The Damage Is MAJORLY Done

[Fierce Critter]

I went and got a bottle of developer and tried the bleach (see "Punky Color" thread if you haven't already). I was at least smart enough to only give it 10 minutes instead of the full 30-40 minutes, but the damage was already done. Here's the result:

If I had the $$, I'd be on my way to a decent salon tomorrow to have them strip the rest of the red (now mostly dark pink) and re-color me back to something closer to my real color. But the $$ just isn't there. So I'm stuck trying to take care of this myself.

The hair in front and underneath is my real color. In the pics, my hair is damp, so it's a tad darker than its dry color. I'm a medium blonde.

Here's what I'm considering doing. I'm thinking about dying the untouched parts black, and dying the crown back to the deep vermilion. Though I've never really intended to dye my hair black, I have always wondered how I'd look with truly "gothy" black hair. So, this looks like the time to actually give that a try. I'm almost in tears at the thought - I mean, I REALLY like my blonde shade. And the thought of the root hideousness as it grows back out from black to blonde has my eyes rolling up and towards the back of my skull.

Of course, by then, I would probably be able to afford to have a salon work on me, and take the black out and help me graduate back to blonde again, so this could be a temporary solution.

I JUST got a haircut the other day. My hair has long layers right now, and I don't have bangs. Before dyeing it, I used a straightening iron and flattened it, and really liked how I looked. I ended up with nice, straight layers framing my face. I can spike it up a bit, too, or even rat it a touch for some fullness. So when thinking of coloring suggestions, take that style into consideration.

With the color how it is right now, it looked stupid ironed. With the black/red, it'd probably look sweet.

I need your suggestions on what black dye to use. I want a shiny black, not a dull, flat "cheap Halloween wig" black.

I can afford any permanent colouring I want from Sally's or Wal-Mart. And I do intend to use a permanent dye. But I'm going to depend on the expertise of my fellow DGN'ers, who are MUCH more experienced in this sort of drastic color change than I am.

I do not intend to bleach my entire head first - I'll apply any black over my blonde shade. The red/pink/hideous part has already been bleached enough.

If anyone has suggestions on a really good, deep vermilion permanent color to use, I'd appreciate that, too. The Punky Color vermilion is a beautiful, vampire blood red - velvety red. I'll fall back on it if I have to, but it'd be nice to find a good permanent shade to use instead.

Thanks, everybody. Oh - and you can stop laughing now.

[Brenda Starrr]

Oh, honey......

L'oreal Feria has some nice blacks. I can tell you that you may want to do the whole head red to "fill" it, then color only the parts you want to be black in your chosen black shade.

BTW, I just bought Vermillion today. I'm going to do it.

[JaneDead]

"With the color how it is right now, it looked stupid ironed. With the black/red, it'd probably look sweet."

---yes it will!

i can't recall all the blacks i have ever used. it has only been a few but i generally don't pay attention to the brand- more the color description. i have used l'oreal feria (i think the shade was starry night or something)- but didnt see that last time i went. i liked that black. this time i used blue-black but i forget who it is by. and it hardly looks "blue black".

i think the black always looks pretty natural on my hair but that could be because my color is already so dark. not sure if it is just a good brand? i wish i could be more helpful! i hope you end up doing it and liking it either way. the black and red will look awesome. that is my favorite color combo on hair. and with your hair being so light and taking so well to the dye it will look great.

but yeah save up your money now for the salon cuz you will hate it when it starts to fade or grow out unfortunately - and i am sure it is not something you will want to keep up (the black/red).

good luck! take more pics when it is done.

[Fierce Critter]

Oh, honey......

BTW, I just bought Vermillion today. I'm going to do it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Brenda - what brand/color did you buy?

I'm already having 2nd thoughts. I looked at the pictures and thought, "why do something you don't really want to do to your ENTIRE head, when you can just do something with the small part that is affected?"

There's a slight chance I might come into $100 in the next couple days. If so, I'm going to ask the local goth group to recommend me to a good salon in Raleigh. I'm thinking they should be able to draw out most of the pink and then color the area to a shade close to my blonde. If anything, it might end up looking like an interesting highlight job.

But if that $100 doesn't materialize, plan B is still giving black a shot, so keep those suggestions coming. Particularly on good vermilion permanent dyes - if I get the top part fixed, I intend to do the underlayer like I should have in the first place. I'd really like something that lasts longer than the punky Color if possible.

[Brenda Starrr]

Punky Color in Vermiliion.

[Fierce Critter]

That's SUCH a good shade. Much nicer than their pillarbox red, which I bought by mistake once.

My only reason for looking outside of the Punky Color is I'd like to find a good permanent shade so I don't have to redye frequently.

[Hermine]

Edited at FC's request.

[Nienna]

Hmmm... That is definately right up there with some of the things I've done to my own head.

I also recommend Feria. I used the Starry Night color. I was a bottle black for about 2 years. Then I paid almost $200 to get ti removed and my real color recovered. My hair is damaged as all hell...

So make sure you REALLY want to try the black before you dye. I've never heard of a black that would wash out.

I like Ja'zing (in a pink shampoo type bottle) from Sally's for cool colors. It dosn't stain everything like Punky Color does, and it stays about twice as long if you heat process it.

Good luck and may the hair dying force be with you.

[Fierce Critter]

I like Ja'zing (in a pink shampoo type bottle) from Sally's for cool colors. It dosn't stain everything like Punky Color does, and it stays about twice as long if you heat process it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How long does it last with the heat processing? I haven't used Jazzing in about 10 years, and my experience with it was it washed out extremely fast.

If I heat process the punky color, it'll last quite a long time - up to a couple months if I'm careful with shampooing.

[Lilith]

Just a word of warning as i am currently going back to blonde from black, DONT DO THE BALCK if you really dont want it. I have ruined my hair terriably and now i am stuck with a short nasty hair cut that i hate just to make my hair look healthy and it took about 5-6 bleachings to get me to the color i am now.

I am curious tough what went wrong with the bleaching, the longer you let it sit the better it will pull out the color. I am just curious as i have never had a problem with the bleach taking out any color except black.

The bleach will damage the hair which i usually cure with a hair cut shortly after and regular use of hot oil treatment or hair masks.

I am feeling a bit bad now that i suggested the bleach considering you had a bad experiance, i am so sorry dear

other then that i usualy use manic panic for none traditional colors and it does last for a decent amont of time, i have never had any luck with the jazzing stuff and not realy tried to much else sincei found the manic panic and it worked for me.

as for black i have allways just gone to the store and looked to see what appealed to me. I would suggest using a temp black (if you can find it) as in the long run it will be easier to pull out, also the more you touch up the black and the more layers of dye you add to part already died the harder it will be to remove it.

[Nienna]

How long does it last with the heat processing? I haven't used Jazzing in about 10 years, and my experience with it was it washed out extremely fast.

If I heat process the punky color, it'll last quite a long time - up to a couple months if I'm careful with shampooing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Welll... I have medium brown permed hair. When I did the Ja'zing last I heat processed it for the entirety of Braveheart. (I think that's like 3 hours) It lasted for a year and no kidding.

[Brenda Starrr]

You need to fill it with red or it will turn blue.

[mallochai]

I'll have to agree with the "don't put black in your hair if you ever want to get it out" faction. Since you have so much love for your hair, well... it would be murder.

Maybe a semi-perm dark brown instead. That way, eventually, it will be easier to get back to the ashy blonde color that you have. Realistically though... seeing a professional is the best route available.

Keep us posted. And good luck.

[honeymustard02]

I read the other thread and I think there were some good ideas in there.

Why not go darker on your under layers so the red on top won't look so out of place?

I haven't done it myself, but I've head that black going over bleached hair can come out horrible.

Other then that I'm not sure which way you should go.

[Lilith]

i have put black over my bleached hair and it came out good, but taking the black out is hell

[honeymustard02]

i have put black over my bleached hair and it came out  good, but taking the black out is hell

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've just head a lot of people say there's went kind of grayish. But then again coming from the people I know, who knows what they did! lol

I killed my hair the one and only time I dyed my hair black. NEVER again!

[Fierce Critter]

Over the past few days, I've been going back and forth with a hair color expert. She's really delightful - totally turning into a friend as well as a "rescuer".

We've been talking back and forth on the phone, in e-mail and on IM's, and I finally met with her in person yesterday.

Initially, she tried to talk me into dying myself all-over a chocolate brown, and then putting slices & chunks of deep reds throughout. I was convinced - for about 4 hours. Then, I got home, and saw how much I really like my blondeness, and I started having 2nd thoughts.

Sorry, but brown/brunette/black just is NOT me. However, I am willing to go even more radical - ALL OVER red. She's a real pro, and I think when I tell her of my 2nd thoughts and new ideas, she'll be able to come up with something that won't look like a red wig was dropped on my head.

She showed me a palatte of reds she has to work with, and they range from a deep brownish red all the way up to fire engine. I think some dimensional blending of a range of red shades can be something really spectacular.

I'll be e-mailing her later with some ideas I have, as well as pictures of what I DON'T want to look like. We're looking forward to getting together at her home where she'll be working on me for a fraction of what she'd have to charge me at the salon. Probably won't happen until later next week, and I'm getting really excited thinking about this.

This is something I've considered doing for many years. Time, I believe, to act on that whim - with much thought going into it first, of course. :

[mallochai]

woot! that sounds like fun. i love color experts who are friendly to boot.

[fallennon]

For once I have to go with the crowd here...be sure that you want the black. I kept mine black for about a year and then tried to go blonde...the result was a cute strawberry blonde color but that was 6 hours at a salon and $500 later...

[JaneDead]

my ex died his hair pink once. i think he really did in fact want pink. but.. yeah... so then when he wanted it out he went to a salon and they couldn't even get his dark blonde back. he had to go light brown. it was weird. i hope you do have someone that will be good to your hair and help you out! i think the red will look cool. i am a fan of black but i can see your hesitation on that one. and brown to me is just boring. brown with natural highlights is nice but just brown is boring.

[gothicmom]

Aymee wants to dye her hair black. I'm scared to do it. Mostly because she has light brown hair and a fair complection (spelling?) I don't want to do it and have it look bad then be stuck wit it for a long time.

[Fierce Critter]

All this is on hold until I recoup the $$ needed.

For now, the pink is washing out very well. The crown of my head is now mostly a bleached-out blonde, but not too bad really. I did stop the bleaching after only 10 minutes.

I'm not anticipating having the $$ to get the red done until sometime in March. Got a couple other financial matters I want to take care of first.