I'm thinking about dyeing my ends . . .

[WritingPrincess]

This morning Mommy was running errands and she went to Sally's. While there, she was looking at the hair dye, because I've mentioned several times that I'd like to dye my tips purple. She didn't get any, because she wasn't sure what shade I wanted, though. I haven't given much serious thought to this, but I'm thinking it would be fun. Also, I noticed a couple of nights ago that the last 1/2 inch or so of my hair is drier than the rest, no matter how much sebum or coconut oil I rub in. So I was planning to trim, until Mommy brought up the dye again. If I want a nice dark purple, sort of like this, only less pink, would I need to bleach first? Could I just apply it to the last 1-2 inches? Any tips on applying to just the ends?

[Isilme]

I think you should try with something like manic panic, or special effects before you bleach, chances are that your hair could get this shade without being bleached. Doesn't hurt to try. You also have to think about if you want them permanently turned purple or just temporary. If you decide to bleach, remember that you have to take extra good care of that hair because it will get damaged.

[ItalianFlower]

I want to dye my tips purple as well but I'm scared, haha. Let us know how it turns out! Post pictures!

[longhairedfairy]

I used a purple dye (manic panic or some similar brand) once and it showed up just fine. I did not bleach my hair at all. It was a pretty deep purple, but unfortunately didn't look very good with my complexion. It faded (keep in mind that my hair is not very porous, so that kind of dye may stick better in a different hair type) away in a month or two and I didn't notice any damage. If you're going to do just the ends it will grow out/fade quickly enough that it won't be a big deal if you don't like it. Experiment and have fun!

ETA: It may have been a brand called Special Effects http://www.specialeffectsusa.com/hair_dye.html

[GlassEyes]

If your hair is the color in your avatar, yes, you'll have to bleach.

[WritingPrincess]

Thank you, everybody for your responses. I've never dyed my hair, but I think this could be fun, and if I don't like it, I'll only lose an inch or two that I would cut out anyway. GlassEyes, my avatar is cropped from a picture of my hair in the sunlight and wind. It's about as close to my real color as you can get in a picture. You can see the lightness of my ends in this picture.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2054/2435492158_e4e2b3377f.jpg?v=0

[catfish]

I agree with longhairedfairy that you could achieve a good purple without bleach, I have, although it will be darker and will not last as long. GlassEyes is right about needing bleach if you want it permanent or a lighter purple.

If you do chose bleach be careful as it will soak up you length (in other words, it will travel up your length ) if your hair is pretty porous. I used bleach to dye my ends pink once and the tips I dipped in the bleach turned white while the next few inches up lightened just by soaking it up. I went with just straight color dye after that.;)

You have lovely hair by the way, have fun experimenting. :D

[GlassEyes]

Actually, you COULD acheive a noticeble purple on your ends now; they're light enough. It won't be as bright, however, as if you bleach.

You can always dye it, and if you don't think it's bright enough, bleach. Unnatural dyes aren't TYPICALLY damaging unless they're pre-mixed with bleach. They're just a temporary stain, though some last longer than others.

[HairColoredHair]

I managed a very noticeable teal on my ends with Manic Panic back in college. (My mummy helped me, I love my mummy.) My hair's a dark blonde/light brown, so a little lighter than yours, maybe, but it showed up very well (and it washes out if you don't like it!)

[LawyerGirl]

I have had purple ends to my hair... my hair seems to be darker than yours, and it showed up fine on my hair.

[jastark84]

I've used a red Manic Panic color (can't for the life of me remember) on my dark brown hair, and it worked. I didn't want a red that was as bright as what I bought, so I got htat thinking it would turn out great. Put it this way, I dind't use bleach, and it still made it a dark fire engine red. Like you said even if it doesn't look good you can cut off the ends if you planned to anyways.

[Katahdin]

I think you could probably get a nice purple w/o bleach, but it might be a bit on the dark-ish side.

Just a few weeks ago, I dyed the last 2 inches of my hair fire-red (without bleach). For applying the dye, I used a method a little like Feye's Self Trim. A pony tail at the base of your neck, then carefully slide it down while keeping the ends even (I got my mom to do that part, it's tricky doing it yourself). Then I put a huge glob of dye on some saran wrap and tied it to the end of my pony tail with another elastic, then put a couple layers of wrap over it again, to make sure I didn't get the dye all over the place. Make sure to wear a crappy outfit, because you probably will get some on your clothes, no matter how hard you try. I know I did! :p

[WritingPrincess]

I agree with longhairedfairy that you could achieve a good purple without bleach, I have, although it will be darker and will not last as long. GlassEyes is right about needing bleach if you want it permanent or a lighter purple.
. . . snip . . .
You have lovely hair by the way, have fun experimenting. :D
Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're saying that I shouldn't use bleach if I want it to wash out, right? And thank you very much for the compliment. :)

I think you could probably get a nice purple w/o bleach, but it might be a bit on the dark-ish side.

Just a few weeks ago, I dyed the last 2 inches of my hair fire-red (without bleach). For applying the dye, I used a method a little like Feye's Self Trim. A pony tail at the base of your neck, then carefully slide it down while keeping the ends even (I got my mom to do that part, it's tricky doing it yourself). Then I put a huge glob of dye on some saran wrap and tied it to the end of my pony tail with another elastic, then put a couple layers of wrap over it again, to make sure I didn't get the dye all over the place. Make sure to wear a crappy outfit, because you probably will get some on your clothes, no matter how hard you try. I know I did! :p
That's such a good idea. I would not have thought of that. Thank you, Katahdin! Did you do all that behind your back, or did you bring it around to the front?

[HairColoredHair]

If you bleach your ends it is far more likely to be permanent, especially with red-tones... We had a girl in high school permanently turn her hair pink with koolaid (school color was red and it was homecoming.) Her parents (in Sweden, she was a foreign exchange student) were not pleased.

[longhairedfairy]

If your hair is the color in your avatar, yes, you'll have to bleach.

Not necessarily. My hair is at least as dark, maybe darker.

[LifeisAdventure]

I definitely think you could get the color you want without bleach. I used to have purple hair (and blue hair, and green hair, and pink hair, lol!) and got it that way without using bleach. Like others have mentioned, you can always give dye-only a try and then reevaluate your options. Manic Panic never held on my hair, Special Effects did much better, but you may do very well looking at the burgundy shades available in conventional box dyes. Best of luck kiddo! Rock on the crayola colors! :)

P.S. Don't ever use Kool-Aid on your hair! I never did (thankfully) but I had many friends who tried -- you'll only get crummy, uneven color that doesn't wash out for a VERY long time.

[twilight_faerie]

Don't ever use Kool-Aid on your hair! I never did (thankfully) but I had many friends who tried -- you'll only get crummy, uneven color that doesn't wash out for a VERY long time.

I've also heard similar things from friends who used Kool-Aid to dye their hair. They all said it ended up completely trashed.

I don't know if this helps you, but I have naturally medium brown hair, and I used Special Effects Blood Red semi-permanent dye over henna (no bleach). It was a bit redder for a couple of weeks, but it washed out in no time. Now my hair is back to reddish brown. Very disappointing.

[TheBlondeApple]

I do a Lara Croft (http://tech.de.msn.com/spiele/pc-spiele_galerie.aspx?cp-documentid=10009958&imageindex=31) Ponytail (http://tech.de.msn.com/spiele/pc-spiele_galerie.aspx?cp-documentid=10009958&imageindex=32).
I'd try it without bleach first and just on the very tips (1/2 - 1 inch). If you like the results, you can always do it on more of the length. And if the colour isn't drastic/bright enough, you can try bleach.
Anja

[mellie]

Spidermom colored her ends with blackberries!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=11541&highlight=cranberries

[paper]

Thank you, everybody for your responses. I've never dyed my hair, but I think this could be fun, and if I don't like it, I'll only lose an inch or two that I would cut out anyway. GlassEyes, my avatar is cropped from a picture of my hair in the sunlight and wind. It's about as close to my real color as you can get in a picture. You can see the lightness of my ends in this picture.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2054/2435492158_e4e2b3377f.jpg?v=0

Great length shot! You have very pretty hair. I think it sounds like fun dyeing your ends purple. Good luck!

[LutraLutra]

Your hair is lovely in it's natural state. But if I was you, yeah, go for it! The only thing I'd say is if you bleach then dye the tips of your hair and leave the rest of your hair in it's natural colour, you might find your natural colour suddenly looks a very odd colour - if your ends are bright purple your natural colour might look almost greenish in comparision. That happened to me when I tried to put a red stripe in my fringe - the my natural colour looked really washed out next to it. Does that make sense? But it's fun to have fun with your hair! :)

[WritingPrincess]

I do a Lara Croft (http://tech.de.msn.com/spiele/pc-spiele_galerie.aspx?cp-documentid=10009958&imageindex=31) Ponytail (http://tech.de.msn.com/spiele/pc-spiele_galerie.aspx?cp-documentid=10009958&imageindex=32).
. . . snip . . . Like a "caterpillar"?


Your hair is lovely in it's natural state. But if I was you, yeah, go for it! The only thing I'd say is if you bleach then dye the tips of your hair and leave the rest of your hair in it's natural colour, you might find your natural colour suddenly looks a very odd colour - if your ends are bright purple your natural colour might look almost greenish in comparision. That happened to me when I tried to put a red stripe in my fringe - the my natural colour looked really washed out next to it. Does that make sense? But it's fun to have fun with your hair! :) It makes perfect sense. My mom vetoed bleach, however. Thanks for the compliment. :)

[Amara]

I vote for trying it without the bleach first, see what happens. If the hair isn't bleached and you're using one of the kinder brands of dye out there, you can always redo it often.

[longhairedfairy]

I vote for trying it without the bleach first, see what happens. If the hair isn't bleached and you're using one of the kinder brands of dye out there, you can always redo it often.

Yeah, if you're only dying your ends you will probably have a lot of dye left, so you can redo it as often as needed. If it's Manic Panic or Special Effects you don't have to discard the unused dye.

[TheBlondeApple]

Like a "caterpillar"?

Yup, like PurpleBubba's Sleep Tail.
Anja

[Elainehali]

I did the tips of my hair a different color once.

To just make the tips purple I would use shampoo on the bottom part of your hair. (this removes the any oils protecting your hair from taking the dye up.) Let it dry completely..braid it and then put the purple on the tassle. Cover the dye with a zip lock bag and wait. The longer the better with vegitable colors like manic panic.

If your hair is 37 inches like you say I'm sure it's porus enough to hold the dye without bleaching, but the color will be less intense.

AND if you hate the way the manic panic looks. The fastest way to remove it is with some prell or baby shampoo mixed with baking soda. That rips the color right out!

[WritingPrincess]

Thank you, Elainehali! Do I have to let it dry *before* I braid it, or can I braid it damp?
And thanks for the tip on removing it.

[AnneAdeline]

I've dyed my hair so many colors *points to profile pic*, over virgin and natural. Special Effects worked really well for me over virgin hair. Remember to wear plastic gloves or else you'll have purple hands for a few days. Many times I was to lazy to grab gloves and ended up with colored hands as well. ;)
It'll fade quicker without bleaching, but won't be too much of a hassle to redye since you aren't doing your whole head (that is a much more difficult venture).

Good luck! I hope to see pictures when you try.

[kwaniesiam]

You can get a jar of purple Manic Panic dye at sally's, speaking from personal experience the dye WILL show up on hair that light without bleaching, and you can save the jar to redo it as it fades since you won't need all of it for just the ends. Periodically I do a full head application of their Vampire Red shade, it's not at all damaging but does fade over time. Sounds like fun, if you end up doing it post pics of the results, your hair looks lovely in that length shot :flowers:

Edit: Forgot to mention that doing a diluted vinegar rinse afterwards will help keep the color vibrant longer and prevent it from fading. Don't do it immediately after rinsing, once you rinse the dye, I typically wait at least 24 hours for it to "sink in", then I do my first wash and follow with the ACV rinse.

[Pegasus Marsters]

I highly recommend manic panic. Even on unbleached hair their purple has a pretty good effect. My ex had very dark hair and we used purple manic panic on his hair and it came out pretty strong, but he wanted it a lot brighter so we ended up bleaching.

Try it without bleaching first, if you decide you want it brighter then bleach and re-apply the manic panic. :flowers:

[TheBlondeApple]

To just make the tips purple I would use shampoo on the bottom part of your hair. (this removes the any oils protecting your hair from taking the dye up.) Let it dry completely..braid it and then put the purple on the tassle. Cover the dye with a zip lock bag and wait.

It is going to be uneven when you braid it first.
Anja

[WritingPrincess]

I was thinking the same thing, Anja.

[Katahdin]

That's such a good idea. I would not have thought of that. Thank you, Katahdin! Did you do all that behind your back, or did you bring it around to the front?

I brought it very, very carefully over my shoulder. Make sure not to disturb the pony tail or you'll end up with lop-sided colour. That happened to me the first time, I had to do it again to make it even. :)

[PseudoScot]

I want to do the same thing, only blue. I say go for it! It will grow back. Plus, you can bun your hair and hide the ends, so when in more formal settings no one will know!

[Oskimosa]

I think there are some members here that have had better results with Special Effects over manic panic... I've used Manic Panic before. My hair was box dye red, and I bought what I appeared to be red manic panic and got magenta/fucsia... My friend used blue on her naturally blonde hair and it faded within a week or two to a rather greenish color. Well, yellow and blue DOES make green! Kindergarten teachers were right, shucks.

In other words, I say spot test it first!

[longhairedfairy]

WritingPrincess, Have you done the deed yet?:D If you do, please post pics!

[WritingPrincess]

Longhairedfairy, I have not. But I will be absolutely certain to post pics when/if (hopefully when) I do. Promise.

[longhairedfairy]

Okay! Thanks! :D