1. Let's go to Sally's!
If you have ever tried to dye your hair at home, then you're probably familiar with Sally's. It is the holy grail of beauty supplies for the DIY type.
2. What's the difference between toner, developer and bleach?
If you plan on bleaching your hair by yourself, I highly recommend doing a lot of research beforehand and figuring out what everything is and what brand and type is best for you and your hair type.
3. I can't wait to be a blonde goddess!
Once you buy everything you need, you start to get really excited about how you'll look and you really just want to get home and get started.
4. I really should've opened the window before I started.
As soon as you open the bleach and start to get going, the fumes will get to you. The back of the bleach bottle knows what it's talking about when it tells you to work in a well-ventilated area. Open the window in the bathroom, keep the door open, and try to use a fan. If the fumes get to be too much, walk outside and breathe for a little while.
5. How much am I supposed to mix the bleach?
If you use a powder bleach that you have to mix with a liquid developer, be prepared to mix for a while. You want to make sure that all of the powder is fully dissolved in the developer before you start applying so you get an even application.
6. Hair stylists make it look so much easier to clip hair up.
You would think that sectioning your hair off would be the easiest part of the whole dying process, but it really isn't. Stylists make it look so easy to separate your hair and clip it up in those little spirals, but once you have to do it for yourself, you look like you let a 5 year old do your hair.
7. Okay, let's get started. Let's do this.
Once the bleach is mixed, your gloves are on, and your hair is parted, you are ready. Take that big sigh and get ready to turn into a blonde goddess.
8. Top part is done. Great. Next.
If you start with the top part of your hair, you will find that this will be the easiest part. You pretty much just slap it all over your hair and you're done. This is when you start to think that this can't be that hard. This is where you're wrong.
9. Okay, moving bleached hair is hard.
Once you have to move past the first layer of your hair, you realize that hair with bleach in it is pretty much hair with cement in it. It is never fun to move around and it makes your hands feel all gross.
10. The back is so much harder than I thought.
If you're doing it by yourself, good luck trying to get the back covered all the way. It is probably best to have a friend or your mom help you do the back so you don't have to try and performing human origami. It's also nice to not have stripes in your hair.
11. Oh, this is burning a little.
If you're bleaching your whole scalp, then it is bound to burn at least a little. At first it can be a little shocking, but it is so normal.
12. Now it's all in. We must sit and wait.
Once it is all in, you now have to sit and wait for the bleach to work its magic. This will probably be the longest 20 minutes of your life.
13. Oh, it's burning a lot.
The last couple minutes that you're waiting for the bleach to work, will probably mean a lot of burning. Keep in mind that too much burning is a bad thing and means you should probably wash it out.
14. Let's wash it out now.
Once the timer goes off, you can finally wash it out. You wash it all out, and then you give it a good old wash with purple shampoo. And then you blow dry it.
15. And... I look like a pumpkin.
More than likely you will look a little brassy or a little orange. This means that you will have to wait a couple of days to a week and then do the whole process over again to make it the blonde you want.
If you plan on doing all of this at home, please be patient and take your time. It is also smart to have someone help you. Good luck with your hair adventures!
Callaghan Carter
