The World Bites Right Now So I'm Controlling What I Can: My Hair.

I'm not sure how this project started. It may have been here, or here...or even here. I fell down a rabbit hole of people bleaching their hair during quarantine and (....just realizing this was four years ago. Already.) I think it was a really rainy, windy evening here and I had a glass of wine and after watching about 20 videos I decided to bleach my hair. Quelle surprise. 

My hair - as dark as Trump's soul (maybe a shade lighter). This was taken during the last step of my process. I'm going backwards here in this post. Bathroom fairy forgot to clean the mirror.

Ever seen a photo of me, you'll know my hair is pretty dark. Like, naturally a level 2 or 3-ish (to learn about hair levels you can go here).  It's dark. So, lifting (or lightening) my hair was going to be challenging. Most likely, after bleaching (unless I wanted to go multiple bleaching sessions and melt my hair off) my hair would be a shade of orangey-ness. 

But I had no "end result" or "project plan". This isn't Microsoft. Although, after bleaching for a second time, it did cross my mind to maybe put together a PowerPoint so I could at least visualize how this was going to play out and what my backup plans could be. 

I decided to use Good Dye Young's Lightening Kit - besides loving a good pun, I read good things about it and particularly that it would be difficult to melt off your hair using this stuff (the developer is only a level 25). 

A tofu container is the perfect hair-destroying accomplice. 

The bleach worked great - it didn't burn my nose off or sting when I inevitably flung it across the bathroom and up onto my forehead (RIP my bathmat). I let it sit on my head for for the whole 50 minutes (instructions say do not go longer than 50 minutes). 

We have lift off! Is that my hair or two chicken legs hanging from the side of my head (as a friend mentioned...) And also a bread bag (not sponsored by Dave's Killer Bread, unfortunately.) 

After 50 minutes, I went to rinse out my hair and it was lightened to this...

Not bad. This is after the second time using this same bleach kit. 

After walking around for a few days with this very brassy, orange hair I wasn't sure what to do. Should I tone it to an ashe blonde and stay proper or do something that would make my mom cringe?  

I picked the latter...

Good Dye Young's semi-permanent hair color in "Front Row". 

Good Dye Young's "Front Row" is a bright color and I got a little nervous. What if it was too bright? But then I started to look at the color wheel in my head... since my hair lifted mostly to warmer, orangish hues, the purple-ish color could make my hair a warm pink-ish color?  I saw a girl on YouTube do this! (Famous last words before becoming a grape.)  This hair dye smells so good. A little like Froot Loops, if Froot Loops was natural. 

"Front Row" is a bright color. 

Because of the bright color, I decided to mix it with some white conditioner I already had to help tone it down a bit. Plus, it would have taken this entire 2oz tube for me because I have a lot of hair. 

Here's the end result! It turned out exactly how I imagined after turning the color wheel in my head over and over.  It's a rose-goldish color. Am curious how many shampoos it will last. 

I only did the ends as I wasn't about to bleach my whole head - that would be a lot of work and upkeep, plus I'm not that unhinged - yet (check back in November). And I have things to do, like have anxiety about world events I have no control over, baking, and making zines. 

Hope you enjoyed this very random post that has nothing to do with photography. Also, this post was not sponsored by Good Dye Young or Dave's Killer Bread (although I really like both companies). Fun fact: Good Dye Young was co-founded by Hayley Williams the lead singer of Paramore. Their products are vegan and kind to your hair and the bleach is made in Canada(!)  

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