How to bleach hair successfully!
Go to a beauty supply store and get a bleach packet and cream developer. If you have long hair you may need 2 or even 3 packets of bleach, so make sure you get more than you think you will need. What I use is "prism lites- blue". It smells like green apple.
You also need a toner (will get there in a minute).
For the cream developer don't go higher than 40v. You should be fine with 30. If you're already blonde you could probably get away with using a 20. But I'd say go with 30.
Mix the bleach packet with the cream developer and apply over the hair. Do the underside and back first and the roots LAST. Leave it on for the required amount of time (usually 30ish minutes) and then wash it out.
You hair should be somewhat yellowish.
To get rid of the brassy/yellow tones you have to use a toner.
You also need a toner (will get there in a minute).
For the cream developer don't go higher than 40v. You should be fine with 30. If you're already blonde you could probably get away with using a 20. But I'd say go with 30.
Mix the bleach packet with the cream developer and apply over the hair. Do the underside and back first and the roots LAST. Leave it on for the required amount of time (usually 30ish minutes) and then wash it out.
You hair should be somewhat yellowish.
To get rid of the brassy/yellow tones you have to use a toner.
How to tone hair!
A toner is basically a blue based demi-permanent depository color. Most people I talk to use Wella T10 Ivory Lady. Again, if you have long hair you may need 2-3 bottles so buy more than you think you need. You'll also need 20v cream developer.
You could, theoretically, use the 30 v developer again, but with a toner you aren't trying to lighten, you're just neutralizing the brassiness so there's no need for any more lift.
Mix the toner and developer in the proportions on the box (for Wella it's 2 parts developer to 1 part toner).
Apply it to towel-dried/slightly damp hair and WATCH IT CAREFULLY.
If you leave it on too long the hair will go grey or greyish blue depending on how light your hair has gone with the bleach. I'd recommend testing a little piece of hair on the underside first to see how long to leave it on and go with that. But when it's on, make sure you watch it. If the cream looks like it's turning grey then it's time to wash it out. Don't wait until it all goes completely grey.
If you accidently leave it on too long and find yourself with grey hair then just wash your hair repeatedly with something like head and shoulders, dish soap, or tea tree is really good.
Then make sure to follow up with a deep conditioning hair mask or something like that and avoid washing your hair for a few days. Bleaching does dry your hair out quite a bit. Before I was a bleach blonde I was more of a light honey blonde (natural hair color) and my hair was SO oily all the time that I had to wash it every single day or else it would be stringy. But now that it's bleached platinum I can go 2 and sometimes 3 days without needing to shampoo. So I'd say at most shampoo every other day, and just condition every day and then do a weekly deep conditioning treatment.
You could, theoretically, use the 30 v developer again, but with a toner you aren't trying to lighten, you're just neutralizing the brassiness so there's no need for any more lift.
Mix the toner and developer in the proportions on the box (for Wella it's 2 parts developer to 1 part toner).
Apply it to towel-dried/slightly damp hair and WATCH IT CAREFULLY.
If you leave it on too long the hair will go grey or greyish blue depending on how light your hair has gone with the bleach. I'd recommend testing a little piece of hair on the underside first to see how long to leave it on and go with that. But when it's on, make sure you watch it. If the cream looks like it's turning grey then it's time to wash it out. Don't wait until it all goes completely grey.
If you accidently leave it on too long and find yourself with grey hair then just wash your hair repeatedly with something like head and shoulders, dish soap, or tea tree is really good.
Then make sure to follow up with a deep conditioning hair mask or something like that and avoid washing your hair for a few days. Bleaching does dry your hair out quite a bit. Before I was a bleach blonde I was more of a light honey blonde (natural hair color) and my hair was SO oily all the time that I had to wash it every single day or else it would be stringy. But now that it's bleached platinum I can go 2 and sometimes 3 days without needing to shampoo. So I'd say at most shampoo every other day, and just condition every day and then do a weekly deep conditioning treatment.