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SwanFeathers
December 28th, 2018, 07:55 PM
So... I'm going to be weird for just a minute. I wash my laundry by hand and I blue my whites to brighten them. Once in awhile I stain my hands blue, and it occurs to me that if I didnt bun my hair that too might be stained.
Has anyone used laundry blueing as an alternative hair dye?

Jo Ann
December 28th, 2018, 09:41 PM
Not per se, but I've used Era Laundry Detergent before to force-fade my semi-permanent hair color and it has bluing in it to "whiten and brighten" whites and colors AND had it put a faint blue tint to my hair before (it washed out in the next shampooing, though).

SwanFeathers
December 29th, 2018, 11:16 AM
I wonder if its the same stuff in the purple whitening shampoo?

Kat
December 29th, 2018, 11:29 AM
Didn't old ladies used to use blueing on their hair to brighten the white? Isn't that why old ladies had the stereotype of having pastel-blue hair, because some of them overdid it? LOL.

(In fact, I seem to remember that one of the Ramona books found her managing to turn her doll's hair green, because the doll was blond and she decided to give it a "blue rinse" like she'd heard of some older neighbor or relative having done to her hair...)

Riot Crrl
December 29th, 2018, 11:45 AM
I think most purple shampoos contain synthetic dyes like Violet 2. People definitely use bluing (diluted quite a bit) in place of purple shampoo. Mrs. Stewart's does discuss that on their web site although they do not mention dying your hair straight up blue. I might try it for toning one day.

Obsidian
December 29th, 2018, 12:07 PM
Didn't old ladies used to use blueing on their hair to brighten the white? Isn't that why old ladies had the stereotype of having pastel-blue hair, because some of them overdid it? LOL.

(In fact, I seem to remember that one of the Ramona books found her managing to turn her doll's hair green, because the doll was blond and she decided to give it a "blue rinse" like she'd heard of some older neighbor or relative having done to her hair...)

Yes, I remember reading that or hearing it someplace. I was actually thinking about trying it once I grow my grey out some more. I think it would brighten without giving the ashy tone purple shampoos can.

lapushka
December 29th, 2018, 01:15 PM
So... I'm going to be weird for just a minute. I wash my laundry by hand and I blue my whites to brighten them. Once in awhile I stain my hands blue, and it occurs to me that if I didnt bun my hair that too might be stained.
Has anyone used laundry blueing as an alternative hair dye?

We wash whites at least on 60°C, my mom used to wash them at 95°C (our machine still does that, it's almost boiling point). So when you do them by hand, that has to be 40° tops in order not to burn yourself; can you get all the staining out easily at that low a temperature? Just curious.

illicitlizard
December 29th, 2018, 04:57 PM
We wash whites at least on 60°C, my mom used to wash them at 95°C (our machine still does that, it's almost boiling point). So when you do them by hand, that has to be 40° tops in order not to burn yourself; can you get all the staining out easily at that low a temperature? Just curious.

I wash everything on cold and have never had an issue with staining... The detergent does its job in my case :)

lapushka
December 29th, 2018, 05:07 PM
I wash everything on cold and have never had an issue with staining... The detergent does its job in my case :)

Even for men's white underwear and blood stains?

MusicalSpoons
December 29th, 2018, 05:48 PM
We wash most things at 40℃, some things at 30℃ as per instructions, towels at 60℃ and sometimes my Dad's uniform at 60℃ (if it's caked in grass stains, mud, even chicken blood/feathers in the past). A decent detergent will get out stains (even blood) at 20℃, especially if it's been pre-soaked.

I've actually never heard of blueing - is it literally a blue liquid? We have used blue coloured detergents at times, but I wouldn't dream of getting it anywhere near my hair :blueeek:

Riot Crrl
December 29th, 2018, 05:58 PM
I've actually never heard of blueing - is it literally a blue liquid?

Yes. It is sold in a liquid form, the relevant ingredient is Prussian Blue. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_blue) Whiten your laundry, tone your hair, paint a masterpiece, grow a crystal garden, what can't it do?

SwanFeathers
December 29th, 2018, 06:00 PM
We wash whites at least on 60°C, my mom used to wash them at 95°C (our machine still does that, it's almost boiling point). So when you do them by hand, that has to be 40° tops in order not to burn yourself; can you get all the staining out easily at that low a temperature? Just curious.

Actually I do use boiling water for my whites, VERY CAREFULLY! I agitate with a laundry stick briefly and let it cool a bit before I get in there with my washboard.

MusicalSpoons
December 29th, 2018, 06:05 PM
Yes. It is sold in a liquid form, the relevant ingredient is Prussian Blue. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_blue) Whiten your laundry, tone your hair, paint a masterpiece, grow a crystal garden, what can't it do?

Ohhhh cool! Thanks :)

littlestarface
December 29th, 2018, 06:06 PM
Actually I do use boiling water for my whites, VERY CAREFULLY! I agitate with a laundry stick briefly and let it cool a bit before I get in there with my washboard.

I'm getting a picture in my head like in charlie and the chocolate factory when we see charlies mom doing laundry like that. I would kill myself :D

SwanFeathers
December 29th, 2018, 06:08 PM
I'm getting a picture in my head like in charlie and the chocolate factory when we see charlies mom doing laundry like that. I would kill myself :D

My apartment complex does not have a laundry facility and the laundromat is too expensive. So since I know how from my hurricane prep education, I decided to do it old school until I save for a machine.

littlestarface
December 29th, 2018, 06:09 PM
My apartment complex does not have a laundry facility and the laundromat is too expensive. So since I know how from my hurricane prep education, I decided to do it old school until I save for a machine.

I feel so bad for you :cry: hopefully you get one soon.

SwanFeathers
December 29th, 2018, 06:41 PM
I feel so bad for you :cry: hopefully you get one soon.

Its not so bad. My clothes are cleaner than with a machine, everything gets properly sorted by color and fiber, and its a good arm workout. plus my neighbors think I'm hardcore, which is hard to do in Texas! lol ;)

Kat
December 30th, 2018, 11:43 AM
I can't imagine the mess! At least, the one I would make. I hate washing clothing by hand... I never feel like it gets as clean as when I machine wash it, and I can never get all the soap rinsed out, either. (So why I own so many clothes that have to be hand-washed-- either because delicate or because the dye runs-- is beyond me.)



We wash whites at least on 60°C, my mom used to wash them at 95°C (our machine still does that, it's almost boiling point). So when you do them by hand, that has to be 40° tops in order not to burn yourself; can you get all the staining out easily at that low a temperature? Just curious.

Since they usually say heat will set a stain, I'd not wash anything stained on hot (or put it in the dryer, either) unless I didn't care if the stain stayed.

SwanFeathers
December 30th, 2018, 12:53 PM
I can't imagine the mess! At least, the one I would make. I hate washing clothing by hand... I never feel like it gets as clean as when I machine wash it, and I can never get all the soap rinsed out, either. (So why I own so many clothes that have to be hand-washed-- either because delicate or because the dye runs-- is beyond me.) Since they usually say heat will set a stain, I'd not wash anything stained on hot (or put it in the dryer, either) unless I didn't care if the stain stayed.

You treat stains first, preferably also a presoak. I own a clothes mangle to wring out the water after washing/rinsing and that forces the suds out. If you've ever seen Dr. Quin medicine woman, season 4 Ep 7 has my laundry set up at minute 32. Only exception is that my washboard is glass so it doesnt cut up my hands like a tin one would.
Granted I do this only if the weather is above 60° we budget to use a coin laundry during the coldest parts of winter. My husband wont let his southern-girl freeze doing the wash :) it was hilarious trying to teach him to do laundry, I don't know how people up north deal with the inevitable power outages that come with foul weather; in Florida (at least the rural parts) we just make a neighborhood barbecue for all the meat in the fridge and carry on life with non-electric means.

Reyesuela
December 30th, 2018, 02:45 PM
Sometimes gray hair can get a yellow cast. Older women sometimes like to use a blue wash to correct that.

HOWEVER, the older you get, the less you are able to see blue compared to younger people, so a very discernible blue tint appears in your hair that kids and then young adults can see long before you are able to see it!

There is a small amount of blue added to the green of stoplights to help people with green/red color blindness. When I was very small--less than 10--"green" lights looked almost turquoise to me. Now they look...green. When you have arguments about how pink or purple something is or how blue vs green, it is most common that people of different ages who see different amounts of blue are disagreeing!

lapushka
December 30th, 2018, 02:48 PM
Actually I do use boiling water for my whites, VERY CAREFULLY! I agitate with a laundry stick briefly and let it cool a bit before I get in there with my washboard.

Ah OK! :thumbsup: That's like my grandma (on dad's side) used to do it. My grandma on mom's side had 10 children and had the first washing machine on the block.

Reyesuela
December 30th, 2018, 02:49 PM
I can't imagine the mess! At least, the one I would make. I hate washing clothing by hand... I never feel like it gets as clean as when I machine wash it, and I can never get all the soap rinsed out, either. (So why I own so many clothes that have to be hand-washed-- either because delicate or because the dye runs-- is beyond me.)




Since they usually say heat will set a stain, I'd not wash anything stained on hot (or put it in the dryer, either) unless I didn't care if the stain stayed.

I only wash by hand when I travel. Did a weeks' laundry for 5 people in a hotel sink in China. You should have heard my mental scream of horror at the color of the water. China's air pollution means that clothes turn the water BLACK for 3 scrubbings. It's nuts.