(originally posted to LiveJournal)
I had REALLY white hair about a year ago at this time, and was thinking of doing it again (cos it looked, huh-huh, cool). I also got a LOT of people asking me how to whiten hair, so I thought I’d post a little tutorial here (which I shall re-post on a NEW website for the community):
OK, first things first — you’re going to need to bleach your hair, no matter what, and the bleach you use often matters.
If you buy a Special Effects or Manic Panic bleach kit, these are usually OK for any hair type, but the 30volume is best for lighter hair, the 40volume is best for darker hair.
On the other hand, if you have a beauty supply store near you (like Sally’s or a mom-n-pop type of place — I know this sounds stereotyping, but in my experiences, the best mom-n-pop type beauty supply stores are usually run by Black, Latina or Asian women, as far as variety of stuff and knowledge of staff), you may want to mix your own bleach formula. To do this, you need Developer, Bleach Powder, a mixing bowl (you are NOT going to want to mix this in a bottle) and a mixing brush that will ONLY be used for bleach mixing and application (I’ll get to why this is in a minute).
You shouldn’t mix this in a bottle because it just won’t mix properly in a bottle. Bottles are used for mixing liquids with other liquids. If you mix this in a bottle and it doesn’t mix right, don’t say I never warned you. Hand-mixing it in a bowl with a brush is the best and easiest way to get this shit mixed right.
Developer comes in four standard volumes: 10, 20, 30 and 40. 10volume is the weakest of the four standard volumes and is usually best for dying hair black. 20volume is usually what comes in those boxed hair-dye kits that you get at Walgreen’s or some other chemist/drug-store. 30 and 40volume are usually best for bleaching hair: 40 will get darker hair lighter, faster.
Some beauty supplies, as well as Sally’s, also sells 50volume, which is stronger than 40 and, because of this, you usually have to have a beautician’s licence or a Sally Stylist Card to buy it — not always, but 50volume is pretty harsh, so if you’re able to get a hold of some without a stylist card or whatever, you’re probably best off having a VERY experienced friend applying the bleach for you. Trust me, even the feeling of having 50volume developer (mixed with bleach powder) on your head is that much different from 40volume. I’m not a licenced beautician, but I’ve fried and generally abused my hair enough to know there’s a difference: If you decide to use 50volume without the assistance of somebody very experienced for your first time using it, PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!
Bleach Powder, likewise, comes in a few varieties. I usually use a brand called Clairol Kaliedecolours, and this comes in either a packet or in a tub. The tubs are much bigger than the packets. Kaliedecolours also comes in three different “colours”: Beige is formulated for lighter hair, Purple for “mediums”, like auburns and medium-browns and dark blondes; Blue is formulated for dark brown, very dark auburn and black hair. I also suggest Blue for hair that has been dyed with regular dye more than once (a suggestion mostly based on expeirence).
The Mixing Bowl & Brush you use should only be used for bleach because these things are made of plastic, and plastic can’t even be recycled the same way that metals, glass and paper can, because it’s impossible to get plastic completely clean. When you take plastics in to get recycled, what happens is, they just run it through a chipper and then melt it and mould it into stuff like lawn furniture and grocery bags (but not the same bags at the store that you wrap your meat in or put a pound of jelly beans in, this is due to health code reasons), which is why it’s often suggested to wrap your meats and veggies in those virgin-plastic bags in the meat and produce sections. If you take an empty motor oil bottle to be recycled, it can’t get clean enough to make into, say, an orange-juice bottle (and anyway, nobody wants motor-oil in their orange juice), and recycling stations use WAY better cleaning methods than sticking it in a dishwasher. So, basically, if you’re using the same bowl and mixing brush for your dye that you use for your bleach, there’s a chance that you’ll get little bits of bleach in your dye, and if you don’t wash it out within an hour, bleach will, in fact, eat your hair! And the bottle of SpFX and jar of Manic Panic say that you’re only supposed to condition your hair and rinse out the dye, after the time it says to wait. Rubbing conditioner or colour sealant on your hair is not the same as a thorough shampooing, so trust me, you need a completely separate set of tools for bleach. This is why Sally and other beauty supplies sell these things in different colours (my bleach brush has a clear handle and my bleach bowl is black — the ones I use for dye are red).
To bleach your hair, following the mixing directions on the kit/packet/tub are pretty dead-on. If you’ve done this a LOT, you’ll soon learn what about an ounce of developer looks like and what a tablespoon (not teaspoon — there’s a HUGE difference: 1tablespoon = 3teaspoons) of bleach powder looks like (the rations are roughly two tablespoons of powder to every ounce of developer), so if you bought the Tub O’ Powder and you lose your scoop that came with it, if you already know what you’re doing, losing the scoop shouldn’t matter too much.
If you have REALLY short hair, one tablespoon of powder and a half-ounce of developer should do you fine — remember that it’s always best to mix too little and then add a little bit more than mix too much. A tub of bleach powder usually runs about US$15 and a bottle of 40volume developer is about US$3/US$4, but in all honesty, this is the most cost-efficient way to do it. A SpFX or MP kit usually costs about US$10, so, yeah, either way, this is not a cheap thing to do. It’s always a good idea to make sure that you get the most out of what you pay for.
So, OK, you mix your bleach powder and developer, now what?
Slap it on your head!
OK, don’t just slap it on there… “Paint” it on with the mixing brush. The kit/tub/thingy probably says not to apply directly at the root, but I’m not going to lie to you, you’re going to end up with some of this stuff, if not all of it, at the roots. Yes, it’s best to try and get it as close to the root as possible without actually getting it on the root, but this is mostly just cautionary advice so that you won’t kill your hair at the root and sue the company because all your hair fell out and won’t grow back. If you leave this stuff on your head for forty-five minutes or less, chances are good that you won’t kill the root, but as a rule, if your hair is thicker, it can take more abuse (and I have pretty thick hair for a white guy), if you have white bread Whitey McHonky thin hair, you’ll probably want to avoid the root as much as possible, or at the very least, don’t start reading a good book while you’re waiting for the bleach to set.
A Kaliedecolours tub will most likely say “wrap your head in plastic, heat-set [with a blow-dryer] and don’t leave mixture on for more than twenty minutes.” This is what’s SUGGESTED. It’s one way to do it, but not the only way. If you’re going to do it this way, I severely suggest getting one of those old-fashioned bonnet-style blow-dryers, cos your arms are probably going to give out using a hand-held blow-dryer for twenty minutes (especially if you don’t do stuff like play violin or viola, or do work that involves heavy-lifting). If you were able to dumpster-dive a salon chair that has a bonnet hair-dryer (and that still works), you’ve totally scored! You should also totally let your friends come over and use it whenever they like and stop being selfish, you bastard.
Another method is to just wrap your head in plastic (ie, Saran Wrap or some other cling-film; plastic grocery bags work OK, but remember what I said earlier about where they come from?) and wait for 45 minutes (lighter or thinner hair) to an hour (darker or thicker hair). It takes more time, yes, but the results are pretty much the same.
Note: If your hair is dark but thin, don’t chance it, just use the shorter amount of time.
A MP or SpFX kit (according to what I remember) doesn’t explicitly suggest wrapping your hair, but the bleach mixture gets harder to wash out when it’s dry, this is something I’ve learned from doing it both ways.
When you wash out your hair, I suggest using a residue-free shampoo (like something sold for Dreadlocks or even just a regular Clarifying or Tea Tree shampoo will do), but that’s just a preference. Depending on the condition of your hair and scalp, a moisturising shampoo may be better. I also suggest that, after you shampoo, you rinse WELL and repeat at least once, just to make sure that the bleach is TOTALLY out of your hair, or, once again, the bleach will eat your hair! (Yes, I’ve learned from expeirence that failure to thoroughly wash out bleach will result in hair-eating. You don’t want this stuff to eat your hair.)
Now, after you’ve washed your hair, you may notice that it’s not white, it’s a medium or light yellowish colour. This is totally normal.
If it’s a medium to medium-dark yellow, you may want to bleach it a second time. DO NOT DO THIS RIGHT AWAY! (Remember, I speak from expeirence.) If you do, you’re at risk of killing your hair and if you bleach it again right away, and you *do* kill your hair, threatening me won’t do anything, cos I done went and warned you! It’s best to wait at least a full day before bleaching it again, but I’d suggest waiting two or three days to a week; then again, chances are good that I’m just paranoid and have fried my hair enough for both of us.
If your hair is a light yellow, after bleaching (or after bleaching a second, or maybe a third time), you’re going to want a toner.
What is a toner? Glad you asked, Timmy!
A toner is usually a pale purpley colour, that has just enough pigment to “neutralise” the yellows and golds that are left over after bleaching your hair.
Special Effects makes an excellent toner.
Manic Panic toner is also pretty good, and the gel version (in the bottles, not the jar), is a little pricier, but worth it!
Last I checked, both of these are vegan-friendly. Manic Panic is also veggie-based, so if you live with small children or animals who won’t stop getting into things, MP might be the better choice to have around.
SpFX and MP toners are both used the same way: squirt or dab a little at a time onto a hair colouring brush (that you did NOT use for bleach) and “paint” it onto your hair in the same manner as you did the bleach. Of course, since these are both extra-gentle hair products, getting it on the root or leaving it on longer than suggested shouldn’t matter much at all. Personally, I just let the toner set for a day or two before rinsing it out of my hair, but I also don’t put on so much toner that it’s dripping out of my hair. Both MP and SpFX toners have a mild scent, so if you do the same thing I do (and leave it on for up to 48 hours without rinsing), only people who stick their face in your hair will notice. Of course, I also have really short hair and, just like with the bleach, I use as little as I can get away with.
SpFX and MP toners *will* get your hair really white, as long as you bleach your hair to a really light yellow first. They both cost about US$10 per bottle.
Another thing that a friend of mine has done, was use a product called Mrs Stewart’s Bluing. It’s sold as a safe alternative to laundry bleach, and usually sold in the same aisle as laundry products. I can totally vouch for it’s ability to whiten shirts (if I had before and after photos of my Gothic Butt-Pirate Shirt, I’d totally be showing this shit off), this stuff is seriously amazing.
The hair-whitening method mentioned on the Mrs Stewart’s site is:
Countless letters from elderly citizens tell us that Mrs. Stewart’s Bluing is a wonderful addition to the rinse water when washing grey or white hair. It eliminates yellowing and gives their hair that beautiful whiteness which cannot be obtained even by products made especially for that purpose. It is absolutely safe, and because it is used by the drop, costs less than a penny per use! Use just a couple of drops in the rinse water. No wonder hair salons are beginning to contact us! Because we haven’t tested MSB for whitening hair, we don’t publish a specific formula. However, our customers tell us they wash and rinse their hair as normal. Then, they dilute a “couple” or a “few” drops of MSB in 1-2 quarts of water and run the diluted bluing through their hair as the final rinse. Some do this with every washing, some only when needed. For more information, click here.
That’s not that different from how you’re suggested to used it in the laundry. You basically put a tablespoon of the stuff (it’s VERY concentrated) into a quart of cold water and add the dilluted mixture to the laundry water.
Of course, my friend also suggests adding roughly a teaspoon or so to fifteen ounces of shampoo, and mixing well, so that you’re basically using a little bit with each shampoo.
Mrs Stewart’s Bluing is biodegradable, non-toxic and all that. Not being vegan, I don’t know what to look for to know it’s it’s vegan-safe or not. It also costs about $3 a bottle, and is therefore the cheapest option for whitening hair. Again, like with the SpFX and MP toners, you’re going to want to bleach your hair as light as you can before trying it.
Other Tips and General Crap to Keep In Mind:
If you are bleaching your hair after it was dyed with a permanent black hair-dye, you may need or want to cut off the remaining black. If you want to avoid this, you may also want to try a hair-dye stripper (usually sold at a beauty supply, though on rare occasion, I’ve seen them at Walgreen’s) before bleaching. Like with bleaching, you’re going to want to wait at least a day or two after the stripper but before the bleach. I’ve personally only had the black stripped out of my hair once, at a salon and because my father’s widow told the woman to use it (long stupid story involving prom and an ultimatum), so I don’t have any suggestions for doing this on your own. I do know that, if you’re bleaching the black out, you’re definitely going to want to try at least twice and you’re almost definitely going to end up wanting to cut some out.
L’Oreal also makes a line called “Grey Chic” which is marketed to middle-aged and older women with (duh!) naturally grey hair. I’ve never used anything from this line, but it seems to be a line of toners. They make a White, and they also make a “Crystal Purple,” “Crystal Pink” and a Silver (which, on the box, looks really pretty). If you can find it, try it. I’d really like to see how it looks, especially the Silver.
As a general rule, shorter hair is easier to work with, when bleaching it. Mainly because longer hair is more likely to get brittle and break off. I generally don’t suggest doing this for the first time if you have really long hair.
Also keep in mind that the up-keep on unnaturally white hair is a BITCH. No matter what colour your hair is, naturally, bleaching it will make the roots look darker, and you will notice roots a lot sooner. When my hair was white, I was touching up the roots every two weeks, mainly because that’s how much faster my hair seemed to grow (as a comparison, when my hair is black, I dye it about once every four to six weeks, sometimes every other month). White hair is more than just something that looks really cool — it’s a commitment that will automatically make you look three to twenty times more vain than you did before. If you don’t want to invest that much more time on your hair, trust me, don’t go for white.
One more thing: Yes, you should be using different brushes and bowls for your bleach, but ferchrissakes, you should still wash them between uses.
