Spring is right around the corner and I know that some of you are dyeing to change your hair color. Get it, "dyeing"? No, okay. Anyway, for those of you how are craving the trendy pastel colors such as pink, teal, sky blue, lavender, and so on, but do not have the money to get it professionally done, you are in luck. Those who are adults or adolescents who get permission from work, school, and/ or parental advisement, you can do it yourself. But caution, it does require work. For all of the newbies out there who have not lightened their hair before or those who may need a reminder, I am here to help as much as I can. However, this is just a reference. I am not responsible for any harm done to your hair.

What do I need?

You will need a few things in order to go pastel. Here are some of the essentials:

- Your choice of Semi-Permanent Color (Rose, Aqua, Mint) you name it.

- Lightener powder. I recommend Salon Care Prism Lites

- 20 or 30 volume developer. I personally do not recommend 40 volume for everyone.

- Shimmer Lights shampoo or T18 Toner by Wella

- Gloves, Bowl, and Brush

(You can purchase everything stated at your local Sally Beauty Supply in-store or online.)

Before you get started....

Start off with healthy hair. This is very important. Going from your natural hair color or an artificial color to pastel is tricky. Pastel colors require you to lighten your hair a light blonde in order for the pastel color to take. Here is a reference for understanding. As you can tell that most of the colors require that you have your hair lightened to at least a level 7. But the pastel colors requires level 9 or 10. For those who are naturally or already pre-lightened to that level, congratulations! You are already one step closer to having your dream hair color for spring.

Before you bleach...

Ask yourself is your hair up for the challenge. In other words, is your hair healthy enough to survive the bleaching service? Ask yourself, is your hair breaking off, excessively shedding and dry, or have severe split ends? If so, you should not proceed with the service.
If you must, you should proceed with extreme precaution. I advise that you wait until your hair gets back to being healthy again. Regular protein and moisture treatments should help. If the problem continues, go seek a professional hairstylist.

On the other hand, if your hair is healthy, virgin, or haven't been processed with extreme chemicals, you may proceed.

Follow Instructions Carefully...

When preparing the bleach, read the instructions carefully. You do not want the mixture to become soupy or too much like paste. However, every lightener is different. Some things to keep in mind, if the first process does not lighten your hair enough, it is safe to do another process afterward. It is only safe doing so if you use a 20 or 30 volume developer. Again, I do not recommend 40. You may not see it at first, but 40 volume developer is too damaging to the hair for at home use. After a while, you will notice that your hair will become drier and would shed more than usual. Only professionals who thoroughly understand how to use 40 volume are recommended.
DO NOT use regular shampoo or conditioner when rinsing out the bleach. Only use water. (Note: If you are planning to use Shimmer Lights as your toner, you may apply it to your hair AFTER all of the bleach is successfully removed. Allow the purple shampoo to sit on the hair for a minute or two, and then manipulate it. You should not leave Shimmer Lights in your hair for a long period of time because it has a tendency to leave a purple tint into your hair.) After your hair reaches its desired level, towel dry your hair. Do not use a blow dryer to dry your hair before applying your toner. The importance of the toner is to eliminate all of the unwanted orange or yellow tones in your hair, this will give you a great foundation for a true pastel color.

After your toner is rinsed out thoroughly and your hair is towel dried, apply your semi-permanent color. After 20-45 minutes, rinse and poof. You have pastel color. It is going to look so cool for the springtime and all of your friends will envy you. But the hard part is not over yet. You will have to learn how to upkeep your color.

Maintenance...

Pretty soon, you are going to notice that your color is slowly or rapidly fading. And that is normal. Here are some things to keep in mind to make your color last longer.

- Do not shampoo with hot water. Use warm or cold water instead.

- Touch up your color at least once or twice a month to keep it fresh.

- Use sulfate-free shampoo ALWAYS.

- Use a protein based and moisturizing conditioner to build structure and moisture back into your hair.

- Have fun. Enjoy your new color and flaunt it in every way possible.

You only live once right?