
amount of dye which although will not show up as colour on the hair
will work to counteract yellow or orange tones in the hair. Orange
is opposite blue on the colour wheel and purple is opposite yellow,
putting a small amount of one over the other can neutralise the
colour and create white.
Do I need white hair in order to get silver or lilac hair? Yes.
Imagine yourself with colouring pencils, if you use a light silver
or lilac crayon over yellow paper, the effect is almost
non-existent, or you are left with an undesirable colour. To get a
pure tone, you must colour on white paper. The same truth exists
for hair. Especially since silver dye is not silver (metallic) it
is either purple or blue based and tricks the eye into thinking the
colour is silver.
Where can I find you if I need to ask further questions? At
http://allaboutthedo.tumblr.com at http://mkatsi.tumblr.com and at
[email protected]
Are you a professional Hairdresser? No, and I would always
advise you to visit one first. I only offer at home solutions to
often expensive salon trips. Growing up in a small town meant that
salons were not often willing to give me crazy coloured hair, and I
had to learn to do it for myself. I have gained a great deal of
knowledge through trial and error and through research. I urge you
to learn from my mistakes, ones I have made so you dont have
to!
My local Salon told me I could never have white hair, what
should I do? Often salons are not willing to risk the possible
damage that can occur with stripping the colour from ones hair to
white. If they think there is any possibility that they might
damage your hair, they will refuse to treat you, since their
obligation is to your hairs health. I too was told I could not have
white hair. I always advise that you listen to your hair dresser,
but if you are determined, there is usually a way, as long as you
are willing to deal with the risks and the time it will take to get
your hair white, including the nasty orange in between stages.
Why do you recommend bleach over blonde box dyes? Most box dyes
contain lighteners/developers, usually peroxide, just as in bleach.
The difference between the two is that a box dye strips and lifts
colour, then deposits a new colour on top. To lighten the next
level you will have to strip the colour from that dye, then lighten
again at which point another dye shall be deposited. The process
takes a certain amount of time, that you are obligated to leave the
product on for.
Bleach however is slightly different. You can control not only
the processing time, but the levels also since you have a choice of
which volume of peroxide you use. You can also use bleach baths to
reduce the peroxide again.
I strongly believe that often people are scared to use bleach
because they dont understand it or are frightened by horror
stories, but those same people often use box dye after box dye.
Once you understand how to use bleach and is capabilities, then you
should be able to be more positive about using bleach.
Where can I buy the products you mention? You can get the
products from bleach to oils and toners online, and it really is
the best resource for finding things, however if you are US and UK
based and live near a Sallys or even an ethnic hair store, things
like peroxide and argan oil are more readily available. To buy
bleach in bulk, I tend to use ebay to get 500g of powder and a
litre of peroxide. I use amazon and ebay a fair bit for
conditioning and toning treatments also. Be savvy! Things like
latex gloves are far cheaper in hardware stores than in hair
stores, and you can always use old clean take away containers to
mix bleach in. Mixing bowls and tinting brushes are often found in
pound shops in kits.
Check sales and salon clear outs for more expensive products
such as protein treatments.
Glossary
Bleach:- A mixture of bleach powder and peroxide used to lighten
hair.
Peroxide:- A developer that comes in crme/liquid form and is
available in various strengths. It is mixed with bleach powder to
create a lightening product.
Developer:- Developer is mixed with dyes or bleach powder to
create a chemical reaction in which oxygen is released.
Bleach Bath:- A mixture of bleach and shampoo, a less harmful
and more gentle lightening option.
Spot Bleach:- Putting bleach on small sections of the hair that
need more/particular lightening, rather than putting the product
all over the entire head.
Vegetable dye:- A semi permanent dye made from vegetable
extracts which generally claim to last 6 to 8 washes. These are
usually more unnatural colours (i.e. rainbow colours) which do not
require developers to dye the hair. They settle on the outside of
the hair and stain rather than being chemically embedded into the
cortex of the hair.
Box dye:- Dyes that are generally bought in drug stores/chemists
and come in a box, usually containing a tube of colour and a bottle
of developer as well as a conditioner.
Protein Treatment:- A treatment for the hair packed with
proteins essential for hair growth and health. Hair is made from
keratin (100% Protein) and becomes over processed and
brittle/hollow with chemical and heat treatment. Protein products
will help refill the hollow hair and keep it strong.
Sebum:- A natural oil produced by the scalp which helps keep the
hair moisturised.
Cortex:- The centre of the shaft of the hair, packed with
keratin strands that lie along the hair. The cortex is responsible
for your hair being straight or curly. When the hair is over
processed the keratin strands in the cortex are damaged and the
hair becomes hollow and so, brittle. This is also why bleach can
cause curly hair to relax.
Toner:- A dilute colour used to counteract unwanted tones in the
hair.
Colour Stripper:- A chemical product that strips permanent dye
from the hair by reversing oxidisation.
Useful links
My original white hair tutorial
Toner reviews and comparisons
A colour strippers tool kit (directions and images of my
vegetable dye stripping recipe)
All About the Do my hair blog where you can read reviews,
tutorials and ask questions.
Allaboutthedo.tumblr.com
A
llaboutthedo.
tumblr.com
Definitive guide to white hair.
Contents:
-
1.
Introduction and important information
2.
Tool kit and things you will need.
3.
How to maintain the condition of your hair whilst achieving
white
hair.
4.
How to bleach hair
and How to do a bleach bath
5.
White hair for those with hair already dyed with vegetable
dyes
6.
White hair for those with hair dyed with box dyes
7.
White hair for those with virgin hair
8.
Toning, the last step in white hair (no matter the
original color)
9.
FAQ
Helpful tips will be marked in yellow
and
recipes will be marked in green
.
1
This will be a tutorial of sorts, but more than anything, its a
guide. It will include FAQs and how tos
for techniques and tips that I get asked abo
ut again and again.
This piece is for those that want to attempt white hair at home.
I always say that if you can afford it,
please go to your local salon.
If you are thinking about starting the journey to white hair,
you must understand that it is not a light
task to undertake. White is not like a box dye you can plonk on
your noggin and in half an hour have
a brand new look. No. White hair will take months
of hard work and careful preparation.
Ultimately
our hair is not supposed to be white, and whether its a colour
you want to maintain or something
you would like to achieve so as to then dye lilac, silver or a
similar pastel shade.
Certain things must be
considered before attempting to go white, these include:
-
The condition of your hair
This is the most important factor when deciding to go white. If
your hair is already
very heat or chemically damaged then going white will not be a
good idea for you.
Goin
g white will require you to put your hair through some very
intensive chemical
treating, which no matter how careful you are,
will damage it
.
If you have virgin hair, this process will be much easier for
you than if you are trying
to lift layers of colour
build up.
The
current
colour of your hair
The current colour of your hair will directly dictate how easy
going white will be for
Allaboutthedo.tumblr.com
Definitive guide to white hair.
Contents:-
1. Introduction and important information
2. Tool kit and things you will need.
3. How to maintain the condition of your hair whilst achieving
white hair.
4. How to bleach hair and How to do a bleach bath
5. White hair for those with hair already dyed with vegetable
dyes
6. White hair for those with hair dyed with box dyes
7. White hair for those with virgin hair
8. Toning, the last step in white hair (no matter the original
color)
9. FAQ
Helpful tips will be marked in yellow and recipes will be marked
in green.
1
This will be a tutorial of sorts, but more than anything, its a
guide. It will include FAQs and how tos
for techniques and tips that I get asked about again and
again.
This piece is for those that want to attempt white hair at home.
I always say that if you can afford it,
please go to your local salon.
If you are thinking about starting the journey to white hair,
you must understand that it is not a light
task to undertake. White is not like a box dye you can plonk on
your noggin and in half an hour have
a brand new look. No. White hair will take months of hard work
and careful preparation. Ultimately
our hair is not supposed to be white, and whether its a colour
you want to maintain or something
you would like to achieve so as to then dye lilac, silver or a
similar pastel shade.
Certain things must be considered before attempting to go white,
these include:-
The condition of your hair
This is the most important factor when deciding to go white. If
your hair is already
very heat or chemically damaged then going white will not be a
good idea for you.
Going white will require you to put your hair through some very
intensive chemical
treating, which no matter how careful you are, will damage
it.
If you have virgin hair, this process will be much easier for
you than if you are trying
to lift layers of colour build up.
The current colour of your hair
The current colour of your hair will directly dictate how easy
going white will be for
