PDA

View Full Version : Bleaching ends, bad idea?



XcaliburGirl
May 12th, 2010, 07:14 AM
I want to use semi-permanant dye(Manic Panic, Punky, or Special Effects) over my virgin hair to a dark blue color. I've never dyed my hair at all and I think it'd be fun for a while.

I'm worried I won't get any color to show up at all, though I'm going to do a strand test soon. With any luck, if I leave it on for several hours it will at least get a nice blue or purple sheen when light hits it.

If it doesn't work, I've been toying with the idea of bleaching a half to a full inch of the ends just to get some striking color(not sure what, since I wouldn't be limited to dark colors) which I can trim off after it fades. How much damage would that do to my growing goals? Obviously I'd lose the bleached part to a trim, but do you think it would negatively affect the rest of my hair?

Curlsgirl
May 12th, 2010, 08:19 AM
I want to use semi-permanant dye(Manic Panic, Punky, or Special Effects) over my virgin hair to a dark blue color. I've never dyed my hair at all and I think it'd be fun for a while.

I'm worried I won't get any color to show up at all, though I'm going to do a strand test soon. With any luck, if I leave it on for several hours it will at least get a nice blue or purple sheen when light hits it.

If it doesn't work, I've been toying with the idea of bleaching a half to a full inch of the ends just to get some striking color(not sure what, since I wouldn't be limited to dark colors) which I can trim off after it fades. How much damage would that do to my growing goals? Obviously I'd lose the bleached part to a trim, but do you think it would negatively affect the rest of my hair?

I say go for it if you are prepared to trim the ends off after a while. If you can't have fun with your hair what's the use of having it? Of course it will slow your growth down just as much as you have to trim off. But the rest of your hair will be fine that is if you take care of it otherwise.

laurathexplora
May 12th, 2010, 08:36 AM
Wow! What an awesome idea. I want to have funky hair, but don't want to loose all if it to damage after bleaching. I wanted a couple stripes or something but this sounds like a much better idea. I don't see why it would negatively effect the rest of your hair. And since it's being trimmed of eventually anyway, why not? Go for it!

Siava
May 12th, 2010, 08:39 AM
What a fun idea. No, I don't think it'll effect the rest of your hair if you just bleach the ends. Pictures! Pictures! :)

GoddesJourney
May 12th, 2010, 08:56 AM
No. Those ends are just "future trims". Have fun with your hair. By the way, leaving it one for several hours won't help you. I think after about one hour, that's as much as your hair will soak that stuff up. If your hair is in good condition, expect even less to absorb. You'll probably get a bright sheen in the sun and some very vibrant ends. Enjoy it.

XcaliburGirl
May 12th, 2010, 08:57 AM
Cool.:) I think this is a good length for me to do something like that, but I don't want to cause any permanent damage. I'm not sure if I'll still bleach the ends if the strand test comes out OK without the bleach. It all depends on how it looks.
I have to wait until the end of June, though. My DH want's to dye his bright orange a the same time, but he has to wait until school is out for the summer (he substitute teaches) and for his buzz cut to grow in a little. So, I've got a built-in consideration time of more than two weeks.


What a fun idea. No, I don't think it'll effect the rest of your hair if you just bleach the ends. Pictures! Pictures!
Will do, I promise.

ButterCup02
May 12th, 2010, 09:24 AM
I think that will look really cool! I wanna see pics when you do it! It shouldn't affect the rest of your hair, as the others said those ends are just future trims :)

Kiraela
May 12th, 2010, 10:31 AM
It shouldn't be a problem - Actually, DBF told me stories of an old friend of his, who maintained at classic length. When it was getting near time for her trim, she'd bleach the last two inches and dye them, pretty much exactly what you're planning. Then, she'd have the stylist trim just above the color, once it had faded. She never seemed to have any problems - it kept her wish to change hair colors under control, and the rest of the hair was untouched. :D

(and yes, stories of long-haired-Lydia are one of the reasons I decided to grow my hair out, why do you ask ;) )

ArienEllariel
May 12th, 2010, 10:36 AM
What a cool idea! My sister wants to do something like this except she wants purple tips. I say go for it! :)

craftybunn
May 12th, 2010, 10:38 AM
Go for it and keep us posted! I was going to put some purple streaks in my hair before I decided to grow it out. I'm just scared of the damage from the peroxide. Maybe if you give it lots of TLC youwon't have to trim and keep moving towards your goal.

girloctopus
May 12th, 2010, 12:17 PM
I've thought about doing that a few times. I think you would be fine! Your ends may need a little babying if they wind up dry or crunchy though, but they'll be trimmed off eventually anyway and I think it's a very low maintenance way to have a little fun :D

abbatabba1137
May 12th, 2010, 12:28 PM
I wish I had done this over a year ago instead of going straight to the scalp with bleach! It would have saved me over a foot of hair(which had to be cut from damage within 6 months)...

Keep in mind, sometimes the straight across line on your ends might look a little strange when down. Try playing around with a more uneven/blended 'seam' on your ends. Or not, it is your hair after all!:p

dragonfrog
May 12th, 2010, 12:56 PM
I did this in high school, and dyed the bleached ends red with Manic Panic. It looked very good, and wasn't very damaging (although the streak I put in at the same time was, since it went to the roots).
I'd say go for it! I'd love to see pictures, maybe I can dig some of mine up from when I did it.

Kathie
May 12th, 2010, 01:08 PM
Sounds fun! The ends have to be the safest/best place to bleach because they’re so easily removed when you’re ready.

I’ll keep an eye out for your pics!

craftybunn
May 12th, 2010, 01:15 PM
yes, pictures please! I'd love to see how that turned out.

Anje
May 12th, 2010, 02:45 PM
I'm another who says "go for it"!

Yes, bleached ends will feel as bad or worse than bleached roots will, but the hair you leave unbleached shouldn't suffer. You'll get an inch or two of fun, funky hair, and when you get sick of it, you can trim it off and only lose the length that was bleached. Honestly, it sounds like the ideal way to do something damaging and wild-colored without sacrificing the condition or length of most of your hair.

tarn
May 12th, 2010, 06:25 PM
Sounds like a great idea to me.
This could be a great way to grow out my pesky layers once I hit my goal!
It will mean no extra length for a while, but is a great way to have a change if you need one!

Animae
May 12th, 2010, 08:17 PM
I've done it! It was lots of fun, just be prepared to dye almost weekly if you want to keep the color fresh looking.

I did this about eight months ago and it looked really cool, I have dark brown hair and I had turquoise green tips.

freckles
May 13th, 2010, 07:57 AM
I've thought about doing this. Lots of people I'm close to don't like the idea so I've chickened out so far :p But I think it's ultra cool and yeah, no damage (to most of the hair). Pictures if you go ahead with it please :)

XcaliburGirl
June 5th, 2010, 04:29 AM
*bump for question*

Dye-Day is June 12. After doing a strand test on DH's hair, the turquoise he decided on is green, so he's going to bleach first. We don't feel comfortable doing it at home because his hair is so short. He's going to go to a salon.

So, I've decided to go through with the bleaching of the tips, but I'm not sure if I should do it with a kit from Sally's or just go to the salon with DH.

Salon: Slightly more expensive, she might bleach too much, I might have to fend off a hard sell on streaks/trim/etc.

At home: Difficult to see my ends at this length, I've never done this before, could get messy.

Advice? Thanks!

Either way, I guess I need to stop procrastinating and go buy some aloe for an SMT and some coconut oil.

XcaliburGirl
June 14th, 2010, 06:27 PM
* bump for pics *

Well, I did it!

See my album and blog for pictures.


http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?b=72291

Kome
June 14th, 2010, 06:42 PM
You will have to bleach. I've done every color of the rainbow. Get a 30 developer and mix half and half. Get Wella bleach or a more expensive bleach because they don't damage as much (yes, this IS true). I've used many bleaches and it makes a difference.

Do a test strand. Don't leave it on longer than 40 minutes. I'd try 15 minutes. My hair is a medium brown and 15 minutes turns it a light yellow blonde. Special effects dye is more permanent. The Special effects pinks are like henna, they don't bleach out well. Just a warning, but if it's just the ends you can always cut it off. I plan on doing this at some point too. Good luck and show pictures! :)

ETA:
Aw, I wanna see but it won't let me. My account and still really new, maybe that's why. :(

PrincessTieflin
June 14th, 2010, 07:13 PM
I just saw your pics! It looks great.. I may try your way next time.. since I went and colored my whole head blonde and then my bags blue :D

punkcatknitter
June 14th, 2010, 08:19 PM
I've thought about doing this a lot... I'll be back as soon as I have enough posts to see your pics!

LawyerGirl
June 14th, 2010, 08:26 PM
I did this in college. When I had to go to work, or conservative things to do, I'd roll it into a bun and nobody could see my ends were purple.

hoolahooper
June 14th, 2010, 08:27 PM
bleach is very damaging

VitaR86
June 14th, 2010, 09:41 PM
I've done this with purple once. I loved it. I say have fun with it. As long as your okay with loosing those few inches, what's the harm.

May
June 14th, 2010, 11:19 PM
Sounds fun :inlove::magic: Go for it. As for your questions though, I'm not really sure what you're asking...bleaching the ends isn't going to affect the rest of your hair but is that what you're asking? And if you trim you will obviously affect your total growth but were you planning on trimming anyway? Can't wait to see pics!

freckles
June 15th, 2010, 01:27 AM
It looks great! I'm tempted to have a go! I think it looks better on your wurls than it would on my straight hair, though.

dropinthebucket
June 15th, 2010, 10:17 AM
One of our grad students did this with her waist length hair - she bleached about four inches up in two bands, one on each side - then she did a half inch in bars on her bangs - she covered these "bleach stripes" with pink, then purple, then blue, then green - every week it was a different colour! looked very cool, especially mixed with her very funky makeup. Kinda like funky piano keys, to try to describe it. The bangs grew out quickly and she didn't re-do them. The sides had grown out in a few months.