Congratulations on your decision to self-dye.
Thin hair is kind of advantage in that it bleaches faster and holds dye longer, but a disadvantage in that it will break more easily and is easier to damage. If you have thin hair, you should know that you will have to be more careful, especially with bleach: watch the progress more carefully, and once you're blonde wash out the bleach right away.
People with oily hair may have a harder time getting dye to stay in, though it should not affect bleaching strength. People with thick or nappy hair will have a harder time with both dye and bleach, and might need to buy larger quantities to make sure their hair becomes completely saturated.
Most labeling says hair treated with henna dye can't be dyed over (a natural substance that only comes in a few colors, you'd know if you used it), but Sean insists it can, so I'll look into this some more.
I'm still looking for more info about how coloring interacts with perming and straightening, but my gut tells me that it's not a good idea, most especially if you want to bleach, because it's meant to remove whatever's on or in your hair, even the chemicals that are currently there to change the hair's texture. Dye, on the other hand, is putting more stuff on top of hair that's already got extra stuff on it, so it's not so much dangerous as ineffective.
Very dry or damaged haired people may be hesitant to take on this processing until their hair is healthy. Well ya know what, that's a good idea.
Here's a minimum list of supplies needed to start.
- dye
(well, duh) - bleach powder + creme developer
(sold separately in beauty supply stores, or together in kits) - shampoo
(for color treated hair) - conditioner
(for color treated hair) - petroleum jelly
(i.e. Vaseline) - towel(s)
(obviously, that you don't mind staining) - latex gloves
(preferably sturdy reusable ones, like the ones you wash your dishes with) - saran wrap
(alternately, a plastic shopping bag) - ties and clips
(ones you don't mind staining) - large hand mirror
(or, someone to help you out when you do the back of your head. both is best.) - Ajax or other bleach-based cleaner
(stuff you use to wash your clothes is good too) - isopropyl alcohol
(70% or higher) - plastic bowl
(or some similar container that you won't ever eat from. wide enough to mix in) - brush
(preferably wide, thin, angled brush found in beauty supply stores, or inside a bleach kit, if you can't find anything else, just use a flat paintbrush or toothbrush) - wide toothed comb
(also that you don't mind staining)
If you're feeling extra spendy, here's a list of handy extras.
- mixing bottle
(if you want to squeeze the bleach directly on) - highlighting cap + hook, or foil
(if highlighting)
If you have long hair, or very thick hair or nappy hair, buy twice as much bleach and dye.
Bleach generally comes in strengths of 30 volume and 40 volume, 40 just being the stronger variety. Some bleach products are sold separately as powder and developer (Clairol Quick Blue, which worked very well for me last time I bleached, is just the powder, but you're likely to find developer in the same store). Sean recommends Manic Panic Flash Lightning, which has the whole kit, including mixing tools.
Never, ever believe the box or bottle color will be exactly the hair you'll end up with. The hair swatches in beauty supply stores are dyed over white synthetic hair. The final color you get will be altered depending on the color of your hair underneath and the texture.
Summaries of my experience with the three most popular unnatural dye brands are on the left. If you live in New York City, Ricky's is the godliest beauty supply store you will ever find. If you're planning on sticking with one color like me, buy a lot (as in an entire box) on eBay. Also, buy bleach (usually in packets measured for one use; if you know where to get larger containers, tell me) and developer separately if you're going to be doing this regularly, as you can get a larger bottle of developer at a better value than with kits. (We've got a permanent set of kitchen gloves for each color, but disposable is fine too.
As far as those "other" hair products, shampoo and bleach, I just go to the drug store and pick up L'oreal Vive or Pantene Pro-V. Sean, who works at Ricky's, recommended Biolage, KMS, or Keristas (which are all more expensive and harder to find, but of professional quality).
