Bottle blonde grows long!

[Aspsusa]

1) What is your starting color?

When I started colouring? Dirt road - dishwasher, with some highlight and sunstreaks. Blond to white as a kid, nice golden blonde as a young teenager.
At around 22-23 I got tired of my adult colour and my far too cautious hairdresser and went and bought some box-colour at random. The first result wasn't that good - very uneven (I'm not very dexterous and my hair was already somewhere between BSL and waist, so should have used two boxes), but already the second one was much better.

2) How do you get your beautiful blonde color?

Nowadays I usually use L'Oreal Preference or Excellence. Have used Garnier Nutrisse too in the past. In the beginning (after the first not-so-good try) I used L'Oreal les Blondissimes a few times, but discovered I didn't need that much bleaching and have been varying between 8.x and 10.x shades.

I purposefully always use a different shade for touch-ups, because I want to maintain a more natural looking variety of colour. Sometimes (like right now, grrr) it comes out slightly wrong - more strawberry (?) than golden blonde, and it's nice to know that the next one will be better

I do the roots plus a few strands at first, let it sit for the instructed 30 minutes or whatever the instructions say*, then lather up the colour and whatever is left in the bottle and cover all the hair and massage it for about 3-10 minutes. (Never let the whole head sit with the colour, just lather it around for a few minutes before starting to rinse - the lathering/massaging sort of slowly leads into the rinse.)

3) How do you care for your hair?

I think the word is "benign neglect"

Washing between twice a week to once a month. I like 'cones, but am thinking of going either WO or NW.
Haven't tried coconut oil yet, but it is on my list to try.

Before thinking of going WO or NW I usually used either the conditioner that comes with the box colours or Aussie 3MM luscious long as a conditioner. Schampoo almost anything, as long as it didn't have 'cones in it (that very conservative hairdresser back in the early 90-ties taught me to never use a 'cone on a 'cone to prevent build-up - rather before his time as this was in 1991-1993!)

Before finding Aussie (present from my sister) I also used to use a wonderful detangling spray for kids that smelled of apple/pear (also a present from sis, I don't like shopping much). Unfortunately they don't make it anymore...

I don't like wearing my hair down, so it is always up. Unfortunately my scalp doesn't really like that, so I am trying to brush, scritch and preen more. My scalp really likes the colouring, without it I get problems with itchy, scaly, horrible flakes. I think it is fungus, but a mixture of species where one in particular doesn't respond to ketoconazol (Nizoral et al), as that always makes it way worse.
Have found that one of the ingredients in box colour kits, Resorcinol, is available as a solution at a pharmacy, and applying that a few times once a week or more often is as effective as colouring.

My scalp is now in better condition than it has been since in 22 years, so scritching and brushing + Resorcinol now and then seems to do the trick. And no washing and no 'cones (sniff). I am still in two minds about using 'cones after the next touch up - I'm hoping not to have to wash for weeks after that, but I don't know how my hair will react to being coated with 'cones for up to a month.

No heat if I can possibly help it. Have knitted myself a lacy "hair stocking" of cotton-wool blend that I wear as the hair is drying (so I don't get it in my face). Try to avoid de-tangling or combing while it is wet. How people can get even a sparse comb through wet hair and conditioner amazes me. My hair is impossible to comb in anyway when it is wet, was even worse when I was a kid and before it was coloured (my mother actually got the advice to only wash it with conditioner when I was 4-5, it was *that* prone to tangling).

4) Any problems that you've solved (such as brassiness)?

I like golden, but I don't like pinkish. I've found that when I combine a very light colour (like a 10.x) with my natural colour (which is almost too dark for those shades according to the package) I get a nice golden blonde. Less lightening ashy or beige shades seems to bring out that pinkishness that I don't like, which is weird. I can't remember exactly what I used last time, maybe 9.13?

Varying between 8-9 shades, 10.x shades and every few years a Blondissimes (or similar, have a Schwartzkopf 12.x in the cupboard that I'm thinking of using the next time) seems to work for me. Especially since I learned the trick of not only doing the roots but also a few random strands with the new colour every time.

5) Last but not least - how long is your hair?

To my waist. Has been between BSL and probably almost tailbone since I started colouring.

I'll try to get some (crappy mobile phone) pictures and see if I can post them.


* This is a question I have had for a long time that maybe someone on this thread can shed some light(!) on:

When it says in the instructions to cover the roots and let it sit for however many minutes, from when do you count that time?

I have loads of hair, and covering all of the roots takes me about 15 minutes, at least ten even if I am really quick.
So if I count from when the first drop of colour hits the hair the total time for the last roots would be only (let's say) 30-15=15 minutes. But if I count from when the last roots are done the time for the first part would be 30+15=45 minutes.

This question has been bugging me for nearly 20 years now. Anyone have an answer?

[TaterTot]

I went half blonde! It is more yellow than I'd like and less ashy, I bleached twice, 60 minutes and then 40 minutes with level 20, and then toned with white lady, but I'm overall pleased. It didn't do as much damage as expected. I used coconut oil slathered on during the bleaching process.

I want blunt bangs with long length so I figure this is a good halfway meeting point.
It will also be easy to do touch ups since I don't need to reach the back.
Here was my inspiration for the reverse Cruella hair- it should be interesting in braids

[maborosi]

You've probably all seen this pic already since I have been proudly posting it everywhere, I LOVE it, finally.

Fantastic color! And your hair is in awesome shape- it's obvious you take great care of your hair to keep it looking so beautiful.

I know for a fact that even lightened hair colors can be healthy.

I think a lot of people don't know how to properly care for their hair after lightening, not realizing it's important to pamper and baby it and treat it nicely. I have honestly never seen someone who was a bottle blonde with LHC-long hair that didn't have extensions- maybe my sister when she had past WL hair but she's a natural blonde anyway and just highlighted and lifted a shade, tops, and has C iii hair, so she has that advantage. I've seen a couple of natural blondes with very long hair. Point is, I think people need to realize if they want to lighten their hair dramatically and keep it in good shape, they need to be willing to put in the effort to treat it nicely, especially if they're lifting more than a few shades above their natural color.

[Aspsusa]

Agree on EmmaDStrange's hair, it is fabulous. I love that colour.

I have honestly never seen someone who was a bottle blonde with LHC-long hair that didn't have extensions-

I guess that depends a bit on how you define "bottle blond", how light does it have to be to count?

If you look at my picture (which is badly lit and appears a bit too dark - as soon as I'm able to I'll upload a few more with better lighting) you'd probably not count that as "bottle blond", but think it was natural with maybe a bit of old highlights. But it has been coloured/lightened continuously for almost 20 years now.

So my guess is that you _have_ seen people with waist length or longer hair that are bottle blond, but just haven't noticed it.
The good thing about the kind of very sun-sensitive hair that I (and many others) have is that it is fairly easy to colour it lighter and have it look pretty natural. Unless you do a really in-your-face whitish-yellow shade or a very uniform colour (which I find hard to do anyway) it is hard to tell how much a mane of hair on the "dirt road - golden - sunstreaked" spectrum has actually been lightened.

[butterflybutton]

* This is a question I have had for a long time that maybe someone on this thread can shed some light(!) on:

When it says in the instructions to cover the roots and let it sit for however many minutes, from when do you count that time?

I have loads of hair, and covering all of the roots takes me about 15 minutes, at least ten even if I am really quick.
So if I count from when the first drop of colour hits the hair the total time for the last roots would be only (let's say) 30-15=15 minutes. But if I count from when the last roots are done the time for the first part would be 30+15=45 minutes.

This question has been bugging me for nearly 20 years now. Anyone have an answer?

Always start timing after the colour is applied. The oxidation of your colour has a time limit, so when you start applying the colour the heat from your head sets the oxidation in process (it will still oxidise once it's mixed up, just much much slower without heat. So don't let it sit in the bowl too long before you start) so the hair where you start will finish processing after 30-45 odd minutes, once it's at it's level that's it, it won't go any lighter. So the hair you applied the colour to last will still need a full 30-45 odd minutes to get to the correct level. If you leave it on longer than the instructions it won't go lighter, but the products will continue damaging the hair.

Hopefully that makes sense

[wilderwein]

Even tho, I stopped bleaching my hair to white blonde I'm gonna leave this here for your inspiration ladies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t4O_EKYwBA

[mothcub]

Even tho, I stopped bleaching my hair to white blonde I'm gonna leave this here for your inspiration ladies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t4O_EKYwBA

WOW ALERT! That is some beautiful hair. I've been reading her blog for an hour now, so thanks for this!

[wilderwein]

WOW ALERT! That is some beautiful hair. I've been reading her blog for an hour now, so thanks for this!

Ahahahaha no probleem! When I had whitish hair she was my insparation! ^^ and seeing her hair it's possible to have long bleached hair, it's just takes a little bit more care than normal

[Aspsusa]

Always start timing after the colour is applied. The oxidation of your colour has a time limit, so when you start applying the colour the heat from your head sets the oxidation in process (it will still oxidise once it's mixed up, just much much slower without heat. So don't let it sit in the bowl too long before you start) so the hair where you start will finish processing after 30-45 odd minutes, once it's at it's level that's it, it won't go any lighter. So the hair you applied the colour to last will still need a full 30-45 odd minutes to get to the correct level. If you leave it on longer than the instructions it won't go lighter, but the products will continue damaging the hair.

Hopefully that makes sense

Thanks, yes that does make sense.

I don't know if the colour change of the mixture is a good guide to how it oxidizes. Probably not, because what's left in the bottle (and accidental spills) seems to change colour at about the same rate as what's on my head.

What I find rather magical is that already lightened hair requires so little time to get harmonized with the roots. At first when I used different shades I was worried it would show the differences too starkly, but it doesn't. Especially not since I started doing a few strands nearly whole length directly when I'm finished with the roots.
Still it amazes me that just mussing around all the hair with what's left (+some water) for 10 minutes before I rinse it all off has any effect at all.

[Maverick494]

I hope you blonde experts can help me out a bit.

I was a medium blonde as a kid, then it darkened to a dark ash blonde/light ash brown. I'd been growing out my natural hair color for 3 years and just when I got my hair 100% virgin, white hairs started popping up everywhere. In the beginning I could ignore them, but after a while they started to cluster together to the point where my 10 year old niece asked me about them. So, I figured, well, let's get some blonde highlights. Well, the hairdresser botched it up, making it a dip dye/ombre disaster that didn't look at all natural and clashed with my natural haircolour. Plus she didn't highlight the top at all so the white hairs were still visible. It looked like I'd been growing out blonde dye for 2 years. I dyed it back to light brown and it's a nice, even color, but the roots are coming in and the white sparklies are more visible than ever and at 27 I'm not ready to embrace them as they are. That means I can either keep dyeing my hair close to my natural haircolor or I can do what I've always wanted to do: go back to blonde.

What's your advice? I kinda want my hair to look like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEmiDyfoe98. Basically my natural haircolour is what she has underneath the top layers. Is something like that attainable?